I went to my very last team practice of the season on Sunday. And even though my short runs earlier this week were painful and quite slow, I managed to get through our 7 mile taper run by chatting with my teammates the whole way. One of them had just finished her first marathon, a distance that still scares me, but one that I am hoping I can do soon. I can't quite believe the season is almost over but I'll wait to be sentimental once I have my finishers medal in hand. :)

And speaking of races, I leave in two days for Anchorage! And on Saturday, I'll be running 13.1 miles through the Alaskan wilderness on one of the longest days that I have ever experienced. I'm looking forward to seeing a moose while I'm there even though I have been told they can be "mean". And exceptionally tall.

For all of you that have helped to support me along the way, I just want to give you my thanks and appreciation. On days when I don't want to run (like today), it has kept me going to know that you have contributed and are rooting for me to succeed.

Ok, I'll can be a LITTLE sentimental.

Onward to Alaska!

I came back from Peru thrilled to have conquered the Inca Trail and and looking forward to Alaska in a few weeks. In the back of my mind I even thought I might actually try to run the full marathon instead of the half.

And then, my throat started to hurt.

No worries, I knew how to handle this. Load up on vitamin C, gargle with warm salt water and get plenty of rest, right? I mean, I just hiked the Inca Trail! I wasn't about to be defeated by a little throat tickle!

I spent the next 10 days in my apartment, having fever dreams that I was being hunted by Incans through the Andes and sick with the worst flu / cold / plague that I have experienced in my adult life. Clearly, I had gotten on the wrong side of Pachamama during my Peruvian travels.

Yesterday, I went out for my first midweek run in nearly three weeks. It was awful. My legs were heavy and I had trouble maintaining my breath. My interval was "run one block / walk one block" on my way back. And it was only 30 minutes.

I'll be honest, after that run, I started to panic a little about the fact that I'm going to be running a half-marathon in a little over a week. I couldn't believe how quickly my cardio had vanished after a being sick. But I'm committed to doing the race and I've got my plane tickets. So, it may not be pretty (or fast) but I'll get it done.

Even if I have to imagine that I'm still being chased through the Andes to do it.

I took a little break from training to go to Peru and hike the Inca Trail. And I thought, I'm training for a half-marathon, this should be a piece of cake!

NOT. :)

I spent 4 days hiking the equivalent of a marathon through three mountain passes, the highest of which was at 13,779 feet and known as "Dead Woman's Pass". I camped overnight for the first time in twenty years (yes, since Girl Scouts) and went without a hot shower longer than I thought possible.

The first day was the hardest. I had just arrived in Cusco the day before so I was still getting used to the altitude. We left the city around 4am so that we could get to Kilometer 82, the start of the typical 4-day hike. After breakfast we started at a fairly easy pace, I thought, until we hit our first set of stairs. Let's just say altitude sickness is no joke. Our guide took very good care of me and after we were all certain that I could breathe and see again, we kept going at an even easier pace.

After lunch we started a 1000m ascent in the rain. And of course, I forgotten to pack my rain coat or a flashlight. Close to dark we finally made it to camp, frozen and exhausted. But once we warmed up we had a fantastic view of a snowcapped mountain and had absolutely no trouble falling asleep at 8pm.

The next two days were much better but still tough. It rained for a few hours each day but this time I remembered to bring my rain gear. We crossed two more passes at 12,956 feet and 12,037 feet and by then I felt as though I had gotten used to the altitude. On the last day, we were awoken at 3:30 in the morning for a pre-dawn race to the Temple of the Sun. Cliffs on one side and a straight drop down to the river on the other. And one final set of stairs that I truly needed both my arms and legs to climb up. And then we were done!

And now... back to training. A half-marathon should be a piece of cake after this. :)

This Sunday I set a PR (a.k.a. Personal Record) by RUNNING 16 MILES! And I can still walk! (kind of)

My second time around with Team in Training I decided to see how long I could keep up with the full-marathoner team. I have no intention of actually running the full marathon this season, but I thought I could start getting used to the longer distances so when it came time to run my half-marathon in Alaska, it would be a piece of cake. You know, just like a sweaty, three-hour piece of cake.

This week we ran a new course which started by going up into the hills of Pacific Palisades. I was hoping that I'd get a glimpse of Steven Spielberg picking up his morning paper but I was so focused on just getting through the hills that I missed most of the neighborhood.

Part 2 of the run was along San Vicente which is a route that I've come to know quite well. I saw "Barefoot Christopher Lloyd" again, who trods a path around 20th street and San Vicente wearing a pink striped button-down shirt and you guessed it, no shoes. This Sunday was Easter so we also ran through many well-dressed people on their way to church services. I was hoping to see some fashionable big hats, but alas, I think I'm 50 years too late for that.

I'm surprising myself, but I'm starting to think about running a full marathon at some point. I don't know that I can still do it this season, but maybe the next time around. After surviving 16 miles this week and keeping all of my toes, 26.2 miles seems a little less daunting than it did before.