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So this week was a tough one for me. My shin splints were really flaring up. Earlier in the week, I went out and bought some ace bandages to wrap them. I thought maybe the compression might help? It felt ok, but I tried to do Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred, and before the warm up was even over, I knew there was no way that was going to happen. Shooting pain in your shin is never a good sign. I sat and cried because I was so frustrated. Sad. 

But this morning, I was determined to still get my milage in. I popped some advil  and headed out to Balboa Park for a 10 mile run. We had a great group out there today, and the weather was PERFECT. I had my new dri-fit ski band on, and some gloves to keep my hands warm. 

I ran the first 5 miles with my friend, Vicki. We had some great conversation as we enjoyed the scenery. The miles were flying by! We even added an additional mile in there, so instead of doing 10 miles today, I ended up doing 11!! And then I ran the 2nd 5 miles with my friends Peter and Tim. Peter is also doing Dana-Farber, and today was his birthday!!! And not only that, he is celebrating being in remission from cancer for the 2nd time! There was a lot to happy for this morning. Both those guys are super fast, and I was impressed that I was able to keep up with them. 

Around mile 9, I started to lose my momentum. I could feel the advil wearing off a little, and I felt like I hit “the wall” (oh man, what am I going to do when I really hit the wall at mile 18 during the marathon?!) I was urging the guys to go on ahead, but they refused. They kept me going and made sure I didnt stop. 

Tim was my personal motivational speaker today. He kept reminding me why I was out there today. My decision to train for a marathon comes with pain and tears. But there are so many cancer patients out there who don’t choose their pain. They physically don’t have a choice, they have to push forward every single day. My marathon training is literally saving lives. I almost cried at one point, it really drove home the point. 

Then we started doing a little meditation during running: feel the air come into your lungs. Feel the oxygen in your veins. Your hands feel loose. Your shoulders are loose. Your legs are gliding across the gravel. I suddenly felt lighter and faster and we were able to push through and finish all 11 miles at a somewhat decent pace. 

I did 5:5 intervals for the entire 11 miles. Total time = 2:14:03

MILE SPLITS:
Mile 1 – 12:22
Mile 2 – 11:51
Mile 3 – 12:57
Mile 4 – 13:16
Mile 5 – 13:02
Mile 6 – 11:13
Mile 7 – 11:11
Mile 8 – 11:46
Mile 9 – 11:56
Mile 10 – 13:05  (The wall!)
Mile 11 –  11:22

I am just constantly impressed at these times because that includes walking for 50% of the whole run. I walked 1 hour and 7 minutes and still had times like these. That is definitely going to save me during the actual marathon.

And since it was Peter’s birthday, we all headed out to breakfast. Before we even ordered, we devoured almost a whole cake! Breakfast of champions, yes?

I did burn 1100 calories this morning, so I guess it wasn’t so bad. haha. What a great way to celebrate a beautiful Sunday morning.

To support my fundraising, please consider a donation to Dana-Farber here!