JamieLogical--waiting to hear!

[jess9395 5,448]

Can't wait to hear how your marathon went!!! However it went, you are a rockstar already!

[KristenLe 5,979]

@@JamieLogical We're all excited to hear about your marathon! Hope you're doing well!!!

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

Can't wait to hear how marathon went!!! you are a rock star

@@JamieLogical

soooooo?

what's the good word?

win, place or show???

don't keep us in suspense!!!

waiting with baited breath

(i'm turning blue too )

kathy

[JamieLogical 8,684]

Hey everyone. Sorry for not posting sooner. I didn't come to work yesterday, so I wasn't at my PC since Friday.

I survived. I ended up having to walk a lot of the last 8 miles, but I still managed to finish before the course closed. So I met both of my goals of finishing and surviving.

I have the expected amount of soreness and stiffness, but no acute muscle/tendon pain or injury, so that's good news. The bad news is I got the worst sunburn of my entire life and it is excruciating. The weather had called for "mostly cloudy" skies with a high likelihood of rain. Well, we ended up with bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky for the entire time.

Weirdly enough, I can't wait to get to run a little on Thursday.

[jess9395 5,448]

Congrats!!! And if the worse of it is a sunburn, that's AWESOME! Way to set a goal and achieve it!!!

[mngreeneyes 674]

@@JamieLogical

You are amazing! WTG!! WHen I do my 10 mile race on the 9th, I will definitely be channeling my inner Jamie! So what's the next goal? And as I understand it, that desire to run again, means you're hooked!

pam

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@JamieLogical

You are amazing! WTG!! WHen I do my 10 mile race on the 9th, I will definitely be channeling my inner Jamie! So what's the next goal? And as I understand it, that desire to run again, means you're hooked!

pam

Well, in my city they have this thing called the "Four Seasons Challenge" each year. It includes three half marathons and then the half/full marathon I just did. You can choose whether you want to do the half or the full for that last race. If you complete all four races, you get a special t-shirt and a special finisher metal for each race where all four of them fit together like puzzle pieces to make one big metal at the end. I am thinking about tackling that!

The first race is January 7 and is called the Winter Warrior. I am apprehensive about running in the dead of winter in Western NY. Whenever I have tried to run outside in the cold before, I have noticed I have a lot of trouble with my breathing. My lungs don't like cold air. Plus, winter running would require some serious trial and error with clothing and avoiding chafing. So I would certainly have my work cut out if I decided to run in that race!

The second race is the same half marathon I did back in April, so I feel confident about that one.

The third race is in mid-July, and similar to running in January, I would be concerned about the special challenges the heat might pose.

The final race, like I said would be the half/full I just completed. I think I would opt to do the full again, even though my mom threatened to disown me if I ever ran another full marathon. I think that would be a cool way to cap off the year of half marathons, though, right?

I'm going to have to give it some thought. I know my boyfriend was looking forward to me taking it easy on the running over the winter and having more time on the weekends with not having to do long runs. My previous plan had been to just run 3-4 miles three times a week or so from next week until January, when I had planned to start training for the half marathon in April again. But if I'm going to do this half marathon in January now, I would have to start training for that in the beginning of October....

[mngreeneyes 674]

@@JamieLogical

Okay. Can I just say that the Four Seasons Challenge sounds amazing?!?!? We have a run series here that I have done for a couple of years as 5ks, but mostly walked. This year I ran the 5Ks for the first time! There are 7 races and you choose at least 4. One was 2 weekends ago and I set a PR. I ran a 35:41 5k. slower than a mud fence, but speedy for me! I have one more in 2016, which will be on my 45th birthday in December!

The races all have a variety of lengths available and I am thinking that next year I will try longer ones at each. The first one is in April and it is sponsored by the Pediatric Hospital for the University I work for. There is a 10 mile option so I am planning to do that. Then there is a half marathon in August that is the half marathon for our local Team World Vision team. I am not sure I want to tackle the time commitment of the full marathon, but either way that is not going to happen until 2018 at the earliest. There is a race in early June that is a part of the series that one of my running buddies really likes to do, but its a hilly course and half marathon length so I might try to talk her out of it and pick a different one! The one 10 days ago is only a 5k, but it involves beer so I might need to do that one again! Then the Reindeer Run in December would get me 4. We get a nice quarter zip jacket, but no fancy medals. I am jealous of your fancy bling!

Aside from the series I am already signed up for the Resolution Run on January 1 through our local running store. I have done a New Year's Day run for the last 4 or 5 years. This is the first time with the particular run, but I am excited. I highly recommend Yaktrax. They are amazing for running on ice and snow. I am in Minnesota so I know what you mean about winter running. I also have issues with the cold and humidity. I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma while in undergrad in the 90s. The only times this year with my increase in running it has been a problem is when it was really smokey from the forest fires out west, really humid in the summer, and REALLY cold in the winter. I have albuterol from my doctor for those occasions. It helps immensely. I take it 30 minutes before a run and I have limited if any problems. Of course you always have to listen to your body and slow down as needed.

Once I get past my 10 miler in October, I start training for the Resolution Run in January. I want to get faster! My goal is to get under 30 minutes for the 5k! I see lots of speedwork and hills in my future! Then I start training for the 10 mile in April and then the half in August! I have my next year kind of planned don't I!?!

Sounds like you need to get the boyfriend either hooked on running too or onto a bicycle to ride with you for your long runs! That's easy for me to say as I am single, but those that run together stay together?!?!

Congrats again,

pam

[JamieLogical 8,684]

My boyfriend is like an anti-runner. In fact, he got me a 26.2 car magnet for completing my marathon this weekend, so I ordered him a 0.0 car magnet as a joke. I got it in the mail yesterday, and he just got a new car yesterday, so I'm going to give it to him tonight!

I was trying to find pictures of the medals for the 2016 Four Seasons Challenge, but my Google-fo failed me. Here's a pic of all the medals from 2015. The large ones on the outside are the individual race medals that any participant in any single race gets. The pie-shaped medals in the middle are the special ones that only Four Seasons participants get that all fit together to make one big medal:

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@mngreeneyes Researching Yaktrax a little. Do you use the Yaktrax Pro or the Yaktrax Run? If you use Run, have you had any problems with the spikes bending or breaking off? Reading some of the reviews on Amazon and it sounds like the durability is an issue.

[mngreeneyes 674]

@@JamieLogical

I haven't had any problems with mine, but they haven't been used a lot on concrete. I used them more often when I was at my parents house and was mostly on gravel roads with ice and snow covering, but they make a huge difference there. Oh, and I have the run kind. I got them for Christmas from my nieces and nephew.

pam