Turkey Trot

I bet you all are wondering where I have been the past few weeks! Or maybe you haven't, that's okay too! I have really been struggling with sickness. I had bronchitis for nearly two weeks! I am so thankful that I am over it just in time for the holidays! 

My next race is coming up this Sunday and I am so excited. This race means so much to me because it was the first race I ever ran! The race is called the Turkey Trot. It is definitely my favorite race for a lot of different reasons. 

Here are a few reasons I love the turkey trot. 

1. You get a free turkey 

2. It is usually freezing cold out. (The first time I ran the turkey trot it was 18 degrees when we started) 

3. It is the first race I ran (That was 3 years ago and as soon as I ran it I was hooked)

4. See all of the people dressed in silly turkey hats 

5. Feel guilt free eating your thanksgiving dinner

I love thanksgiving! I am so grateful that God has given me the ability to run! What is one thing you are grateful for this thanksgiving? 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Recovery

I ran a marathon! Now what? 

I think recovery is the hardest part for me. It is so different from training because you have to take it day by day. You never know exactly how fast your body will recover from your marathon. 

1. Listen to your body. Don't push yourself too hard. You do not want to risk injury. 

2. Stretch. Stretching is so important to keep your muscles from tightening up. (make sure to do a warm up walk before stretching) 

3. Sleep. I think one of the hardest things for me after my marathon was to sleep. My adrenaline was working overtime for sure! But once I did finally sleep I felt so much better!

4. Eat. Give your body a chance to refuel with healthy food. (Of course giving yourself a cheat day is okay too) You just ran a marathon! 

5. Relax. Enjoy your time off from working out. There is a life outside of running! The first thing I did after my race was crawl into bed and binge watch my favorite tv show. 

This is what recovery looks like. 

I hope these tips were helpful for you if you just ran a marathon or just need to take some time to recover from something else! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Marathon Day!

I've done it. 

I ran my first marathon! 

It was hot

It was fun! 

It was really really difficult. 

I finished with a time of 5.34. 

My goal was to run a marathon and have a great time doing it and I did. I high-fived the little kids and thanked all of the volunteers! 

The experience was incredible! 

My favorite part was in the beginning when my adrenaline was pumping and everyone was cheering us on. One thing that I learned while running my marathon is that it definitely is as hard as I thought! If you are considering running a marathon, here are my pros and cons list that may help you to decide! 

Pros. 

1. Accomplishment

2. Runners High 

3. Physically Fit 

4. Inspiration To Others

Cons. 

1. Blisters

2. Tired 

3. Sore

4. Recovery time 

I might have missed a few things on my pros and cons list but that is all I could think of at the moment. In my opinion, if you are physically capable you should at least run one marathon in your lifetime. It truly is an incredible experience! 

Now here are a few pictures from my marathon adventure!

 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Marathon Week!

My marathon is just one week away. The next time I post on here I will have ran a full marathon! This has been an awesome experience and I have learned so much. Sometimes when I am running so far I feel like I can't run anymore. Here are a few of the things that I use to keep going!

When you feel like you want to stop running... 

1. Think of your favorite day and play every minute of it in your head. Start from when you wake up, to when you go to bed. 

2. Look at the crowd cheering you on. Reading the signs are the best! 

3. Eat a snack! Eating is always a good thing to do while running a marathon and it can distract you from wanting to quit!

4. Pray. Meditate on a passage of encouraging scripture or just talk to God.

5. Imagine yourself crossing the finish line. Picture how happy you will be when you finish and what you just accomplished! 

I have been looking at the weather for my race next week and it has been changing every day. It went from 70 degrees with 20 percent chance of showers to 80 and sunny. Although I know I cannot change the weather, I would much rather have 70 degree weather than 80 degrees any day! Either way the weather goes I will still be at the starting line at 7:30 about to run my first marathon! 

I hope these tips were helpful to anyone running a race soon! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

2 Weeks Out!

My marathon is less than two weeks away! I can't believe it is so close! It feels like I just decided to start training yesterday. I am starting to get anxious and excited. The thought of the unknown is intimidating, but I know I am ready for this! 

Me with my favorite after run snack!

Since I only have two weeks left, my actual running has dropped significantly. I am focusing mainly on diet and stretching daily now. So today I have a few tips for preparing yourself for a race two weeks before. 

1. Relax 

Make sure to not get stressed out. (This has been the hardest thing for me to do) A few pre-race jitters are normal but don't allow yourself to lose sleep over it. Race day should be fun! 

2. Research 

Research where the start/finish line will be so on race day you will have nothing to be nervous about. Decide now when you are going to pick-up your packet. Besides your race, packet pick-up is the most important thing! 

3. Replay

Replay race day in your mind. Picture what you are going to wear, bring, eat. Don't forget to replay yourself crossing the finish line in your mind! 

What about you? Do you have any pre-race tips? 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Marathon - 3 Weeks Away!

My marathon is less than a month away and last week I was blessed with a cold. I was tired, achy, stuffy, and I couldn't move without my head pounding. I took medicine and that helped some but I knew if my training was going to be effective I needed to do more than that. Here are some tips I have for training while sick. 

1. Listen to your body. 

If you have to cut back on your training do it.  

2. Focus on staying hydrated. 

Drink WATER.

3. Eat foods that give you energy.

I never have an appetite when I am sick so I focused on eating a lot of protein and vegetables. 

4. Go to bed early.

I seriously believe that the best thing you can do when you are sick is sleep!

I have a really hard time slacking on my training because I am so competitive. So when I was sick, it was really hard for me to cut back on my runs a little bit. I ended up running two miles less than I was planning on. This was very disappointing to me, but I was glad to get my long run out of the way. Now I know even if I am sick on the day of my marathon I will still be able to run it! 

This is about how I felt this week after training! This photo is courtesy of Pinterest. 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Long runs!

I took some time off of work for Labor Day to get some work done around the house. It was a nice break but went by way too fast! I ended up doing a trial marathon run that was 18 miles. I surprised myself and woke up at 5:00 AM to go run! I did everything I am planning on doing for my actual marathon so I will be fully prepared. Here are a few tips I have.

1. Lay out everything the night before. 

2. Eat the same way the days leading up to your run the same way you will be eating for your marathon. (my big meal the day before was alfredo)

3. Get up the same time you will be getting up for your race. (I'm planning on getting up around 5:00 AM on race day)

4. Wear the same clothes you will be wearing on race day. 

5. Go to bed the same time the night before. 

The day before I ran my long run I found a fortune cookie on my counter top. When I opened the fortune it had the perfect note inside! 

My gear! 

My snacks. 

I am sure you get the point by now. Basically do everything exactly the same as you would on race day.

So I finally was able mark something off of my bucket list for the summer. I went to the drive-in for the first time! It was a perfect summer night and the experience was awesome! I only have one more item to check off my bucket list for this year and that is running a full marathon. I am so excited and I cannot wait to accomplish this! 

I hope you all have a great week! 

Until next time, 

Janelle