Dogwood Festival 5k Update/Results and the next race is set!

  So I am happy to say I did the Dogwood Classic 5k and achieved my first starter goal!
 
  The Dogwood Classic is a 5k supporting our local Dogwood Arts festival that happens each Spring. People are encouraged to drive around Knoxville on different loops and really enjoy the beautiful flowers and trees as they are coming back to life.

  When I signed up I told my gym buddy "I just want to finish under 40 minutes. I feel that's reasonable since I'll be walking and running. Then what I finish under can be my new finish goal." She agreed it was a good start as well.

  The hard part... knowing that you wouldn't even consider that an option a year or more ago. I am working very hard not to compare where I am now to where I was when I could finish a 5k close or less than 30 minutes in.  But, I know with practice and discipline, I can get there again, which is my summer goal.

  Back to the race - Joel and I signed up and agreed to meet on race day. We both parked about a half mile from the course so we'd be able to stretch our legs and also because they kept letting us know that if you parked near the course and didn't finish by 9:45am you were stuck there until noon due to another event happening. That... wasn't going to happen for me so I parked at the nearby church and just walked over.

  When I arrived I let Joel know I was going to run/walk. He said that was fine as he is a speed walker and would be going his own way anyway. I quickly learned that Joel is a faster speed walker than I am when I walk and it took a bit to keep up with him.

  I started the race using both my Nike+ training app and my C25K app.  With my C25K app I was on Week 4 Day 3 which meant I was running for 3-5-3-5 with walks in between. Overall running a little under 2 miles total in the 30 minutes they allot.  I then continued to run once the app ended my time because I wanted to finish as strong as possible.

  I'm happy to report the following (not bad for my 1st race... goal is to only get better):
Dogwood Classic 5k results:
Chip time 40:17 (we were closer to the back since we were walking first)
Race time: 39:22
Pace: 12:40 (not bad WITH walking!!)
Overall: 465/600
Female: 238/335 (want to do better and be more in the middle)
Age group: 33/47 (definitely want to do better and be more in the middle for that as well)

Here's our sexy model photo taken by Mary:

  I had some pain in my hip later in the day. When I googled it, I believe that the result was from pushing myself harder than I'm used to - which is fine. I know it's not a broken or fractured bone (it's already better) so I'll just need to keep upping my workouts.

  And Joel agreed today to run with me at the Scot Trot 5k which is super exciting - I just LOVE Scottish men (and I'm obsessed with reading Outlander currently) so this will be fun. We actually get a medal after completing this one - it will be my first 5k medal and Joel's first ever so he's pretty pumped. :)

  I am hoping to start Week 5 on my C25K app this weekend - I need to get a good run in but the weather has been so crappy along with my crazy work schedule this week so fingers crossed Saturday it can happen!

  Working on getting back on the grind again.  My morning walking partner had to take some time off due to allergies and work but we've been going steady the past 2 days which my fitbit just loves! I have hit my 12,500 step goal both days before 4pm which is wonderful for me. I worked very hard to get myself on track so the days he wasn't able to meet I would at the very least walk across campus to a local eatery and grab breakfast to go. That way I would get about a mile or so in to start my day.

  I also started working on my running both on the track and outside.  I am on week 4 of the C25K program. Day 1 was Saturday on the track and it wasn't super easy but wasn't super hard either.  Then Sunday arrived... I needed some air after our annual awards banquet so I took to the road... I turned on Day 2 and almost died.  I forgot just how hilly campus could be.  I had to take 2 small breaks during the 5 minute running parts but made up for them at the end.  Overall I ran almost 2.5 miles both times.  I want to get at least 1 more run in before my 5k this weekend.

  My goal to finish is going to be around 40 minutes.  Hopefully less but we will see. I am planning to use the C25K week 5 Day 1 during it and then running through the cool down section and will cool down after the race.

  I also need to get back to going beyond walking in the gym. Although I'm now down 6lbs I need to still get rid of at least 15 more to be near my "goal weight" and I also want to start toning so weights, Zumba and yoga are going to have to start being my friends at the gym again. Thankfully our work schedules are a little different in the summer so I can take some classes and make up time working evenings so I'm ready for that.

  Hope all is well with everyone reading! :)

  As of last Friday, I have officially registered for the Savannah half marathon in November.  As of earlier this week, Cat has as well.  This will be the first time we race together and the first time I run with a friend since I lived in Oklahoma! I've run my last 2 major races by myself so it will be a nice change of pace for me.

  And it's an excuse to get back to a city I absolutely love! Savannah has something about it that I've never gotten over - I like to go back and visit every few years. This will be my 5th visit in 10 years.

  I'm still working on my C25K app. I'm up to week 3, Day 1. Tonight or definitely tomorrow I will complete day 2.

  I treated myself to a new sports bra and 2 new pairs of socks at Fleet Feet last weekend. In July, for my birthday, I plan to update my shoes. I've had the current pair for over a year and although I haven't hit the 500 miles mark on them, I know they need to be switched out because of age. I also need to figure out what ones I want - I love Asics but I know there are only certain ones I like so I will have to do some research.
  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated so feel free to leave a comment!

Life has been a crazy mess but I'm making it through!

Tomorrow is our Fainting Goat 5k (2nd Annual) so that's exciting and busy since this weekend is also the Knoxville Marathon. One of my staff is actually running the marathon so I have to find time to make him a sign as well. So excited for him - he's been working so hard on this!

