Three Things Thursday: First things first

This weekend is a big race weekend - and not just because I'm headed to Wisconsin for my goal race.

My BFF, in all her fabulous glory, is running her first half marathon on Sunday, and I couldn't be more excited or proud. Once daunted by the work of training for a 13.1, she committed herself to training and tackled each and every run on the plan. She made her life and the schedule work and is more than prepared to take on the race.

Physically, at least.

Even though she knows she did the work, put the hay in the proverbial barn, I know she's excited, antsy and maybe a smidge nervous. And so I thought I'd offer three tips to her and other first-timers tackling the half marathon.

1. It's OK to walk through water stops. Actually, it's more than OK - DO IT. It's important to give yourself time to properly take in fluids and collect yourself before tackling the next section of the course. There's nothing worse than trying to drink from a cup mid-stride and ending up with water in your nose. Detour: It's tempting to skip water stops early on. Don't. 

2. Fuel like you trained. Your stomach might feel different on race day than it had on your 10-miler through familiar territory, and that gel might not sound so appetizing. Unless you are going to wretch, take it as planned. Your body needs the carbohydrates, calories and electrolytes and getting behind on nutrition could haunt you later.

3. Soak it in. Look at the sites along the course and the runners beside you. Enjoy what the day has to offer you. The entire course might seem overwhelming but when you look at it in chunks, block by block, it's manageable and even enjoyable.

And that's what you want to do. Enjoy it - the race, the accomplishment and seeing the hard work come to fruition with a shiny new medal. You earned it.

What advice (or encouragement) can you give to a first-time half-marathoner?

Spring training: Week 17

Spring Training posts document my training for my "A" race, the Wisconsin Marathon half, on May 4.

The week, in training:

Monday: 3.5 miles
Tuesday: 6 miles +  BODYPUMP (taught)
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 6 miles, intervals
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: BODYPUMP (taught)
Sunday: 8 miles

◊ ◊ ◊

Holy effin shoot. It's here. The week I've been working toward for the past 17. It's been forever and yet, I'll be honest, I don't feel 100 percent ready. Like I could use another month of solid training before I toe the line for a half-marathon. 

But, shockingly, I don't have the ability to make race scheduling changes or turn back the clock. It is go time. 

And, as such, it's time to focus on what should happen. Or at least what I'd like to happen. Since I have been following the Train Like a Mother plan, I deemed it appropriate to use the book's model for setting race-day goals.

Good goals: The time ones.

• Goal C (so help me God): Sub-2
• Goal B (attainable yet challenging): Overall pace a sub-9
• Goal A (pie in the sky): Come in at 1:53:59 or faster, which would be at least a 13-second PR

When I started this training journey at the beginning of the year, it was my absolute goal to PR at Wisconsin and to PR in a big way. I was going to do plyometrics every week and nail the speedwork but time, scheduling, motivation and weather played a big factor. I spent much more time on the treadmill than I anticipated and, as such, have focused much of my speed training on effort rather than pace. Even as I am back outdoors, I'm much more concerned about how the work feels than what the numbers say. It makes me feel a bit uncertain about what I'm capable of. My long run paces of late, though, definitely point to a sub-2, if not the sub-9 pace. I feel confident in that. Only race day will tell whether I put in the work for the PR.

Better goals. These are the goals about how you execute the race but not necessarily from a numbers perspective. For me, for this race, my better goal is to pace myself and trust the training. It's so easy to go out too fast too early but very rarely does it work to bank time. I know that I perform much better when I run negative splits, and I need to ease into the hurt.  I also want to knock the Negative Nelly who resides in my post-partum brain straight on her ass. I am not the runner I used to be - the one who was so self assured - but I am a better one. I am stronger and more determined. And I need to remember that race day.

Best goals. The ones that, hopefully, matter most. I want to revel in the accomplishment - not just finishing but sticking out the training. I want to smile so much it hurts. I want to have a good time, soak in the scenes of somewhere new, embrace my friends at the finish line.

And, I'll apologize in advance to Kim, Kim, Bobbi, Sarah and everyone else - I'm a really stinky sweater.

T-minus 4 days.

Avoiding the mommy trap

I slipped on a pair of old, black compression-like shorts and threw on a short-sleeve tech tee as Miles threatened to throw the blocks of a Melissa & Doug puzzle down the stairs. He looked at me, with those bright blue eyes and a block in each skyward hand.

"Mommy exercise," he said, though I'm not sure whether it was a question or a statement.

"Yep," I said. "Mommy go for a run."

