Revel Mt. Charleston Training Week 8 Results

Written by Owen:

Just finished my long run, these long runs are getting LOOOONG.

Revel Mt. Charleston Training Week 7 Results

Written by Owen:

Week 7 of 18 training is complete.  Knowing I was going to post this helped me complete every prescribed workout:

Revel Mt. Charleston Training Week 6 Results

Written by Owen:

Week six of my 18 week Marathon training plan ended yesterday.  It was my first perfect week (did every prescribed workout fully, no excuses) of this training cycle.  For whatever reason, while training for my last four marathons, I have not done a very good job at sticking to the plan, so I have really suffered during the actual marathon.

At the start of this cycle, I vowed to stick to it. After week 5, I realized I was falling back into the trap of making excuses to skip that workout.

I am going to post my workout results at the end of each week, not to boast, but to hold myself accountable.  If I know I have to post them, I WILL stick to it, and this marathon will be more enjoyable.  I am in nowhere near the physical shape I used to be, so I won't set any records, but I will enjoy the marathon, which is why I do this in the first place.

Upcoming Marathons

Here's what I have to look forward to in the next six months (can't wait!):

All of these are the same scale except for Pennsylvania, it wouldn't fit on a 800 foot scale, so it's even more drastic than it looks.

Speedwork

Written by Malissa:

I've been doing a bunch of speedwork lately. I'm working on getting my 5k time down. I will be running a 5k for myself, for the first time since October. Lately the humidity is getting to me and I'm having a hard time staying motivated. Tonight I had 8x400's and Alicia wanted to run them with me. I just love my girl to pieces. She has Owen's drive and determination and is the perfect running partner for me. After my 4th 400 I was ready to call it a night, she was so sweet and said, "you can do it Mommy." I made it through the last 4. Guess I just needed a little boost from my girl.

She's still a little faster than me on the short runs. Once I focused in on her cute little ponytail going back and forth I was able to keep up with her a little better.

I'm so thankful she loves to run. I look forward to running with her as she gets older. I wonder what will be her favorite distance.

Training for Grandma's Marathon (BQ?)

Written by Owen:

I'm currently training for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota on June 16th.  Tomorrow is my last 20 miler followed by three weeks of tapering.  I've hit the roads harder than ever since the Big Sur Marathon back in April.  The reason for that is that I want to take a crack at qualifying for Boston.

My PR is 3:21:58 at the Myrtle Beach Marathon back in February.  My qualifying standard for Boston is 3:10.  To some that may not sound like a big difference, but it is HUGE.  I pushed myself really hard at Myrtle Beach, which is a pancake flat marathon.  I had trained pretty hard, and still hit the wall hard at mile 24, slowing by almost a minute per mile on the last two miles.  My average pace was 7:42.  In order to qualify for Boston at Grandma's, I'll have to run an average pace of 7:15 on a not as flat course.

Myrtle Beach Course Profile

Grandma's Course Profile

I feel really good, and my training has gone wonderfully since Big Sur.  My running log as I write this says I've ran 71 miles in the last 7 days; 218 in the last 30; and 2,001 in the last 365!  Today's 10 mile training run was at an average pace of 7:40 on severe hills.

All of that sounds like I can do it, it feels like I can do it, but the thought of running 26.2 miles at 7:15 is scary.  My fear is that I'll try... and bonk at mile 16 and have 10 miles of misery.  I really enjoy enjoying marathons.  I don't want misery.

As a backup plan, I made a custom pace tattoo on Taz Running that has both paces (beat my PR, and qualify for Boston). The column that looks like 14/41 means 7:14/7:41, the pace for that mile (to save room).

That way if I get out there and just don't think I can do it, I can always just try to PR.

My custom pace tattoo

Here are a couple of videos by C Tolle Run about Grandma's Marathon.

I am super excited for Grandma's, only three weeks to go!  Wish me luck.

What a Year

Written by Malissa

Looking back at 2011
What an amazing year! Who would have known that we had a house full of runners? I'm so thankful that I decided to do the Couch to 5k program last January and that our friend Udit talked Owen into training for the 5k too. Running has brought so much joy into our lives. I feel so blessed that we found an activity that our family enjoys doing together. We've also enjoyed watching our friends and family catch the running bug.

Races we ran in 2011 (We raced in five different states in 2011: NC, UT, VA, TN, GA)

	5k	10k	Half- Marathon	Marathon
Owen	5	2	2	1
Malissa	6	1	1
Michael	6	3	1
Kyle	3
Alicia	3

Miles we ran in 2011
Owen: 1329
Malissa: 377
Michael: 398
Kyle: 22
Alicia: 35

Goals for 2011
Weight loss-Owen and I both met our weight loss goals
Become debt free- we didn't quite make our debt free goal due to all the traveling we did with our races, but we made a lot of progress.

Goals for 2012
1) We plan to continue or weight loss journey. We both have a little more to lose to get us in prime running shape.

2) Become debt free and have our emergency fund completely funded.

3) Keep a prayer journal. I came across the idea over here. I like the idea of going back and writing next to your prayer request how God answered them.