Speaking of marathons... I officially signed up for the Savannah Rock and Roll Half Marathon in November since the Disney Wine and Dine yet again sold out very quickly. My friend Cat thought Savannah would be best for us to run our first half together (her first, my 4th).  I'm super excited about this - as I mentioned before, I'm starting from scratch again - I'm on week 2, day 3 of the C25K program and once that is complete, I plan to advance to their 10k program followed by their half marathon program. I'm really looking forward to running 3+ miles every other day again. I miss that feeling so much (and miss being that skinny!) so it's a wonderful goal to set for myself.

This week I wasn't able to keep my date with the gym as I'd have liked to so I've downloaded the squat and push up challenge apps from the C25K company and plan to start adding those to my workouts.  I also have a wonderful co-worker who asked me to start walking with him in the mornings so I'm going to try to incorporate that into my schedule at least 2-3 times a week to start the good changes.  I'm still managing to keep over 12,500 steps every day and getting my 5 miles in but some days are easier than others.

Fingers crossed all continues to go well. Next goal is doing the Savannah Women's Half Marathon in 2017. It's actually happening this weekend - my hope is to register early (then it's only around $30!!) and since I'll know how Savannah is running-wise, and this time of year usually isn't too hectic, I'll be set!

Sadly, today I'm not out there with my gym buddy as she is currently hiking the hill in heels! I wanted to very badly this year but once again my schedule did not allow it. Oh well...

  Life is good. It's nice to be able to say that again - especially with everything going on right now!  We have a beautiful 80 degree day, my allergies aren't killing me yet, and I'm packing for an upcoming move! How exciting is life right now?!
  I haven't been able to hit the gym this week as I am on duty - my position requires that we hold 1-2 weeks a semester on duty and available to answer any calls that may come up. Because of this, I can't take the phone with me to the gym.  And of course the weather has been beautiful but things keep coming up at night so I haven't been able to run either.
  But alas, I'm still getting there.
  I had my yearly physical earlier this week and found out I lost 4lbs! This may not sound like a huge thing but when you've been gaining weight and no matter what you do you can't seem to lose it... so 4lbs is awesome. Realistically, it should have been 6lbs but I gained 2 over the weekend due to eating rather than thinking about a good friend who passed away.
  My BFF's bff passed away unexpectedly and I've been at a loss. I spent a good 10+ years with her in my life through our shared godmothering and knew of issues but didn't expect it would be like this. So sudden and so final.  And I didn't expect my body to react like it did - I was in pain, actual physical pain, all weekend since I heard the news. I haven't sleep a full night either. It's weird how our bodies can react to things.
 And it's not that she's the first person close to me that I've lost. My father passed away when I was very young, followed by his parents a few years later.  I've also lost my mother's parents and a few uncles along the way. It's just a very different feeling.  And the helplessness that comes with not knowing what to say to the person impacted the most - I have no idea how to help my best friend. We've been through so many things over the past 18 years but I feel at a complete loss.
  So I've been spending a great deal of time, especially since I can't hit the gym, walking and thinking. Trying to figure out things in my head, figure out my feelings and also learn from her and make sure I have plans set in case something would happen to me.
  Saturday is Spring Break - and perfect timing - I'll be travelling home to spend time with my BFF and attend the memorial. I'll also be going home to check on my dad and make sure his grave and my grandparents are cleaned and filled with new flowers.  I'll be using this break as a time to check in with those I care about and remind them why I am glad they are in my life.
  And I'm planning to pack the running gear so I can keep up with my runs. I have the Fainting Goat 5k coming up shortly after we return and I want to make sure I am at my best to run it. :)
  Have a blessed rest of the week and hug those you love a little tighter tonight.

  I haven't updated this thing in forever. I think about it all the time but just let it slip by. I'm not going to promise I'll be better - especially since I doubt anyone even reads this anymore - but if it helps me with my next half marathon training and holds me more accountable, I'll give it a shot.
  So a quick update - I moved to Tennessee in 2012 for a new job. I've been here since and sadly, I've let my running go down hill. I had an accident in the gym in November of 2012 so it put my running abilities on hold for a good 6 months.  I ran a few 5k's over the past year but now I'm back to getting serious!
  Since I moved here I've done the Disney Wine and Dine 2013, the Tower of Terror 2014 and as I mentioned before, a handful of local 5k races.  While talking to my friend Cat, we discussed doing our first race together. She was disappointed that she's the better runner of the two of us and has yet to run a half marathon or any race more than a 5k.  After going back and forth, we decided we were either going to run the Disney Wine and Dine or the Savannah Half since they are both on the same weekend. Right now we are both trying to get into the Disney one and if we can't, we will do Savannah as our back-up.
  I know November is a long way off but when you haven't been running consistently, you need all the practice you can get! I've been working back slowly - running on Saturday mornings in the gym (I hate tracks and treadmills even more but until it's warmer... it will have to do) and hope to keep adding miles each time.  For right now I'm adding .25 to .5 a week to my total. I've been working with the C25K app and when I finish that, I plan to bump to the 10K app they also have. I want to be as prepared as possible for this one. Last time I only ended up walking about 2-3 miles of the race but I want to do even better this year! Goal is under 2.5hrs (my current PR).
  I've also been desperately trying to lose the weight I gained from depression over the past year and a half.  I went from 145lbs when I moved here to 175.  I've already lost 5lbs thanks to an amazing co-worker who agreed to be my gym buddy this January.  She kicks my ass Monday through Friday and I don't believe there's been a day I haven't felt it. I know the pain will go away and I'll be happy when I'm back where I want to be but it's always hard to climb the mountain again when you've been comfortable at the bottom for so long.
  But, it's working. I stepped on the scale this morning and I'm down 5lbs. I've been working hard on eating healthier. Due to Lent I've cut out soda and candy bars and I'm upping my veggie intake. All in the hopes of seeing this come to a good end.
  And on top of all of this... I've started job searching again. Although I've loved my time in Tennessee, I know it's time to move on. I'd love to move to the Carolina's but if that's not in the cards, I'm willing to wait until it is. I've applied to a few jobs so far and had 1 interview. Patiently waiting for the perfect job to show itself and let me attain it. Fingers crossed!!

