I'm in Humidity Hell!

Seriously, why is Chicago always so humid? It makes training very hard! It has been very hard to train with all the rain storms and hot hot hot humid weather. They say its always cooler by the lake... well that's a lie when the humidity is 80 percent it sure is not! Its very hard to stay positive when you are melting into a puddle on the lake front. Has anyone ever tried those cooling necklaces? I am thinking of investing in one... or maybe just jumping in the lake!

Well this week was hard for me. I have been training for about 4 weeks now and I've sort of hit a wall. With the marathon still being very far away and the summer only getting hotter, my air conditioned apartment and pool right next door are looking way better than my running shoes! But today my body woke me up at 5:55 AM and said, "You need to move, girl!" And I did! I went out and ran 10 miles before 8:00 AM! I was so glad I did because by 8:00 AM it was HOT! I even have a nice farmers tan to go along with my run!

The Power of Positive Thinking

Today I ran 10 miles! Yay me! I really had a hard time getting motivated today because I have kind of skimped on my training this week... oops! In my defense there were a lot of "last week" activities going on at school and after school! But basically I only ran 3 miles this week and weight lifted once. Oh well, that's life! But what has really helped get me through the miles is a book I am reading called The Non-runner's Marathon Trainer.  I decided to read up after hearing Mike (my sister's boyfriend) talking about the books he was reading to prepare for the big day. I have to say this book has been a great motivator! Along with great tips from people who went from couch to marathon, the authors focus on the power of visualization and positive thinking. During my half marathon training I kept finding it harder and harder to increase my mileage. Now I understand why: I was looking at everything negatively. "Oh crap I have to do 10 miles today!" is what I would think to myself all day before reluctantly going out to run. And the run sucked every time... so did my time! Now I tell myself to look forward to my runs. During the runs I keep reminding myself how strong I am and how much stronger I am going to become! It has really helped! I even ran 7 miles today without my music! I NEVER thought I could run without my music, but it was great and the miles just melted away! 

THANK YOU!!!

WOW!! It has only been 2 weeks since I signed up for the marathon and pledged to raise $1000. So far I have raised $1,227!! I just can't thank everyone enough for your generosity... and the fact that you actually think I can do this thing! (Kris, I am going to need that race day pep talk... aka kick in the rear!) I am going to continue raising money because I think this is a great cause, and as a teacher I know more research in the field of autism is needed to discover causes, treatment and prevention of this disability. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support and donations! I hope its not just Maggie, Sandy and my dad reading this!

P.S. I recruited a running buddy! Jennifer J. Steinborn was suckered into the marathon as well! She is running for the American Cancer Society! Let the training begin!