It's TAPER TIME

SOOOOOO, Saturday morning I ran the second 20 mile run of my training and it was great! Here's a clip from it:

Unfortunately, as you can see, the wind was blowing from the southwest. And...the last 6 miles of my run were also, southwest.

YES, HEAD WIND.

I had noticed before I left that it was going to be very windy, but I had already planned out where I was going to run and decided to just face the WIND. I knew that the course on marathon day won't be changing so this could be good preparation! (Though I really hope it won't be quite so windy!) The wind was at a pretty steady 12-15mph by the end of my run, which made it pretty rough! Actually, while I was on the bridge the wind was so strong I could feel it blowing me to the side and it was difficult to run in a straight line. Psh, well straight lines are overrated! It was fun!..... (in that little bit masochist sense that pain is gratifying!)
(and I forgot to mention that the miles with the tailwind were great! :)
3 weeks from TODAY- ING MARATHON SUNDAY! I'm so excited! I hope that my body won't feel too sluggy as I start tapering down to race day.

Please continue to submit your daily votes for me in the ING Featured Runner contest!
Vote Here on Facebook
YAY

Thanks!
Love,
Violamad

Why we train

On Saturday morning I ran twelve miles. Since I had run 20 miles on the previous Saturday morning, in my head, this 12 miles seemed like nothing. I didn't wake up early, I hadn't hydrated well the day before and I ate part of a bagel just 15 minutes before I left to go run. And then I ran, pretty fast. Too fast. I ran the first 6 miles in 43min, and suddenly I realized I was only half-way done.

Needless to say, by the time I got to 8 miles, I was in a lot of pain. I just simply had not properly prepared myself for this run, mentally and nutritionally.

Later that day I was having coffee with a friend and we started talking about my training and he asked about my run. So honestly, I had to say, it was a bad 12 miles. He asked me if I had learned anything. Well, yes, I shouldn't have started out so fast, I need to better monitor my pace, I should have prepared more mentally, slept more during the week...etc. But he didn't leave it at that. He didn't just mean if I had learned about my running training, but if I had learned something about myself. These mistakes that I made with training- were they the same kind of mistakes that I make in the rest of my day to day life?

Woah.

I had really yet to consider this. I've been training for months, for this thing called a marathon. But have I not also been training for life?

Well, now that I think about it, yeah, I often start out too quickly in a lot of things. Sometimes I decide to take on more things that I can handle. Sometimes I start practicing viola, just playing notes, before I'm mentally prepared. My mind isn't ready to really think about the music and what I'm trying to express through it. Sometimes I forget to drink enough water, and forget take care of myself before helping others. 

Every kind of training we do is an opportunity to learn. Every opportunity is a choice. Every choice is your future.

What did you learn today?

Love, Violamad

How did I get here?! ING NYC Marathon 2011

Since I got into running in high school, I've always wanted to run a marathon. It was a goal to accomplish, some time in my life.
I remember distincting during my freshman year of Juilliard, after living in NY for only a few months, I was walking down Columbus Ave near 85th Street, and suddenly I realized it was the day of the marathon. Hundreds of runners were crowding the street, trying to catch cabs, eating at cafes, walking (some barely) around with these finisher blankets, hugging family and friends. It was so incredibly inspiring, I started to cry! There in front of me were people, ordinary people, who had just accomplished something really great.
This is when I first considered running the ING NYC Marathon. But of course, I had never run more than 6 miles! So I decided to run a half marathon first. In the fall of 2010, I signed up for Grete's Great Gallop as part of the Norwegian Festival. I downloaded some training guide off the internet, and I was off! I've never really had a training partner, not even an iPod, and yet I've been fortunate to be crazy enough to train even in the summer heat! I really surprised myself when I crossed the finish line of 13.1 miles in 95min. It's quite a mind game, these long races. Additionally, I was suprised to imagine running another 13.1 miles, were I to be doing a full marathon. It seemed IMPOSSIBLE.
So I went back to my regular, every day running schedule of about 4 miles, 6 days a week. Then, in the spring of 2011, I got an email.
It was from the NYRR saying that I was a time qualifier and was eligible for guaranteed entry to the 2011 ING NYC marathon. :-O And, well, I thought, this must be it. Though I knew it would heavily impact my schedule with school, I figured there may not be any other chance for such a lifetime experience! So I did it. I signed up and was never more proud when I saw that "confirmation" message pop up on my screen. I'm IN!

I began my 18-week training schedule this summer and things have been going pretty smoothly. I'm very thankful, and incredibly excited to be living my dream. And there is absolutely NO other marathon that I would rather be running! (but I'll explain more of that later ;)

I've also been selected as an ING Runners Nation Featured Runner. To help me to win the grand prize, please vote for me (you can once a day, until November 3rd)by this link: https://www.facebook.com/INGRunnersNation?sk=app_262425550462242 (Click on view featured runners and then the "thumbs up" by my profile to vote)
Thank you for your support!
Love,
Violamad