What training has taught me lately...

  So this post won't contain my usual photos and links as I'm using my work iPad and want to get this out of my head before I forget. :)
  As the few of you that read this know. I'm currently training for the Disney Wine and Dine half marathon in November. When I first signed up for the race I had big plans for my training. I was so sure of myself because seriously, I've run two before so I figured I could do it with no problem.
  Then I ran the RASA 5k and wanted to give up after the first hill.   As I ran I stated to curse myself for signing up for that race and also a half marathon. Who was I kidding? I could barely run a mile. I hated running at that moment and hated my body more.
  What I wasn't thinking about was the fact that I had to give myself time.  Like ,let of my friends who have recently transitioned to new jobs in new cities, I put running on the back burner when I moved here.  I gained weight and didn't hit the gym as hard as I had in Tulsa.  The. November hit and I pushed myself harder than ever in the gym one night... So hard that I screwed up a vertebrae in my back and ended up in severe pain.  What I thought was "just a pulled muscle" ended up being more serious - to the point that I could not walk more than a half mile without wanting to die from pain.  I didn't sleep for more than 3 hours most nights because the pain was so bad.  I realized I had hit rock bottom when it took me almost 15 minutes to walk the 10 isles to the Target pharmacy to get my first prescriptions to treat the pain.
  Thankfully I quickly discovered a wonderful chiropractor who fixed my pain after 3 sessions when the doctor I was seeing kept insisting I would never run again and wanted me to pay out of pocket for $2,000 worth of shots.  With the help of my chiropractor I was able to run the 5k in April and haven't stopped.
  Although I haven't been training as well as I had hoped to at this point, I'm getting there faster than I'd hoped.  This past sat I ran 4 miles on the track - a nonstop 5k at 30:30 followed by a 2 lap walk and finishing the last 6 laps without issue.  The week before I ran a 5k on the track with some struggle after 2 miles.
  What made me think of this post is due to a speaker we had during our training for our job.  She spoke about diversity and being abled bodied vs having a disability.  I realized that I have now been on both sides of the spectrum and it has given me a new perspective.  When Eryn and I ran together in Tulsa she would always tell me she ran for those who could not.  For the first time ever, her words rang true for me.  There may be a day - maybe sooner than I'd like to believe, when I can't run anymore. It's already happened once already and I want to enjoy my body and what it can do until then.  Although I promised my mother that this would be my last half marathon, I do plan to continue to run and make the most of the time I have in good health as I can.
  No, I am not dying or sick - but as I speak to my best friend who is in worse condition than I was just a short while ago, it makes me realize how lucky I am that I found a good doctor who was able to listen and fix the problem while others just gave me drugs and didn't listen to my concerns, fears and issues.  I am very blessed and I now know it.
  Through this experience I'm also working on making my body stronger. I'm now taking spin classes twice a week and going back to Zumba on top of training. I've also joined weight watchers and am using that to help get my diet back on track so I'm not eating junk all the time.
  I'm going to hopefully make the time to continue to post about my training and my race - especially since I've never been to Disney and have never run a half marathon without Eryn so I'm terrified - and I hope you'll confuse to follow along and support as you have in the past.

  Things have been busy in life lately, which is why I haven't been able to update as much as I'd like.
  Running, I'm happy to say, is continuing to build and go well.
  When I did the RASA 5k I wanted to cry. I cursed myself for doing it, cursed myself for thinking I could run again and cursed myself for embarrassing myself like that. Then, I hit the halfway mark and remembered why I loved running.  I crossed around 31 minutes which was perfectly fine with me!
  Since the 5k, I've been building.  I'm still not where I'd like to be - it's just too hot most nights right now to run (humid, not just hot) so I get about 2 miles in before I have to stop.  But, happy to report, my time is getting better with most runs.  My best so far has been a mile at 9:30!  The hope is that if I continue on this trend I will be back in shape and ready for my (probably last) Half Marathon in November.
  Fingers crossed!

   Sooo.... I did it. I'm hopefully crossing off something off my bucket list...Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2013!
   I am nervous, excited, scared and everything in between right now. My stomach jumps and falls every time I think about it.  It will be my 3rd Half Marathon but my first 1) by myself and 2) without someone to train with! That's what scares me the most - not having a support system there!
   But... if all goes well, my mom, sister, brother in law and the baby will all be there to support me!  I'm also still trying to talk Stephan into running it with me.  So fingers crossed!
  Here's the good stuff:

Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Highlights:

• 13.1-mile course through Walt Disney World® Theme Parks
• Disney Characters and Entertainment on-course
• Event Weekend Transportation for Walt Disney World® Guests staying at Event Host Resorts
• Family Reunion Area with entertainment and characters
• Exclusive after hours Finish Line Party at the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival for participants

Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon participants will receive:

