Go Time. Again.

A day or so ago I was trying to come up with a witty tagline of sorts - one that I could use to anchor a post for the Mini. I failed.

I can't believe it's almost a year since my first half marathon and here I sit at the end of training x's 2, months of "mental blocks," stomach issues, discipline, frozen tundra and dreadmill runs, and I'm one day out from my second half marathon with the Ragnar Relay: Cape Cod less than a week away. It's intimidating, but I cannot wait until I step foot in Boston Logan and get that journey going, after crossing the finish line in Indianapolis.

Committing to training is always daunting, in addition to thinking of two major runs in two weeks. Additionally, remember last year, about six weeks before the Indy Mini when I tweaked my foot? Less than three weeks out and my OTHER foot was tweaked. Naturally.

I ran a pattern consisting of my highest mileage of training with run 1 consisting of 5 miles, run 2 consisting of 4 miles, and the long run consisting of 11 a few weeks ago. I chose to break them up (I still swear I have Runner's ADD - squirrel), moving run 2 to Saturday morning, running 6 miles on Saturday afternoon (of which I completed), then finishing my remaining 5 miles on Sunday afternoon. All was smooth until run 3's remaining 1/2 mile. I stopped and walked home, as I tweaked a tendon in my left foot. After going through a series of ultrasound/steroid therapy sessions, rest, and freezing my ass off with a bag of frozen peas on my foot, I'm healed. For now. In the last two weeks I've only ran three times, with Sunday totaling 7.5 miles after working an event of which I primarily stood/ran around. Close enough?

I still plan to cross the finish line in Indianapolis however I'm letting go the possibility of finishing less than 2 hours and 30 minutes with the past few weeks not going exactly to plan. I want to remain healthy for Ragnar and if I don't even complete the Mini sub 2:30... I've still completed it, and the feeling of crossing the finish never feels sweeter listening to closing laps of various historical Indy 500 races.

Finishing last year's #IndyMini.

...this coming from the girl who two years ago couldn't run a 1/4 mile.

I'm thinking like the little engine that could. I played my training in the past few weeks smart, hitting the bike or elliptical for no-impact workouts when ordered to rest from impact (my longest run last year of training was 8.5 miles, and I completed 13.1 still), simulating runs while also keeping my aerobic base up. Does it suck? Absolutely. Even though I've had to shift my goals a bit from completing sub-2:30 to just beating last year's 2:43, the main goal remains - don't die, kiss some bricks (see below for kiss #1), but most importantly - enjoy every minute.

Run or Dye at IMS - August, 2013

My corral has been assigned, and I'm no longer in the last wave. (Woohoo! Movin' on up.....!) My bib number this year is 21121 (Heyyyyyyyy, hey Brooksie!), and I'm off in the 4th wave - approx. 8:30 am.

You can track me by downloading Indy Mini's app from the App Store or Android's marketplace, however you can also log in at IndyMini.com and search my bib no. 21121. From there, you'll be able to either track me by text, website, or email, however you can also follow me on Twitter @AshleyK199. I've set up automatic tweets for each split I hit - the Start Line, the first 5K mark, the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Yard of Bricks (pucker up, buttercup!), the 11th mile (almost there!), and the Finish Line (#beerme).

Am I prepared? Hell no. Does that matter? Well kinda, but I'm not stressing too much. The plan? Take it easy - run my own race, and take the run as it comes; hopefully I can PR and ring the bell but I'm not sweating it - not with Ragnar and taking in Cape Cod by foot in less than a week.

Speaking of Ragnar - I really haven't had a chance to think about the upcoming run. I've been splitting up Mini training to get used to running on tired legs, but after final exams, starting an internship this past week, and trying to cram something else (you'll know more soon) in this week, yeah......... I've ran three times in the past two weeks. ...but that doesn't matter.

How effing cool is this course?!

 What matters is that this wild and crazy journey begins next Thursday, joining my teammate Carly at Dayton International for our trip to Boston via Philly. I've only met Carly once in person however after meeting her, we haven't gone one day without chatting somehow whether it's through text or Facebook messenger. Between her and my other teammate/sister-from-another-mister Dacia, they're the only two I "know;" our team has got to know one another, what we've accomplished, and what we're hoping to accomplish through this crazy relay-thing via technology. I'm not sure how I functioned prior to today's ever-changing technology, but we've been able to get to know each other through a team-only Facebook page, in addition to conference planning calls and such. My only goal for Ragnar is to learn about one another, their journeys and stories, while enjoying every minute. It's not every day someone gets the opportunity to run Cape Cod by foot, and quite honestly, I never thought five years ago this would be possible.

I truly believe if you're fervid and driven, putting hard work and your mind towards a goal or dream (or both) you wish to achieve, you're capable of anything - especially if it makes you come alive.
 

Eventually I'll have tracking info via Twitter and Facebook, as one of our teammates has rented a GPS tracker that will show where the runner is currently located within our 200-mile journey. In addition to all of that, you know darn well we'll be chronicling our journey via social media - including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also follow along and share in our journey by following #RunningDownRagnar on various social media outlets!

Last but not least, make sure to also check out our team's website at RunningDownOurDreams.com.

See you guys on the flip side of Ragnar! (...and be prepared for one epic blog post.)