Anybody out there?

Hey guys! I miss all my Marathon Mommy friends! Some of you I have found on Instagram so it has been fun to keep up with you that way. I would love to see this blog active again and find out what all of you are training for and how life has been.

My current plan is to run the Oregon Marathon on September 13th, 2014.  Any of you who live at high elevations would do well to run a race at low elevations- ask my awesome sister in law Kristyn!

There is a full and a half option. Would love to see some of you there. 17 weeks away- perfect amount of time to train and enjoy the longer days and lighter sky!

I hope you all are doing well!

Meetup in Utah!

Hi Ladies! I know this blog has been fairly inactive, but I am ready to get it going again! I am training for a marathon in April and would love more support. This Friday I will be running in Utah with a good friend who runs with me here. (Annie!) If anyone else would like to join us, please comment here and then email me at kelmarker (at) gmail dot com

We will set a time and place. It will be north of Salt Lake. We did this a few years ago and loved it!

I hope this finds you all well! I would love to hear what you are all training for!

Edited to add- I realized that Friday will be better for me to meet up than Saturday. This might not work for you crazy Black Friday shoppers!

Nike+ app

I've started using the Nike+ Running app on my iPhone when I run.  Are you using it?  There's lots of great information about your runs and you can link up with friends to encourage each other.  If you're using it, friend me!  I love seeing what others are doing -- it always inspires me!!  If you're not using, what are you waiting for??

NIKE Women's Marathon in San Francisco!

I'm in!  I can hardly believe it, but I received my confirmation e-mail this morning - and I'm in!  I will be running in the NIKE Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 20th!  This was my third year entering the lottery that everyone has told me "you only get in if you do the Team in Training program".  But, the third time's a charm proved them wrong!  And I finally get to run this and cross it off my bucket list!  Can you tell I'm just a wee bit excited??  !!!!!!!!

the marathon I haven't trained for

Yes, you read the title right.  I'm running a marathon that I haven't trained for.  I ran the Eugene (Oregon - is there another?!) Marathon awhile ago... maybe six weeks?  I signed up for the July 4th Foot Traffic Flat Marathon (Portland, OR) probably six weeks earlier when training was going well and I thought I could simply piggy back onto my Eugene training and run a second good race.  I'm now exactly one week out.  Training has pretty much gone out the window as other things have taken priority.  And I'm scared.  It's going to be a warm day and if I recall correctly, there is very little to absolutely zero shade on this course.  And I don't recall much wind so I can't count on any relief there.  It's going to be a very hot and long 26.2 miles for me.

Anyone else run a marathon with no real training?  Sure, my fitness level is probably fine.  I did a modified recovery after Eugene and have some longer runs under my belt these last few weeks.  But only one was a 20 miler due to time constraints.  When you run a 9:00 pace like me, it takes a pretty good chunk of time to run 20+ miles.  I just couldn't find those blocks.

It was weird to finish my 20 miler and know I was now "tapering"... yet, I hadn't really topped out.  Oh, I'll finish the marathon but it's not going to be a good one.

Of course, I'm already thinking about the next one...

Marathon 2013 Dreams- The Oregon Marathon

Hi everyone! In a little over 3 days I will be having a baby. That means it's time to plan my races for the year. :-) That is what keeps me sane after I have a baby. Plus, I am antsy to get back out and exercise after taking a few months off.

So, it is perfect timing to find out about the new Oregon Marathon. This is a race that is put on by Uberthons. I have participated in many of their races and their timing system is unbelievable!!

http://www.uberthons.com/theoregonmarathon

Tomorrow is a one day price of $75 to register. After that, it will be $90. Who is in? Oregon is a beautiful place to run and the weather should be perfect. If you are coming from a higher altitude, then you will have quite the advantage.

Let me know if you sign up. Sarah, you better sign up! :-)

I would love to hear what other races you are all training for and excited about. Let's get this blog going again. I need motivation!

Can't wait to run with these guys again! (Well, at least start with them. It will be a while before I run WITH them!)

26 Reasons to Run 26 Miles: An Invitation to Run a Memorial Marathon for Sandy Hook Elementary

To all the marathon moms, I want to invite you to dedicate your next marathon, whenever that will be, mile by mile, to each of the twenty-six innocent children and educators killed in Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut this past Friday morning. Our endurance will be but for a few hours, but the families and friends of these victims will have to endure for a lifetime.

If you are looking for a reason to run a marathon, here is a reason for each mile:

1. Charlotte Bacon, age 6
2. Daniel Barden, age 7
3. Olivia Engel, age 6
4. Josephine Gay, age 7
5. Ana Marquez-Greene, age 6
6. Dylan Hockley, age 6
7. Madeleine Hsu, age 6
8. Catherine Hubbard, age 6
9. Chase Kowalski, age 7
10. Jesse Lewis, age 6
11. James Mattioli, age 6
12. Grace McDonnell, age 7
13. Emilie Parker, age 6
14. Jack Pinto, age 6
15. Noah Pozner, age 6
16. Caroline Previdi, age 6
17. Jessica Rekos, age 6
18. Avielle Richman, age 6
19. Benjamin Wheeler, age 6
20. Allison Wyatt, age 6
21. Rachel Davino, a Teacher
22. Dawn Hochsprung, the School Principal
23. Anne Marie Murphy, a Teacher
24. Lauren Rousseau, a Teacher
25. Mary Sherlach, the School Psychologist
26. Victoria Soto, a Teacher

If you like, please leave a comment indicating which marathon you will dedicate to Sandy Hook.