Run - Saturday, Oct. 18th

Horizons Runners will have a run this Saturday, Oct. 18th at 7 a.m. We will meet at Rodney Thompson Middle School and the plan is to run 4 miles. Please let me know if you plan to join us - karenegyud@aol.com.

Congrats to Rich on his 1st Half Marathon finish in the Baltimore Running Festival last weekend and to Deb as well - although it was not her first 1/2 :).

On Saturday, I was wishing I had just run the 1/2. I did the full and I felt awful during the last 10 miles or so, but I did improve on last year's marathon time by almost 10 minutes, so I shouldn't complain...but I was hoping for better. As anyone who has done a race knows, the thing you race against the most is your past accomplishments. The Baltimore Marathon has a lot more hills than Marine Corps. I escaped injury free outside of a couple blisters on my toes, but that's normal for me. I will try and redeem my time by running the Richmond Marathon next month. Crazy - yes.

Here are some pictures :) (I'm the one checking my watch to make sure it's over!)

When Will We Run Again

Seriously, I have never known this many people with running injuries. I'm trying not to be paranoid that I'll be next, every time I lace up my shoes!

We are long overdue for a run, but scheduling one seems to be a challenge. I'm just a few weeks out from a marathon, so my Saturday's are currently filled with training runs. I will say there is a possibility of a run on October 4th, and if not then, definitely October 18th.

Dave Robertson shared a scripture the other day that I love - Psalm 73:26 - "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Updates

I hope everyone's running is going well. Due to various stages of race training and injuries, I don't have a run scheduled right now. I'm a little over a month away from the Baltimore Marathon and I'm feeling a little underprepared. I felt that way last time too, so I'm hoping it's just a normal mental reaction to the thought of running 26.2 miles.

I tried something new the other day on my long run (16...). I listened to a book. I've never done that before. The problem with a book instead of music is that it kept my mind more active - I prefer that daze or haze you discover after about an hour. Anyway, I haven't finished the "book" yet, but I will recommend it - "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" by Haruki Murakami. He's a novelist from Japan. It's a journal of his training for the NY Marathon, but it's more like a memoir and talks about how he started running, some of the other marathons he's run, along with an ultra marathon and a run on the marathon course in Athens.

Dave Robertson runs the Northface Endurance Challenge 50 mile trail run in Great Falls, VA this Saturday. Please keep him (and the weather) in your prayers.

I hope to schedule a run in the next week or so - check back for updates or if you haven't run with us before, send me an email to let me know you're interested.

Blessings,
Karen

Next Run - August 16th

On Saturday, we'll be venturing up the Prince William Forest Park to do about 13 miles. We'll be leaving from the Starbucks parking lot on 610 at 6:15 a.m. If you would like to join us, please email me at karenegyud@aol.com so you don't get left behind. :)

Running has been fabulous over the last couple of days. I felt like it's been God's special gift to me. With marathons coming up in the next few months, there's not much room for excuses, so even as the humidity rolls back in, I know I'll have to endure running in the less than favorable conditions. That said, I am so thankful for this last week of weather!

Article on Ryan Hall - Olympic Marathoner

This is a great article about Ryan Hall who will be running the marathon for the US in the Beijing Olympics.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-239-473--12789-7-1X2X3X4X5X6-7,00.html

Next Run - August 2nd

Our previously scheduled run at Spotsy Battlefield has been moved to Saturday, August 2nd. To plagiarize my previous post...We will meet at the Courthouse Road commuter lot at 6 a.m. and will be driving down to the Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield for an approx. 7 mile run (loop). Dave Robertson will navigate for us. :)

The weather forecast continues to call for hot and humid weather, which shouldn't be a surprise for our area. Stay hydrated!

Next Run - July 19th

Our next run will be this Saturday, July 19th. We will meet at the Courthouse Road commuter lot at 6 a.m. and will be driving down to the Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield for an approx. 7 mile run (loop). Dave Robertson will navigate for us. :)

Weather forecast calls for a great week of running. I was thrilled to do more than 3 miles this morning - hopefully it's a good sign for me getting back on track with my training.

Let me know if you plan on joining us on Saturday to make sure we don't leave you behind.