• Champion® Unisex Long Sleeved Tech Shirt*
• Commemorative Finisher medal*
• Official Race Program Guide*
• iGiftBag
• Personalized bib* (Must register by September 1, 2013 for name to appear on bib)
• $10 Disney Gift Card
• On-course and Post-Race refreshments
• ChronoTrack B-tag timed race with live runner tracking signup for friends and family
• Personalized results website
• Access to the exclusive after hours Finish Line Party at the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival

   I also registered for the RASA 5k which is on the 20th of April.  That will be my first 5k in a year and my starting point - seeing where my time stands with that and going from there. My co-worker promised to start running with me in the morning to get me prepared but I don't know if she'll still agree when I have to go  into the longer miles.  I'm also thinking about shelling out the money and finding a running group here to help with so I can get my longer miles in.  I'm planning to start my training in early May which should give me more than enough time to get my miles to where they should be.  Goal is keeping between my first two times - 2:30 and a 2:45 race.
   Thanks, as always, for the support!

Catching up Again...

  The reason I haven't been updating in a long time is honestly because I haven't been running.
  Back in November I was struggling with some back issues and over Thanksgiving break I threw my back out really badly and then started having a shooting pain travelling from behind my knee to my lower left butt.  It got to the point after a week that I couldn't even walk - I just laid on the couch for an entire weekend in fetal position crying my eyes out due to the pain.
  After seeking medical advice from one doctor and realizing their fix wasn't what I was looking for (pills and shots) I changed to a different doctor who worked specifically in Chiropractic measures.  I'm happy to say that after 2 months the pain is completely gone, he's readjusted my hips and now we are working on fixing my spine.  My knee has been acting up a little bit with the new change in posture but that's to be expected and I'm working through it.
  I'm also happy to say that I ran for the first time since October this weekend.  I was planing on waiting until April to start training again but the weather was just too beautiful and it was calling my name!  I threw on the old workout gear, made a new iPhone playlist and hit the ground running.  I made it .8 miles before I had to stop and breathe.  I wanted to hit a mile but with my allergies weren't about to let that happen.  Overall I ran about 1.5 of a 2.5 mile loop.  Not bad for my first time back in the game again.  Made sure to do some hills as well so my body is used to them.
  And other exciting news - my first race will be an on-campus race on 4/20 for Sexual Assualt.  I'm also hoping that the Disney Wine and Dine won't be sold out before April because I won't have the money to register until then.  Fingers crossed!!
  I also realized last night while I was running that with all the struggles I've had, all the bad situations I've lived through and survived, nothing seems harder than starting to run all over again.  Knowing I was a 9:30-9:45 min/mile and ran 2 half marathons and now I'm struggling to run 1 full mile.  Made me think of life - no matter how hard it gets, I can get back to where I was and sometimes I just need to look at those medals and race bibs to remind me that before long I will be back there again.
  So, the plan is to keep updating as I run and run into situations. Hopefully you'll all continue to keep pace with me along the way!

Round 2

  So I was asked to bring the blog back up.  I can't promise I will be as good as I was before, but I'm going to try.
  I recently accepted a new position and moved from Tulsa, OK to Tennessee.  I am very excited and happy yo be closer to home, friends and the life I want.  I'm also excited to be running on a hilly campus and area again!
  Since I've been back I've run a 5k and am planning to sign up for the half marathon in April.  I've been running 2-3 times a week in the mornings before work, averaging about 2 miles each run.  My plan is to up that gradually and start adding Saturday runs when football season ends.
  I'm also back to the gym 5-6 times a week.  Right now I'm on cardio machines with slight weights as I get used to a new gym and new machines.  On the thigh machines I'm up to 80 lbs already with 5 sets of 10 presses each.  Goal for next week is to start on medicine ball crunches.
  I'm still looking for a Zumba class as good as what I left.  Two are offered here on campus but I've only been to the one which works best with my schedule and her style isn't what I'm looking for.  I may start looking off campus so I can find different styles that I like and prefer until I find one I'm happy with.
  When I first moved my schedule didn't allow me to run as much as I had been so I lost my mileage and gained about 5 lbs. I've already lost 2 lbs but working on toning as well. I want to look like I did when I moved in July.
  The goal is to start running a 5k a month again and slowly work my mileage up to where it should be so I can handle 13.1 in April.
  Thank you for your support and for taking the time to read.

  My apologies for being so nonexistant with the site this year.  Life has taken a few crazy turns and I haven't had the time to update and, to be honest, I haven't been racing and training like I was last year.
  I'm still running - but due to other things going on in life, running has taken a backseat to life.  It happens and I'm ok with it.
  I am happy to report though that I did do two races in April.  With very little training (and I don't ever suggest anyone do this!!) Eryn and I ran our 2nd Half Marathon.  She learned of it about 2 weeks before it happened so since we were already working on longer weekend runs we went for it.  She finished with an impressive time under 2:30.  I was around 2:45 due to some issues on the course but I was happy to be done and receive my medal.  I'd like to do another one in the future but that will depend on when and where I am at that point in time.
  The Half Marathon included a 5k which one of my awesome staff members ran.  It was her first 5k and I was so proud to be there to see her when we crossed and hear about her time.  Great feeling!
  Last weekend a few of my staff, myself and Eryn ran the "Race Against Racism" 5k in town.  I ran the 1st one last year so it was nice to be at the 2nd with more people.  Many of my girls ran and some walked up until I made them run across the finish line. : )  I was like a proud momma.  They were great!  I hope that they now realize a 5k is nothing and they will do more in the future (as well as encourage others).  Time will tell.
  Sadly, after my Half Marathon on Easter weekend I received news that one of my favorite students had passed away in a car accident.  A great deal of April has been spent mourning her loss and doing what I can help to comfort my staff and students dealing with her loss.
  I am hopeful things will be on an upswing soon this summer and I'll be back to updating and running like I used to soon.  Phoebe will be my summer running buddy since Eryn graduates this Sat!!  Going to be going through a lot of changes in the near future but running will be there to keep me sane and I'm thankful for that. ; )

Route 66 Half Marathon - Check!

