Day 165: 12 Miles

Oh my gosh, I thought I wouldn't make it today! I have not run a long distance since the Disneyland Half Marathon 4 weeks ago. And keep in mind I had only run 13 miles once in my life and that was on race day.


Today is Wednesday, long run day on my training schedule. Melody and I met at 7 a.m. at the beach determined to get my running miles moving up.

It was hot, I was winded and it wasn't pretty that's for sure (not the beach, my running!). So as I write this I sit on ice packs again on my ass, and I've got blisters on my feet, and everything aches. But nobody said it would be easy to train for a marathon. I mean if it was, more people would be running.

I was inspired by a fellow runner today ... we asked her how many miles she was doing this morning and she said "20" ... she runs the Chicago Marathon in two weeks and this was her last big run before race day. I thought, wow, 20 miles, will I ever be able to do that?!

As I've said before, one mile at a time, baby! Run Robyn Run!

Day 142: The Day After

Today is the day after the big run! I'm feeling great. My legs are sore, which is to be expected... and I'm still dealing with past blisters which have never completely healed, but all and all I feel terrific! Woke up early and have been on the run all day.

In reviewing my race time we calculated that I ran just shy of a 14 minute mile for 13 straight miles, which put me at the finish line in 3 hours, 1 minute. Sure I'd like to increase my time, but it's the distance that trips me up. I love to run super fast! Love to run sprints and shorter quicker distances, but for long distance runs I've got to pace myself so that I can sustain my energy to make it to the finish line. It would however be great to tighten that number up so that I can run the full marathon in March in a faster time. May add that to my goal list!

The race course began at the entrance to California Adventure Theme Park. The first 4 miles of the race took me through this theme park and then through Disneyland while Disney Characters cheered us runners on ... and keep in mind this race began at 6 a.m.! We ran out of Disneyland through Main Street and headed for the streets of Anaheim which were lined with Cheerleaders and school bands from a dozen or more local high Schools! So darling were all these young people to come out in uniform and cheer us on!

This was the Ferris Wheel in California Adventure all lit up with Mickey Mouse in the Center. This is what it looked like when we ran through the park!

Then we ran toward Honda Center and then we ran through the most amazing part of the run ... through Angel Stadium! We ran through the tunnel that all the athletes travel to enter the Stadium. We ran around the bases while the stands were again filled with spectators cheering us on. Family members had made signs for their loved one's wishing them Good Luck ! Little children were waving & cheering Go Mommy, Go Daddy as their folks ran by! It was very much a family and community event that gave you energy to keep going.

Running through Angel Stadium I of course could not stop thinking about two things. Both made me choke up as I was running in this beautiful stadium. One was thinking about the young pitcher Nick Adenhart just 22 years old who had his debut pitching night just a year ago at Angel Stadium only to end up dead later that night after being hit by a drunk driver. I could feel his families pain as I ran that Stadium. It gave me a painful sick feeling in my gut.

The other emotion I felt was visualizing my three sons as they take the field as pitchers and what that feeling must be like. When my son Brandon exits the bullpen and makes that sweet jog to the pitcher's mound while the stadium is packed with parents and adoring fans... what that sensation must be like... I tasted it for one sweet moment and I can see the attraction to this feeling.

That's how I felt when I ran across the finish line... pure exhilaration! The nerves were all gone, I just felt pure jubilation that I had made it... I had finished a very long goal and I was alive to share the memory!

Day 41: 6 Miles Down, 20 More To Go

Today Brian and I ran a 10k race in Brentwood to support the Westside YMCA. If you read my Blog you know that one of my goals for my 49th year is to run a marathon. In order to accomplish this goal I need to increase my running miles daily. So the hubby and I challenged ourselves to run today's race. A 10k is 6.2 miles. I'm happy to report that we ran it successfully!

It felt great to run across the finish line! I had only been up to 5 miles so this extra mile and change was a super push for me and brings me closer to my goal of 26 miles. Brian doesn't have the desire to run a marathon but is an amazing athlete and is running to stay fit and personally challenge his fitness.

I have to give kudos to our athletic trainer & friend Melody Roset who has been encouraging me to run throughout my goal. Again if you read my posts you know that I live with severe nerve pain. The damage to my nerves was brought on during my campaign and I have been working hard for the past year to increase my core strength and work through the pain. The pain is constant & daily. In a strange way running stretches and works that part of my body.

Next up is a half marathon (13 miles) in September with several smaller races in between. Having a set goal and chipping away daily at reaching that goal is a great feeling of accomplishment!

Run Robyn Run!!!

Day 17: Run Robyn Run !!!

Don't worry it's not running for political office again! It's literally RUNNING! As one of my 49th to 50th year intentions I have committed to run a Marathon... that's 26.2 miles for those of you who just aren't sure how difficult this challenge is! And I'm not walking it! I've done that before when I participated in the FIRST Avon 3-Day Walk for Breast & Ovarian Cancer. It was a GREAT experience and we walked from Santa Barbara to Malibu... some 20 miles a day! Just an awesome experience!

But now I want to RUN! A marathon is one of the most challenging athletic tests you can push yourself to accomplish and I figure if not now, when? I've been training vigorously to strengthen my body for the past year. If you didn't know I've trained through enormous pain. I had severe nerve damage resulting from a grueling 18 month political campaign and I've spent a year reducing those physical effects through regular exercise. Much appreciation and thanks go out to my atheltic trainer, Melody Roset (http://www.makotraining.com/), who beleived that despite my endless pain, I could accomplish this personal goal. Thank you Mel!

I recently saw the rewards of my workouts when I signed-up for an exercise class -- outside of my regular training outdoors. It was so exciting to be the only woman in an exercise class that could do push-ups on her toes, not her knees! I challenge you all to make a commitment to start with 5 push-ups a day. I started out not even being able to lift my body with one push-up and this morning I did 30 on my toes -- all the way down! And then there's the plank -- a core strengthening exercise. Again today I did a plank for 2 and a half minutes -- and if you think that's a piece of cake, I'll challenge you anytime as most folks can barely hold themselves up for 10 seconds! I've put my teenage boys to the test and I've won! Try it and you'll see what I mean.

There is something very rewarding about strengthening your body. You feel strong & powerful. So through the intense nerve pain I've kept pushing myself and am now feeling better and running more. I'm still sore and sit on ice packs regularly, but I've got less then a year now to reach my goal of completing a marathon. I hope you'll all join me at the finish line. Run Robyn Run baby!