Tag Archives: races

Close of 2012

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What an amazing year… how can you begin to cover the highlights of such a fabulous year?

At midnight tonight, the gorgeous ball will drop in Town Square, and we will toast to a New Year! We’ve got the wine chilling, the treats tucked away in the fridge, and our bags packed to head back to Virginia in the morning. I love the holidays, but I also love the chance to a new beginning. I know that while 2012 was amazing, 2013 is also going to be phenomenal. One of the reasons is because I was able to graduate with my undergraduate degree this December, and I am truly able to begin afresh in January. So, while everyone is wildly excited about our new year: 2013, I’m still recovering from 2012!

So I’m gunna go ahead and brag (haha),  you can see why it’s been an exhausting year.

Here are a few highlights:

  • got a great promotion at work
  • ran two awesome half-marathons
  • did a little traveling
  • completed my undergraduate degree
  • ran over 500 miles (which was my goal)

Needless to say, I’ve spent my Christmas break sleeping! Regardless of all this, I still reached my goal of running 60 miles in December… Despite all my days spent traveling :) They were mostly short runs, around three miles, and my longest run was five miles. Considering most people drop off the fitness planet in December, I’m pretty happy with it!

December Run Goal
I’m planning on posting all my New Years goals later this week, things like the races I want to run and PR’s :) My goals aren’t just about fitness, but about keeping my life balanced… so keep posted for all of that!

Some of our New Years Resolutions

Some of our New Years Resolutions

Dead Last Trumps Did Not Start

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If you run without any reason, you are just chasing the wind.
Wesley Korir, 2012 Boston Marathon Winner
This weekend I biked down to the boardwalk and tried to run. After about 3 miles, I was exhausted. Do you guys ever feel that way? Thus, I found this picture extremely inspiring… because I’m proud of myself for getting out there. After beating myself up, I biked back and worked on my strength training routine I’ve been working on. Surprisingly enough, I was able to hold my planks and V-sits for longer than I’d ever done before! I may not be running my best right now, but I’m about to have some ripped abs :)
I’m really thankful that the weather is cooling down this week, and I’ll be able to get out and do a longer run! I’ve got to get some training in to be able to run in the Wicked 10k at the end of October! I’m planning on running it with friends, so we’re going to start our hard-core training soon (yes, I’ll still need to train for this race since I’ve been taking it easy this summer)! Here’s my post from last year: Wicked 10K, which I did in 59:24. My goal this year is to shave at least 10 minutes off that time, and get a time of 45:00 or under!

Getting Stronger

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I’ve been running a 5 mile cycle pretty regularly now, which is my new 3 mile circuit. I’m still painfully slow, and yesterday had to walk about a half a mile to catch my breath… because my friend and I were talking so much. But it sure made the miles fly by… and we felt great when we were done! I’m still working on my Half Marathon Training for the Novice Runner by Hal Higdon, and it’s been kicking me in the butt!

I can feel I’m getting stronger, and running is coming easier, but who am I kidding? It’s still a struggle to get out the door and pick my route. My muscles have been in serious pain (I’m a wimp, I’m not injured or anything) so I bought a Stretch and Strength Foam-Roller with the super-awesome  amazon gift card my sister-in-law gave me for my birthday (YES)!  It’s purple and lovely.

I think it’ll help with my increased milage I’m planning for the spring.

Friday I’m going to do a lone run of 8 miles, and Saturday I’m heading out with a group of girls for a ‘chill’ 5 mile run (Since WHEN is 5 miles chill?!?). Hah.

YAY for the weekend!

Running Hills

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I am so proud… I ran 8 miles this weekend on trails with a friend… and I’m still feeling the pain! Hills around here are a little hard to find (without driving too far), so the park we went too is about the best we’re gunna get! It was lightly misting as we were running, and it was so muggy that we were soaked in the first 10 minutes of running, but it was wonderful =)

Our next 1/2 marathon is in seven weeks in the hilly town of Williamsburg, and we’ve got some serious training to do in order to meet our goals. I want to do the race in under 2:30 hrs, and Tyler is aiming for 2 hrs *GASP*
I realize I did our last in 2:34:54, but I know Williamsburg is going to be MUCH more challanging.

Tonight we are planning on running at Mount Trashmore, which will hopefully help with our hill endurance (and make my legs hurt EVEN MORE).