  I did it!  I finished the half marathon and survived!

  Sorry for taking so long to update - I'm currently on a much needed vacation and the internet isn't the best here.  And my computer is crap so the combination = not good. (and this update took 1.5 hours to get only up to the second set of pics).

  Anyway, on to my update...

  We went to the expo on Saturday while others were doing the 5k.  It was so much fun - we got sucked in for 2 hours and it felt like no time had passed!

  Eryn and I have been training for this weekend since July... it was so scary to realize it was finally happening.  She had her knee wrapped while we were there and I shopped a little (prices/deals were not as good as the Tulsa Run expo).

  I found a great sticker I wanted to buy this sticker for my best friend who finished his first full marathon the week prior...

  I bought a few stickers and some snacks for the race.  I wanted to get an "I run Tulsa" shirt but they were $10 and I had $9 cash on me so I didn't get it.  We picked up our tags

  My nerves kicked in big time when I walked out of my apartment earlier in the week and found this sign in front of my building... a sign that there was no turning back!

  This was that "make it or break it" moment for us.  And we made it! : )

  We were all praying for a no-rain/nice day.  We got half of what we wished for!  It didn't rain but it was freezing cold!  I originally figured I'd run with a hoodie and take it off and run in my thin hoodie or my tank top underneath.  Instead, I kept the hoodie on the whole run as well as my gloves!  I think the temp reached 46 degrees by the time we reached the finish line.

  I read in a few different places that as long as I slept well on Friday night I would be good.  Surprisingly, they were right.  I slept so well Friday night after having to stay up until 3am the night prior but suffered on Sat night.  Nerves kept me up until 1:30am and then I woke up an hour before planned - 5:30am.  I wished I could have slept longer but since I was wide awake, I figured I'd take advantage of it.

  I grabbed all my nicely laid out items from the night before...

  And checked my map again (we were the red route) so I knew where to go, where not to park and where I was going to finish.

  Getting up so early allowed me to actually enjoy my breakfast before a long run - something I never get to do.  I ate two pieces of toast smothered in chunky peanut butter and about 16oz of Gatorade.  I checked my email, sent some texts to friends, updated facebook and did some much-needed stretches before I left the house.  It was wonderful!

  When I arrived at the start line I walked around a little bit, checked my bag (I brought clean clothes for after just in case) and saw a few students who were also running.  Eventually I found Eryn and Erica and huddled in a building entrance trying desperately to stay warm until we had to line up in our corral.

  I copied some pics from the website at the event as well.  I'm thinking of buying one of the real ones but we'll see how Christmas goes first...

  When we got into our corral I started to realize it was really happening.  I was about to run over 13 miles.  Everyone else was bursting with excitement and I was just there.  Usually I'm nervous/excited/freaking out.  Not this time - I didn't even have a nightmare the night before which is unheard of for me!  It was very surreal.

Then we hit 8am and didn't move.  At all.  Then 8.05 and 8.10.  Finally we started shuffling forward a little after 8.10 and made our way to the starting line around 8.15am.  Now I was nervous/excited.  I was ready to put all that I could into it and go.  The gun went off and we hit the ground running.  I stayed with Eryn and Erica for the first quarter mile and then set off on my own.

  Part of the course was one I had run for Tulsa Run as well as trained on so I knew where the first few mile markers were.  It both helped and hindered me - I tend to prefer racing without knowing where my stops are but I pushed through with flying colors (I kept under a 10min/mile my first 2+ miles!) and beat those huge hills at the start.

  Somehow my iPhone knew exactly what songs I needed to push me through as well!  I hit shuffle and it played every song I use to keep myself going when I am struggling.  I was beyond happy and made it to mile 6 before I had to skip a song!  That always makes me happy.

  This one made me laugh because I was in the middle of singing "Transform Ya" and they snapped me.  I hadn't hit mile 2 yet.


  Eryn gave me great advice before we started the race - imagine running each mile for someone in your life.  That way you won't want to let them down.  It worked - I didn't slow down until around mile 8 when I knew Ashlie and my godchildren would be ok with me walking for a minute.  I made it that far before I had to stop and stretch/walk it out.  In total I believe I walked less than a mile which is totally fine with me!

  My soft goal was a 2:30 and my hard goal was sub-2:45 and I came close to my soft goal!  I pushed super hard on the last mile and crossed at 2:30:50.  Can't beat that!  I was so happy. : )

Can you tell I was a little proud?  My momma made me bring it with me on vacation so she could see it in person and then made sure to tell all of our relatives about my race.  Made me laugh each time.



It's so weird after months and months of training to realize you have a life again.  Eryn has mentioned a full marathon but I have no desire to do that.  I like my half.  There is a quarter marathon I learned about today that is in Feb. - I may consider that one.  I'm still debating about doing the OKC half.  I want to but am still exhausted from training so much.  We'll see.

  For now, I'm happy to go back to 5k's and work on getting my time faster.