My Sunday morning outing was the last long one before Wisconsin, and I was ready to get it done after waffling around the house, waiting for the rain to break. Mark and I figured that I could do half - 4 miles - in the light, spring rain and loop back to grab the boys to finish.

As I got dressed, I couldn't help but beam with pride that Miles already knows the word "exercise" and it's something Mommy does. Hopefully, I thought, he won't mind that I'm going out.

But as I stepped out onto the sidewalk and readied the MOTOACTV, I heard an all-too-familiar cry and saw the outline of my toddler through the stained-glass front door. My heart sank and, for a moment, I questioned what I was doing. And then I said to myself, "Whatever. I'm going."

Finding time and motivation to exercise is difficult when one has all the time in the world but as a mother - and a long-distance mother runner, at that - it comes with a whole different set of challenges and those challenges were never more evident than when I attended Mom's Night on Friday at Three Rivers Running Company.

I think the facilitator had hoped it would be a conversation about pregnant running and the guest of honor was a very pregnant, very talented racer but the night ended up being about sharing frustrations and hope among women who are - or want to be - active. We struggle to find time, to find the time without guilt and to do it on a regular basis as we juggle work, family and other obligations.

But it can be done.  I'm on my way to finishing my fourth post-Miles half marathon, and I've done a full 26.2 and countless other races. There are mothers who do ultras, Ironman events and other endurance (read: time consuming training) events. Some of them single mothers. Here are my tips for getting it done.

1. Ditch the guilt. First and foremost, one cannot feel bad about taking care of herself and doing what makes her happy. A mom has to do what makes her happy (within reason) or she will resent doing the things that make the others in her family happy and comfortable. Yes, those 40 minutes I was out on Sunday morning could have been spent with Miles but I would have been unhappy with myself that I didn't reach a training goal. And, as Mark has said, when Mom isn't happy, no one is.

That said, as a working mom, there are times when I feel bad that I'm sacrificing precious time with Miles to log the other miles. It's bad enough he spends more time at daycare than with me. But, the truth of it is that those 40 minutes wouldn't necessarily be quality time. I might be doing laundry, cleaning up breakfast or making dinner. And, it gives Mark and Miles some QT since the younger M is such a mama's boy.

2. Create a plan for the week. I rarely work out at the same time every day, and it can vary week-to-week as well. Each week, look at the workouts you want to complete and what obligations you have (as well as the weather). Figure out the best time for each workout and put it on the calendar.

3. Don't just ask for it - demand it. Among my friends, this point is the stickler. The mother runners are more than amenable to let their husbands do things that they enjoy because they deserve it while they stay silent about the things they want. Resentment can build as the guys go off camping and the ladies wait for the perfect window to run or - preferably - for the guys to push the women out the door to go. But let me clue you in: Men really don't know what you're thinking. Nope. If you want to do something, you have to tell them. I mean tell them and not backslide on your position if there's some trepidation.

When I was first coming back to running and fitness post-Miles, I signed up for a four-week bi-weekly boot camp. I presented the idea to Mark along with a plan to get it done. As long as he agreed to the cost, I was going to do it. Much to my surprise, Mark was more than agreeable to the plan. He encouraged me to go and was glad that I found something to make me happy.

4. Recruit support. Find a group of people - in real life or online - who will keep you accountable or, better yet, meet you at your house and drag you out the door. Find a family member who is willing to entertain your child for an hour while you go or a neighbor who doesn't mind an extra kid.

Also along these lines, find a workout class/session that you PAY for. Spending money that you don't want to lose is a great way to make sure you get it in. You're also likely to make some fitness-minded friends who will call you out if you don't show.

5. If you really want it, you'll do it. I listened to the women on Friday talk about their workout options - early morning, evening, lunch - and talk about why they were unappealing. I nodded my head. A 4:45 a.m. alarm is unappealing as is running after dinner and the bedtime showdown but if those workouts are important to you, if you want to meet those goals, you suck it up and do it. Sometimes it means getting creative (like when I drop off Miles a bit early to run between daycare and work) or sacrificing a few minutes watching "Hemlock Grove" (anyone into this on Netflix - I'm so confuse) but, in the end, it's all about getting it done.

And, more importantly, keeping yourself at the top of the priority list.

Who has tips to add?

Addendum: Obviously, this list is not exclusive to mother runners and I do not think single or childless people have it easy or easier than me. Also, I recognize that I only have one kid and with two that shit gets real. Also, also, I realize that at least twice a week I get paid to work out, making it a bit easier to get in.