4) Owen wants to run 2400 miles.

5) After Big Sur Marathon, I plan to take a short break from long distance and work on getting my 5k time below 30 minutes. I also want to train more with Kyle and Alicia.

6) Michael plans to run in the Run For Your Life Grand Prix Series

7) Owen plans to run 50 marathons in 50 states by his 50th birthday. I am so excited for this goal. What better way to see our beautiful country than taking running trips with our family. Owen is 37, he has 12+ years to complete this goal. He plans to run four marathons per year. He completed his first marathon this past November and marked North Carolina off the list! He already has four lined up for this year:
Myrtle Beach Marathon, South Carolina (Febuary)
Big Sur International Marathon, California (April)
Mad Marathon, Vermont (July)
St. George Marathon, Utah (October)

Chattahoochee River

Written by Owen

During our trip to Alabama to visit with Malissa's brothers and celebrate an early Christmas, Malissa and I did our Saturday run along the banks of the Chattahoochee River which separates Georgia from Alabama.

The path was very nice, I'm jealous they have such a beautiful place to do their long runs.

It was a little colder than ideal, but I was enjoying my peaceful 13 mile training run.  That is, until I saw this sign every half-mile or so (click on the picture):

Caution: Aligator Habitat

I still enjoyed my run very much, but after seeing that sign I was a little jumpy at every squirrel that made a noise in the trees.

Marathon for the Family, One Month Away

Written by Owen:

I have been training for this marathon for over five months now.  I've ran over 800 miles in that time.  While running those miles, each day I do the math as to how long it is before November 12th.  November 12th is one of those dates now that just screams at me. So today when I looked at the date and it said October 12th, I was overwhelmed with emotions. One month to go.  The funny thing is, I feel 100% prepared.  I'm not nervous.  I'm anxious.  I can't wait to get out there.

I've been doing all the reading I can on marathon running. One thing I read was an idea of what to do to help the miles pass easier while running the marathon.  I will assign each mile a family member.  While running that particular mile, I will think about that person individually.  I will remember fun times we've had together, I will be thankful for that person and what they mean to me.  I will also be carrying a voice recorder with me while running.  I will take notes at each mile on what I'm feeling like, unique things about that mile, etc.  I will then write that all up into the post-race blog.

Counting my wife, kids, brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents I have 28 people.  So counting the 26 miles, plus the time before the starting line (waiting to start, and actually running toward the starting line), plus the 385 yards after the 26th mile marker heading to the finish line, there are 28 slots.  Here is the pace chart I will have on my arm during the race:

I chose to put my dad in the last 385 yards leading up to the finish line because he is why I am doing this. My dad died of a heart attack while training for his 5th St. George Marathon in 2000.  I'm not sure what emotions and thoughts I will be having that last 385 yards, but I know it will be centered on my dad.

I let Malissa pick which mile she wanted and she chose the 26th.

I also let my mom pick, she picked the 13th mile for the following reason: Because it is near the halfway point, but more for Hebrews 12:1 (12+1=13) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE MARKED OUT FOR US."

For the rest, I had Excel randomly select a spot.

I hope anybody that can will come out on November 12th.  Here's a map that show's the route.  It shows the estimated time at each point when I will be there, just hover your mouse over the mile marker.  Malissa plans on going to several of the spots to see me pass.

For those of you that can't make it to Charlotte, here are the actual results that will be updated every time I cross one of the timing mats.  Just hit Ctrl+F (find) and search for Lillywhite.

The finish line is at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Davidson St. in uptown Charlotte.  My goal is 3 hours and 40 minutes which would put me crossing the finish line at about 11:25 AM (hopefully sooner).

Malissa's Long Run Dilemma Solved

Written by Malissa

After having a horrible long run last week I decided I needed to find a running partner to help me with my long runs. 

The first person that came to my mind was my friend Joana. I texted her to see what her pace was, hoping it was faster but not too much faster than me. Come to find out she was a lot faster than me but wanted to run with me anyways. 

The first two miles felt great, averaging 11:33 and 11:54. The third mile I got a massive cramp behind the right side of my rib cage. Joana knew right away that it was from me talking too much. Because I don't normally run with anyone, I'm not use to talking while I run. So she told me to take a break from talking and focus on my breathing. That mile I averaged 13:08. The fourth, fifth, and sixth mile we picked back up the pace and averaged 11:42, 11:57, 11:34.

I'm so thankful to Joana for running with me. It was such a selfless act on her part. We were running a lot slower than what she was use to but she didn't seem to mind.  

It was my fastest long run ever and other than my cramp at the beginning, It felt great. Looks like I found my running partner!


Here's a look at last Saturday's run by myself and today's run with Joana.


last Saturday's run:

and today's run:


Such a big difference! Thanks again Joana!

Malissa's Long Run Dilemma

Written by Malissa


Saturday morning was my first long run since the half marathon. I had seven miles to run and planned to run it at a twelve minute pace. I've been running an eleven minute pace during my short runs so I thought for sure I would be able to run a twelve minute pace on Saturday.

