Three Dozen Years

Yep, it's my BIRTHDAY!  And that is how crazy-old I am.  It's been a fantastic day so far!!!

My birthday wish???  To meet my fundraising goal for my marathon this Sunday.  I'm raising money for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.  My  youngest child wouldn't be able to run if it weren't for them!  You can donate HERE.  And I still have a few great prizes left in my giveaway HERE. 

My other birthday wish???  To ROCK IT at my marathon this Sunday at White Rock.  It's time to put the pedal to the metal and see what I've got in the tank!!!  Not thrilled with the freezing rain predictions, but I'm gonna run hard regardless... I figure the faster I run, the warmer I will be and the quicker I will finish!

Wanna see what my dad did for my birthday??? 

Cool, isn't it?  It's framed and headed for my little treadmill corner of the room!!!  I think he should make a business of race collages!


In other news... I'm way behind in updating on my running... I finally uploaded my race report from the Fort Worth 20-miler on Monday, the 13th.  I felt fantastic after that 20-miler.  Absolutely zero soreness, so I went right back into a week of great runs - everything right on pace. 

Until Saturday (the 19th)... I had 18 miles on the schedule.  I'm sure you're all thinking - what about taper - but Adam and I talked and really minimized taper until the last 2 weeks because I *do* have this short little run in February that I have to do, and I wanted to keep my training for the 50-miler going.  The 18-miler... AWFUL... not sort of awful, completely awful.  I couldn't keep even a 12 min/mile pace.  I kept needing to walk.  My ENTIRE body hurt... and bad.  Which of course sends me into the crazy "I'm going to die at the marathon" thoughts.  I get home after, and I just couldn't recover.  I couldn't get myself out of bed, my head was pounding, and my whole body hurt.  I guzzled the water and sports drink - no help.  Then it hit me... I was sick.  Massive head cold.  Lots of flu-like symptoms, like the bodyaches, but I never really had much of an elevated fever.  Fortunately Sunday was already a rest day and being 2 weeks out from the marathon, I wasn't nervous yet about not getting better in time. 

I tried to run Monday, and couldn't breath right, so I stopped... Tuesday, just rested.  Wednesday, my breathing was still a little more labored than usual but I was back on my game.  I had registered for a small local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, but only being 1 day back on my game, I was questioning my plan to race it all out and count it as the week's speedwork.  My coach told me to just take it easy... do you think I listened???  You'll have to wait to find out... I'll be posting the race report tomorrow!!!  ;-)  Yeah, I know, such a cliffhanger... I'm sure you'll be up all night wondering... did she race or relax?