Here’s some helpful advice from HowToBeFit.com on running hills:
Different hill workouts can hit a variety of training goals.  Running hills, like lifting weights, is resistance training. Hills strengthen the leg muscles to meet the specific demands of running. By working hard on hills, you force the muscles to overcome the incline and resistance of gravity. This strengthens the driving muscles the hamstrings, calves, buttocks, and particularly the quadriceps, which don’t get much work on the flats. Fatigued quads are particularly a problem late in races, especially marathons. It’s hard to pick your feet up and move them forward if the quads are growing tired of this important repetitive task.  

I also asked the experts over at Runners World (my most favorite running magizine ever) how to run Hills:
“I once had a coach tell me that if you keep moving your arms, your legs have to follow,” says Erholtz, “so I focus on keeping my arms moving.” She says she also leans slightly forward into the hill. “I think a shorter stride is more efficient on the hill, with a more rapid turnover. Keep your head and eyes focused ahead, but not all the way up.”

I feel like we’ve got a good chance at this and we’re going to ROCK it!

Being Intentional

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It’s so easy, for example, to go on vacation and throw your entire diet (of healthy eating) and training schedule out the window, only to have to start back up from square one when you get back (Thank you Christmas break!).

Spring break is coming up for some people (does that mean anything anymore that I’m not in grade 7?) and Easter (the 3rd best chocolate holiday in the WORLD), which is desperately trying to sabatoge my training schedule like Christmas. In case you need a kick in the butt, try out the ever eipc Biggest Loser Trainers Bob’s Vacation Workout.

IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! WE ONLY HAVE EXACTLY 52 DAYS to get in the BEST shape we’ve ever been in and race on the hilly track for 13.1 miles! 

We’ve using Hal Higdons 1/2 marathon training Schedule: Novice 2 as our coach and the most amazing weather =) I’m enjoying this training plan because we just ran a 1/2 marathon last week, and it’s giving us a bit of a break, allowing us time to work back up to 13 miles. I’m working this running thing in-between my work schedule, school, and being around for my husband. It’s a lot, but thankfully he’s running with me =)

It’s about being intentional about your goals. Whether on vacation, or just getting caught up in life, be intentional about getting where you want to be. Dreams without deadlines and plans of actions are just… dreams.

I’m probably going to fall slightly short of my 60 miles/March goal, but I’m proud of all the progress I’ve made AND for setting a new PR: Running 13.1 miles!! I’m still so proud of myself!

Ps. if you are at all enjoying my posts, please leave a little love (aka: comment on my BLOG people! I know your reading it!!)

SHAMROCK RACE!

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I woke up Sunday morning after about 2.5 hrs of sleep because there were gun shots(yes, gun shots) outside our apartment all night. I almost didn’t run in the race because I woke up feeling miserable, but Tyler was so encoraging and supportive, and helped me decide to run! (thanks hunny!)

My goal was to run the first six miles, and then run/walk the rest of the miles because my training had gone so poorly.

Parking for any Boardwalk race is a mess, and yesterday was no exception. The irony of parking in a bank parking lot in the handicap space while running a half marathon kept me smiling until the start! For the first couple miles, Tyler and I were smiling at each other in sheer happiness of being able to run this race.

Because, exactly one year ago, after the Shamrock race (we were running 8k’s back then) he took me to Fort Story and proposed. It was so precious and one of the happiest days of my life!

Back to the race. It was so glorious to run by Fort Story and remember our proposal exactly one year ago… and we actually ran RIGHT by the Lighthouse (on mile 8) that we visted the day he proposed!  The terrain was wonderful, we consistantly run on the boardwalk, so we were used to the route. While we were on base, running by the lighthouse, there was this mommy with two little kids in her stroller that allowed her kids to get out and RUN along side her! This was the most adorable site ever, and I was laughing for the remainder of the mile :) I was truly inspired to keep running. And I did keep running! At each mile marker, I decided to run that mile, and walk the rest. Until I got to mile 11, and then decided I was going to run the WHOLE thing! I’m so glad I did, and I’m so proud of myself!

I set my all time Personal Record yesterday. Not because I did great time, but because this was the FIRST TIME I’D EVER RUN 13.1 MILES! Setting my next PR is going to be easy since I really took it slow and ran it at 11:21 minute miles (according to my tracker), and 11:49 according to the race timer. They are different because I turned off my tracker during our washroom break… because I wanted to know our exact running time.

