Motivation - Mom's old log

The summer before my freshman year of high school, Mom gave me her marathon training log to use as my first ever log. Obviously I kept it because half of it is devoted to my freshman year of running.

Mom's log starts April 1, 1991 when Mom was 44-years-old and ends the week of the marathon. I hope you use this as some motivation. Mom once told me that she started off just running 1 mile a day. Keep that in mind as you read this. She's also told me that at this point she was "past her prime," so keep that in mind while reading too.

Here are some highlights from her log (in some cases names have been reduced to just initials):

• April 13, 1st place in age group in Manton 10k (no time)
• Week of April 14 puts in 44 miles even though she only ran 5 times
• May 11, 15.5 mile race in Grand Rapids, 2:32 (9:48 ppm), "Hot and humid, Donna needed an IV after race, 3 medics asked me if I needed help."
• May 25, Bayshore 10k, 52:08 (8:23 ppm)
• June 15, Ludington Lakestride half-marathon, 2:03 (9:22 ppm), "I got a sideache and walked a short distance."
  
• June 22, Seaway Run, no total time but lists her pace as 8:24 per mile, which would equal 26:05.
• July 13, Cherry Festival 15k, 1:21:25 (8:44 ppm)
• August 11, Kingsley 10k, 51:54 (8:21 ppm), 1st in age group
  
• Sept. 7, 8-mile race around Mackinaw Island, 70 minutes (8:45 ppm)
• Sept. 22, puts in a 20.5 miler, "Both lakes plus 3, felt good" ... six days later puts in another 15 miler after running a seven mile hill workout and two other 7 plus mile runs in between
• Week of Sept. 29 puts in 29 miles and calls it her "low mileage week"
• Rectifies that on Oct. 6 by running to Lake City and back in one shot, 21.5 miles total

Stats:

• Highest mileage week: 57
• Weeks over 40 miles: 10 with 3 more at over 39 and a couple in the mid-50s
• Runs of 10 miles or more: 25 in 27 weeks of training (and I might have missed some), and most of these are of the 13-17 mile variety and two are over 20. Probably another half dozen at least of 9 miles or over.
• Runs of 7 miles or more: 100 (yes, 100 runs of 7 miles or more in 27 weeks of training, and I might have missed some).
  

Favorite entries:

• Saturday, June 8: "Lake Cadillac with Chuck (he quit halfway)"
• Sunday, August 18: "By myself I ran around Lake Cadillac twice. I felt really good and wasn't breathing hard but was terribly thirsty."
• Tuesday, August 20: "Left from PL's with L, L, and J at 5:30 a.m. and did a course out and around the airport (9 miles) and picked up J and P and did Lake Cadillac." Over 16 miles for that day.

I'm off for my run!!!