I Did It!

I finally did it and I'm nervous as heck.  Every little ache or pain is going to send me into a tizzy.  And believe me, that's easy.  I finally registered for my spring marathon - Maine Coast Marathon.  I talked about it, created my plan, but didn't truly commit until last week when I finally officially registered.    

I will not be doing the 39.3 Challenge.  While it sounds enticing, to me it sounds like paying for another injury.  I'd like to get through this marathon without injury as I have some pretty big plans for the rest of 2015.  

Last Sunday was the official kick off for training - with a 12 miler with Carrie, my fellow Mainer Team Spandits training partner.  We even did something that doesn't happen a lot in December - we ran on the Kennebec River Rail Trail!  Usually by now I've sworn off the rail trail as it's not maintained very well during the winter and it is plowed, then the melting/reicing action happens that makes conditions incredibly dicey.  Thankfully we only came across one section of ice and it was quite visible so there were no falls.  

screen shot from 2 days ago...
which means marathon is in 129 days!

I have quite a few components to my marathon training plan - one of them is to train smart.  The other one is to take care of myself.  Any aches and pains are going to be treated immediately and most of the time, I'm going to be more proactive.  Like relax and rest.  Some of you who know me may be laughing right now.  I definitely need help in that department as I have a problem taking on too much.  But this forced rest has started during my break and I've been doing a lot of this:

On my Bed of Nails.  

Kind of looks like a small yoga mat with plastic spikes on it but it is so much more.  It's going to be my bff.  Not really, but you get the idea how much I love my Bed of Nails!  This little mat is by my bed so when I'm winding down at night, I just put it behind me and lean back.   Best of all, it's portable, so I will take it to the couch with me too.  

The website says it is good for: 

*increasing circulation*increasing energy levels*reducing blood pressure*reducing stress 

and anxiety*alleviating headaches*improving skin complexion*improving constipation *relieving tension and muscle aches*improving sleep*reducing insomnia*relieving chronic neck and 

back pain*reducing cortisol levels (which is said to help with weight loss)

*improving heart rate variability*

So far I've noticed less stress, less back pains, less leg pains (yes...I've put it under my legs too!).  How does it work?  Check out this video!

Here's to treating my body well while training for marathon #4!  What plans do you have for 2015?  Mine are much bigger than this....more to come!