Helloween weekend...

  Yeah, the title pretty much sums up my weekend.  It was hell.  But, I learned the lesson that every runner must learn to fully understand... don't change your diet before a race!

  As I mentioned many times, the Tulsa Run (our local 9.3 mile race) was this past Saturday.  I was beyond psyched to run it and set my first PR for a 15k race!  But, that didn't happen as planned.

  I have been told (and read) many, many times to always stay with what you know the night before a race.  Don't change your diet, don't change your routine.  It causes stress on your body and may result in not favorable outcomes.  Well, I didn't listen.  On Friday campus only had cold food at the caf so we trekked across campus to the Union Center to get lunch.  I hadn't had Subway in a while so I went there to get what I would have gotten in the caf - tuna on wheat with a ton of veggies.  Ate it with staff and walked back to my office.

  Left work and Eryn and I headed off to the Expo to pick up our race packets and look at what everyone was selling.  I made some super awesome purchases - totaling under $30 in all!  These shirts and some stinger supplies...

  Needless to say, I was on cloud nine when I left and feeling great.  Sadly, that didn't last long.

  We were both starving so we decided to go to a local pizza joint in town.  Put in our order (exactly the same thing) and sat down to eat.  The food was amazing but about half way through I started having stomach pain.  I thought that was odd but figured it would pass.

  Got home that night and watched some tv to relax before going to bed.  Stomach started really hurting - like something was just sitting in there and not happy.  Figured I'd do what I usually do - go to bed early and then when I wake up it will be gone.  No worries.

  Went to bed at 9pm, fell asleep right away and woke up around 7.30am and the pain was worse.  I felt nauseous and didn't really want to even walk but I told myself "you are going to do this! You paid $40 and you promised Eryn you'd be there."  So I got up, dressed and went out the door to meet her so we could meet everyone for the race.

  Eryn wanted to warm up for the race by jogging the five blocks to the site from where we parked.  As soon as I started I thought I was going to throw up.  Not a good sign before a race.  I kept it together and let her know that we'd be running the race separately so I didn't keep her from a good time.

  We started out and I began with a 10 minute mile pace.  Made it just past 1 mile and a bit and couldn't do it -  which depressed me even more because it was the same course we did the previous weekend and I rocked that!  I ended up running maybe 3 miles total and walked the rest as fast as I could.  Sadly, I spent most of the "race" doing my best to not throw up and keep moving.  I just wanted to cross the finish line and not feel like a complete failure.

  I finished around the 2 hour mark.  I still haven't looked up my official time - too embarrassing.  After the race we went to the massage booth and I asked them to look at my legs.  They said my calves were extremely tight and were surprised by that.

  I went straight home and ended up sleeping for about 14 hours on and off for the rest of the weekend.  By Sunday I realized I was for sure sick - food poisoning we suspect (from Subway since Eryn never got sick).  I am just now starting to feel human again.  Last night was my first attempt at eating more than cereal for a meal.

  Of course people have yelled at me for being so "stupid" for attempting the race but when you put your mind to something like that, the last thing you want to do is give up before you even try.  Yes, me attempting was probably not the smartest thing in the world and it more than likely made me even more sick, but at the end of the day, I did it.  I crossed the finish line and finished the race.  Just not at a time I am happy with.

  All I can do at this point is learn from my weekend (and missing Halloween sadly) and go back to what works for races.  This weekend will hopefully get me back on track.  We have a "mock marathon" for training - we pay $5 and they give us a sneak peak at what we'll be running in 3 weeks on race day.  Hopefully by then I'll be back to normal and can achieve a decent PR for my first marathon.

  Wish me luck!

Back to the Grind!

  I haven't blogged in a while because I've been slacking on my running routine due to work and didn't want to actually see it in print.
  I'm supposed to be running 19-22 miles a week and with my current schedule and working the last 2 weekends straight I've been averaging about 5-8 miles a week.  Not good.  This past week I managed to somehow only get 2.5 miles in before my long run.
   I'm happy to say that even with all that time off, I was proud of myself.  I managed to get 7.05 miles in staying close and under 10 minutes the entire time.  I ended up losing the running group on Riverside and cut my run a little under a mile short while I later learned that Eryn ended up running 2 extra miles because she also got lost.
 

  The weather was perfect - I'm hoping it's that nice next week when we run the Tulsa Run.  The only downside was that since I arrived 40 minutes earlier than Eryn to the finish line, I was freezing while waiting for her.  Sweat and cold weather don't go very well together.
  I've been needing to get new sneakers for a while now.  I've had my old pair since the summer started and they are finally starting to die on me.  That, and along with the fact that the arch isn't very high and they cause shooting pains in my arch when I run more than 8 miles or run more than two days straight.
  I had originally planned to just swing by Fleet Feet and talk to them about my arch and try on some shoes. Instead I ended up buying a pair on sight and getting better arch support.
  The shoes only cost $100 (better deal than Foot Locker) and although they didn't have more than one color, I couldn't say no.

 

  The arch was sized for my shoe - and I can take it out and change it in the others if needed.  It cost $45 and is supposed to help my running.  She said to wear it 2-4-6 hours in the first week.  I'm excited to break them in on a few long runs before the Half Marathon.

  I'll let you know how it feels.  Probably not going to use them during the Tulsa Run just because I don't want to have any issues on a race, but I will definitely try them out the week after on our 12 mile run.

  Very excited to start getting back into training mode, working out regularly outside of my classes, adding more miles and bringing weights back into my workouts.  I have tended to not push myself on Tues and Thursday but I need to work on it.  I need to stop slacking - not good!!