Well, it didn't go as planned. No matter what I tried I couldn't get my legs to go faster than my usual fourteen minute pace but then on my last mile I pushed out a 12:04. 

I think I know what my problem is. I can push myself on the short distances because I know it will only last a little while but struggle with the longer distances. I think I need to find a running partner for my long runs. Someone that will help push me through to the end.

Training With The Kids

Written by Malissa

The last few weeks we haven't had much time to work with Kyle and Alicia on their 5k training. We have been spending most of our time getting ready for the half marathon. With their 5k being 19 days away we knew it was time to get serious so yesterday we walked up to the middle school track to run a mile with the kids.

Kyle, Alicia, and I started running together. Early on Alicia pulled away from us. She finished her mile at 9:20. Kyle and I held hands while we ran and talked about school and his favorite computer game. I have learned that he runs best when he is talking. So, usually when he wants to stop and walk I start asking him questions and slowly he forgets walking. We finished our mile at 11:46. 

Now that Michael is done training for the half marathon he wants to work on getting his mile time down so he can beat his elementary school mile record. This is his last year in elementary school and he is determined to set a new school record. 

The school record is 6:06. Michael will have two chances to beat the record, one in the fall and the other in the spring.

Last night at the track he had a p.r. of 6:18!

picture taken from Elizabeth's blog

Meet Elizabeth. She is one of the people that stopped to talk to Michael after he finished the Park City Half Marathon. She was blown away that at 10 years old, Michael had just finished a half marathon. I remember her asking him his time and then her saying, "So, are you training for Boston next year?!". She wrote about Michael on her blog. Check it out.

Malissa's Next Training Chapter

Written by Malissa

It's been a week since I ran the Park City Half-Marathon and my feet are finally healed. I made the mistake of wearing the wrong shoes to an amusement park the day after the race and boy did my feet pay the price. This was one of those rare times that Owen was able to say, "I told you so."

For the past few weeks I have been contemplating what training I would do after I finished my half marathon. I have eight months until the Big Sur Marathon and want to use the majority of that time getting my pace time down. My biggest fear right now is being picked up by the "pokey wagon".  I have decided to follow Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training Guide again but this time I will follow his advanced training guide.

I'm looking forward to lacing up my running shoes in the morning!

Saturday's Long Runs

Written by Owen

In preparation for my marathon in November, I am following Hal Higdon's Advanced 1 Training Guide.  It calls for one long run per week, that gets longer and longer.  Today's run was 16 miles.  My previous long was 14. 

I've increased 2 miles before, but this was the most noticeable increase yet. I was loving it all the way up to 12 and 13 miles, but wow were my legs tired after that.  No cramps or issues, just very tired muscles.

Hurricane Irene was pounding us here in North Carolina as I was running this at 5:30 AM, but we're inland enough that is was beautiful weather here.

I'm sore, but I'm already looking forward to next week's 17 miles!

U.S. National Whitewater Center Run

Written by Owen

On Saturday we decided to do our run at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. They have a great system of trails through the nearby woods. Michael and I had 8 miles scheduled.

We didn't know how long the trail was so we just took off running, using my GPS watch as a guide. The trail was nothing like I expected. I was expecting a nice wide paved or packed gravel trail similar to the Clark Creeke Greenway near our house. I soon realized that was not the case. The trail was intended more for mountain bikers, but runners were also welcome. It was a tiny trail, too narrow to run even side by side. There were tons of tree roots poking up everywhere, with the path winding in between the trees, up and down hills around lakes, etc.

After we completed the first lap we were at 2.8 miles so we ended up doing 3 laps. It was the longest we had run to date, on the most difficult terrain (by far) to date. Michael fell 5 times, but each time got right back up and continued our run. Those tree roots were hard to navigate. Because the path was so skinny, and because I was setting the pace (he's too fast for me), I had to run in front with him behind me. Each time he fell, it was the exact same situation. I wish we had video of my point of view. I'd hear an "ugh", then turn around and see the same scene every time: Michael rolling on the ground.

Overall great run, but will probably stay away from that one except maybe for a family walk/hike. All I need is a turned ankle before my marathon.

These pictures were taken early in the morning before the whitewater center had opened:

Training For The Littles

Written by Malissa

Today Kyle and Alicia started their 5k training. They both have been asking when they will get to run 5ks with us so we signed them up for their first 5k run that will be this September.

We took them to the track to get a feel for their pace. We all started jogging together at a 14 minute pace. That was way too slow for Alicia so Owen let her jog ahead and he stayed with her. She ended up running the mile in 11 minutes and 1 second and Owen said he was holding her back. I stayed back with Kyle and spent the majority of the run helping him with his form. He walks and runs on his toes and looks down most of the time so I tried my hardest to encourage him to pick up his feet and look forward. It's going to take a lot of reminding him but I'm hoping he will catch on soon. The longest distance Kyle has ever done is a half mile (for P.E.) so he was so excited when we passed that and kept going. He is definitely a carefree runner! We spent most of our run beating up imaginary ghost runners and trying to see if we could stay on the lines. He really enjoyed himself and was so excited when he finished the mile. He finished a little before 14 minutes.