Seriously, I’ve never been prouder of myself in my whole life. I never thought I’d be able to run STRAIGHT for 13.1 miles, and I DID! I crossed the finish line, strong and feeling good. I’ve never been happier to stop running!

Goodbye, Hello

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Ok, so you remember all those great new years resolutions you made back in… January? How are those coming along? I mean, it’s been about 35 days since we carefully carved out all the goals for the new year, some were naturally extremely unrealistic (like getting all A’s), but others were easy (like laugh everyday). Just in case my new years goals weren’t enough pressure, I also set month goals, like eat veggies every day (check) and buy new running shoes (check). Maintianing this blog every week was another January goal (check), but I failed in running 9 miles this month. My excuse is that I purchased new running shoes and needed to break them in! I think I’m good to go because I did almost 5 on Saturday and don’t have any blisters.
I need to catch up and run my goal of 11 miles this month in order to prepare for the Shamrock 1/2 marathon in 6 very short weeks…

In short, my goals are to say good bye to the unhealthy eating, and hello to the trails this month! Wish me luck!  

I sincerely hope I’m offering just a small glimpse of encoragement to those who have extremely busy lives and are struggling with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes things need to be removed from our lives in order to make room for our workouts, and other times we just need to get up earlier, workout instead of watching a TV show, take a walk on our lunch break, or park further from our jobs in order to get some much needed exercise in.

You can do it!

New-found love for Y O G A

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Let’s face it. I’m married, working almost full-time, taking full-time classes, while training for a half marathon. The Shamrock 1/2 Marathon is a mere 10 & 1/2 weeks away, and I’ve slacked off during my entire Christmas break. Well, that’s not entirely true… I spent at least an hour and half (combining my three, 3m runs) on the treadmill, which is almost as painful for me as pouding my head against the wall for the same given time period. Plus another outdoor run for also 3 miles.

See, I’ve got my work cut out for me! I better be hitting the gym hard- which is what I’m aiming to do. It’s too cold (and dark) for me to run outside after work, so my outdoor runs are going to be on the weekend.

And on the treadmill during the week.

While I’m training hard for this 1/2 Marathon, I’m also incorporating Yoga into my workouts. I’ve been a closet yoga-er for about 2 months now, and it’s been wonderful in relaxing my muscles, stretching my hips, and dealing with overall pain I feel in my joints and muscle from running.

I found a little quote on Yoga in the Magazine Runners World, January Edition:

“More than just stretching, yoga gives you whole-body strength, especially in the hips, core, and upper body,” says Sage Rountree, Ph.D., a yoga instructor, USA Triathlon-certified coach, and author of The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga. “Yoga’s mental training is ideal for runners because it teaches you to be present and breathe fully even in the face of intensity.”

Now just to clarify, the classes I’m attending are at LuluLemon store (free!), and we get a different instructor every week… and they haven’t incorporated the ‘spiritual’ part of yoga… which I’ve really appreciated. I wouldn’t still be going if they did. It’s a community event, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know women in my community, strength training and stretching out my hips.

Weekend Run

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Saturday I did a great 3.3m run in about 27 min as I ran to the LuluLemon store for my pilates class. I didn’t use my RunKeeper app because I was using my map to figure out how to find the store, but that’s my rough figure. When I got there, I had to immediantly start my class, and I could hardly sit up straight, my hips were so tight! After some serious stretching and a lot of pain, I was able to FINALLY touch my toes (which is never a big deal to me), and I felt MUCH better!

I LOVED the piliaties class, and will probably sign up for for enough classes to get me to Christmas.

Then on SUNDAY, I went running with a girl from our run club and she matched my slower-I’m-going-to-run-6-miles-pace perfectly! It was a glorious run with the most perfect weather ever, and we just kept running. My goal was to run SEVEN miles, but I started dry heaving at SIX so I did what it took to get back to the car. Safely. And not throw-up in front of the new girl. Unsuccessful. Embarrassing.

I know this is discusting, but it’s not the first time I’ve thrown up from running. This time it was obviously from running too soon after lunch, but I’ve done it before from over exerting myself. What I’ve learned to listen to my body, and walk when it’s telling me to walk.
During a race, yes, I will do what it takes to get the best time I possibly can, but I’m not going to bring myself to throw-up again because of a run. It was horrible. After I got home, I threw up straight for 30 minutes and felt like crap the rest of the night.

But while I was miserable, I basked in the pride that, today, I ran further than I’ve ever run before.

Going to beat my record and run SEVEN miles next weekend!