  So last week was not good for running - at all!  I can't lie - I was no where near where I should have been or wanted to be for training for our half.

  Part of it is my schedule this semester - it's insane, and part of it was I was being lazy and just couldn't do it.  My nights have become lost to meetings.  I try to get 2-3 miles in before Zumba at 5.30pm and then run home an hour later for a quick dinner before running to my 9pm meeting which ends around 10.30pm and then bed.  Tuesdays and Thursdays are the attempt after work to run and do weights (Eryn and I have cancelled on one another every time for the past 3 weeks due to meetings and things) and yoga from 8-9.15pm, then home and bed shortly after.  Wednesday is pretty much my only weeknight off right now so I try to spend it relaxing and working on early Christmas presents.  Thursdays this semester we have our weekly events so depending on when they start, I can't do the gym or I have to skip yoga so my Thursdays are all over the place right now.  And I can't go out Friday nights due to early training on Saturdays.

  Needless to say, life is crazy.  This week was my final "on-duty" week until 2012!  So exciting!  That means no more carrying my phone to yoga class or Zumba class and no more worrying about getting coverage for my Saturday runs!  That makes my life a little more mine, which is always nice.

  I didn't do the long run this past Saturday because they were going to the next town over and I didn't remember to ask someone to cover for me so I set my alarm for 6am and figured I'd run 8-9 miles around town by myself and do what I could.  That... didn't happen.  Got a 3am duty call and when I woke up to my alarm 2 hours later... I couldn't do it.

  Thankfully Eryn wanted to run after she got home from NYC so we hit the gym before my meetings tonight.  I was so happy to be back in there - and did a very nice, strong 3 mile run around 28 minutes.  We also realized Eryn's Nike+ is way off.  We ran 3 miles (she ran possibly less since she ended up behind me) and her gps said she did 3.44 and mine said 3.01 so I felt better that all the miles she'd been hitting may not have been right (I was feeling like a failure lately ha ha).  We're going to calibrate it to the track tomorrow so we're more in sync.

  I am hoping life calms down this month although I'm not expecting it.  I leave for a conference in AR this weekend with some of my staff and the weekend after I will be in Philly for a wedding of a dear friend from my undergrad.  Not sure how much running I will be able to get in being out of town two weekends in a row but I'm hoping to do as much as I can before I go.  Hopefully Sarah will be willing to run with me at least 3 miles on Sat before the wedding (hint! hint!). ; )

Seven mile "short run"

  So Saturday didn't quite go as planned but it ended up better than expected which is always nice!

  I have training runs with my running group every Saturday morning at 6am.  I knew my running partner would not be there this week - against my advice she ran 15 miles in less than 2 days and messed up her knees this week and then had to drive over 10 hours in 2 days and it took more out of her than she expected.  So I was going to brave it alone.

  I went to bed at my usual time - 10pm with the plans of unwinding and being asleep by 11 and waking up at 5 to get dressed and head out the door.

  Instead of the usual Friday night, my body decided to not go to sleep until 1am and when that alarm hit at 5am I just couldn't do it.  As a runner we are constantly told to "listen to our bodies" rather than listening to our minds and pushing too hard.  My body told me that if I did the run that morning it was not going to be good.  So I listened to it and went back to bed.  Sadly, my body also didn't want to go back to sleep so I laid in bed for another hour cursing myself for not running but also knowing that I needed the break - especially after being so sick.

  It wasn't too disappointing though - to be honest. I enjoy running with the group each Saturday but we're not half way into our runs and not one person knows who I am or really talks to me.  They talk to my running buddy all the time and when she refers to me by name she always gets "who's that?" as a response which annoys her a lot.  It bothered me at first because I really joined the group to meet new people and make friends but I've come to the realization that I'll be leaving (hopefully) in less than a year so there's really no point in getting too invested at this point.  Just waiting until I make my next move and settle somewhere new and start fresh.

  Anyway, about the run!  I ended up texting Eryn and we made plans to run our old route by the river around 11am to get our 7 miles in.  We parked where we park in the mornings for our group run and ran to the river, up and down the path and back to the car.  All in all we finished in 1 hour and 24 minutes.  Eryn had a few cramps along the way and had to walk but I pushed super hard and only ended up walking less than a half mile at one point (around mile 5.5) to stretch my legs. 

  It amazes me every time we have a long run - I look at my iPhone and smile because I remember the days I couldn't imagine running a total of 3 miles or over 20 minutes.  Now I'm running 6-8 miles pretty easily and running well over an hour every weekend.  Blows my mind.

  I'm still extremely nervous about the Half Marathon but also excited to have the experience.  I feel like once it's done I'll know what it's like and can then decide if I want to try it again.  My goal is to do at least 3 - I'd like to do the Route 66, the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon and possibly one in my hometown of Philly.  I'm not sure if I will have the time to do the Half Marathon in OKC this spring.  We'll see how my job search is going at that point and how busy I am as the semester comes to a close!

  First, I apologize for not updating in what seems like forever.  I was hit with horrible allergies 2 weeks ago and it took me out for most of the past 2 weeks - to the point I wasn't even working out because I couldn't breathe or sleep.  I thought it was the flu but thankfully I was wrong.

  So to play catch up, things have been super busy with work on top of everything else!  Never ends in my field but that's why I love it. : )

  Keeping up with my miles was very difficult while I was sick and I can't lie - I did fail at times.  I had to skip a zumba class and 2 yoga classes due to work and illness.  Depressing but I'm sure my body appreciated the time off.

  To try to work with both of our busy schedules, my running partner and I have been doing the occasional morning run.  I have to admit, I'm not a morning person.  I hate waking up before 8am but nothing is more magical than seeing this when you hit the top of a hard hill (ours is 3 to 6 miles in depending on what route we run).

  As I'm sure you can imagine, it's even more beautiful in person.  My iPhone did not do the sunrise justice!  To me, there is nothing more beautiful than coming to the end of your run and seeing such a wonderful sight - it always makes me want to push just a little bit harder and that's usually needed at the end of a run.

  I was nervous during my sick time because we had a very important upcoming race on Saturday - the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and I was actually running for someone!  The race was something my running partner had worked on the advertisements for so she really wanted to run it as our first race of the "new year."  I am lucky in the sense that no one close to me has ever had to fight any type of cancer (with the exception of a non-blood uncle) so I wanted to be able to run for someone during the race.

  As it turned out, my co-worker's mother had been diagnosed before which is why she is so passionate about the cause.  She asked if I'd run for her mother and I was honored.  My co-worker is a huge scrapbooker so she took a wonderful photo of us with the creation she made of my bib.

  Can you see the HUGE rings under my eyes... that was a few days before the race when I still felt like crap and hadn't been on meds yet.  Now I feel and look much, much better thanfully!

  Here's a close-up of her creation.  Can you tell she likes pink?

  She said our male co-worker made all the spirals so I'll include his photo too as a "thanks" for the entirely too much pink I wore (not a fan of the color).

  The race itself was amazing and I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it.  There were so many people - easily the largest race I had ever been to before.  I almost felt like it was giving me a taste of what to expect at the Route 66 Half Marathon in a little over 2 months.

  My running partner and I have both decided to have fun at the half marathon - we are planning on tutu's or something along those lines so we stand out and hopefully (finally!) get photos taken while we are running.

  The race course was a good one - not too many hills and the hills we did have were not nearly as steep as what we've been doing on our training runs lately so it was pretty easy.  I shot off as soon as I heard the gun and crossed the finish line at 28:48.  That's my 3rd best time yet so I was very happy.  I did an average 5:46 km and an average 9:17 mile.  The system messed up with groups so they said they'd have those stats to us by the end of the week.  Can't wait to see where I stand with those.

  My running group ran 3 miles to the race, ran the race and then ran 4 miles back to get their 10 miles in.  I was on duty that week and received a 3:30am call that morning so I only did the race - I didn't want to push myself and then have an accident/injury.

  Before the race....

  After I got home...

  The shirts this year are super cute as well - looking forward to adding it to the collection I've been growing since I started racing in Tulsa.

  Now just looking forward to the next few races before our half - Oktoberfest Lederhosen 4 mile race, the Tulsa Run 15k and maybe a quick 5k somewhere in there as well.  I love this time of year!! : )

Soda... bye bye

I've been trying to cut down on soda until I can finally cut it out of my life forever. I tend to give it up for Lent and then pick it up again shortly after as it's quick, easy and no calories. I know it dehydrates me and the caffeine makes me sleepy so as a runner I don't need either of these but at times, I settle because it's there. I found this today and I wanted to share it. I think I may print it out and stick it on my fridge so I can remind myself that I need to stop drinking it!!


Via: Term Life Insurance

First weekend off in forever!!

  So Eryn is going out of town this weekend and I suck at long runs by myself so we decided to allow ourselves a nice, relaxing weekend and got up at 6am to do our long run today. I honestly figured I'd do 5 miles and make up the other 4 later tonight before I go out.

  Nope.  Not quite.

  We decided to run town  because I've found (at least for me) that when I run in town I run farther because I have to get home so it's not like I can just quit - I have to finish. : )  Ways I trick my mind and body...

  We decided to start on Harvard and work our way down to Utica.  As we ran we started talking about adding some extra miles.  I suggested going down Cherry Street (it has a huge hill) and then back up on 11th.  We pushed and pushed and made that goal.  Then Eryn realized we'd hit construction if we ran down to 11th so we took 14th back home - which meant we ran up the Cherry Street hill one street over.  I know Eryn wasn't happy but I felt so good making it up that hill - knowing I was at least 5 miles in by then and not stopping.  I had no issues climbing it and made it up with relative ease.  We kept pushing through and made it back to my apartment in 1 hour and 13 minutes with 6.75 miles under our belt.  We figured we might as well finish to 9 miles so we grabbed our keys, ids, etc and walked to the gym.

  We did some intense stretching and then set to work - finishing the last 2.25 miles (or in Eryn's case - over 2.5 miles).  I stopped at 8.5 miles total and walked the last 4 laps to hit my 9 miles.  My knees were getting wobbly and my left foot was starting to hurt each time I hit the ground (time for new shoes??).

  I still can't believe we did 9 miles today!  When I checked my Nike+ I found that I cut 10 minutes off my run a few weeks ago and I only ran 7.61 then!  I even set a new 10k PR on my phone.  Pretty intense.  It blows my mind to see that I ran over 1.5 hours!!  Didn't seem like it was that long at all -  maybe an hour at most.

  I am paying for it now though - don't let me fool you.  My abs are screaming in pain and I am pooped but I have to make it through the day so I can celebrate some amazing women's birthdays tonight.  Gonna definitely take a nap after work!!

  Hope your day and weekend are as eventful as mine have already been today! ; )