tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21507845515770952122024-02-22T01:38:33.815-05:00Nichole's FitLifeFitness is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the ride!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-66360671293404579622016-10-17T14:16:00.000-04:002016-10-17T14:27:24.020-04:00Catch up (never published from 2015, whoops)<div dir="ltr">
It has been a while since the <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2015/03/new-half-pr-tobacco-road-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">Tobacco Road Half Marathon</a>. I have done a couple races since then and just never wrote about them. So here is a catch up post.</div>
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In April, I ran the <a href="http://triviumracing.com/event/runner-dudes-trust-believe-conquer-25k/" target="_blank">RunnerDude’s Trust. Believe. Conquer! 25K</a>; which was put on by a local running event company,<a href="http://triviumracing.com/" target="_blank">Trivium Racing</a>, and my running coach from <a href="http://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/#/home/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's Fitness</a>. It was a great race because so many of my running group friends were running it. </div>
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The course consisted of two loops that were pretty hilly. It being two loops was actually nice because not only were there a lot of people that I knew running it, but there were a bunch of people volunteering to help and spectate as well. No matter where you were on the course, you ended up running into somebody you knew. Plus you got to see everyone twice so you knew where to look for people the second time around. It was very motivating.</div>
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The course was pretty tough with a lot of rolling hills. The day was cool with bursts of relentlessness strong wind, that always seemed to be the worst when going up some of the worst hills.</div>
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Going into the race I did not have any expectations. I knew I wanted to get under 2 hours 30 minutes. I had trained for this race but had raced hard at the <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2015/03/new-half-pr-tobacco-road-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">Tobacco Road Half Marathon</a> two weekends before. So I had no idea what my performance would be like.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLePZtzBkpxFMUH9wVvKsYDx4NSt7mEqBQEr6PPiOyg44GfFCYoliUr4dx0wtWqdIBIxieCHgjOh5l3CpXn-L8nLCMOnlWdWvr2FHQD3Z93BsC-UjEwOatAz0IzkLnFm_kJp1pQnyZME/s1600/PhotoGrid_1433778504877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLePZtzBkpxFMUH9wVvKsYDx4NSt7mEqBQEr6PPiOyg44GfFCYoliUr4dx0wtWqdIBIxieCHgjOh5l3CpXn-L8nLCMOnlWdWvr2FHQD3Z93BsC-UjEwOatAz0IzkLnFm_kJp1pQnyZME/s400/PhotoGrid_1433778504877.jpg" width="400" /></a> I started off with Brittany, Laura, Will, and Bobby. I started off hoping to hold a pace below 9 minute miles for the entire race. We started the race off at a pretty good pace. Eventually Brittany, Laura, and Bobby took off. All of a sudden they started getting further and further ahead. At first I thought I was slowing down , but realized they were speeding up. All the power to them, but I knew I needed to pace myself. Especially since I was still on the first loop. I ended up finding a good pace next to Will. We ended up running the whole race together. It was really nice to have the company. We barley talked, but just having his presence was nice and helped me keep a faster pace then I probably would have kept if I was by myself. </div>
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I forgot to mention that my other goal for this race was to beat Bobby. Bobby is a great guy with a funny sense of humor. We like to banter back and forth. He's always giving me a hard time and he's faster than me even with walk breaks. During past races I have tried to keep up with him, only to have him blow out a fast pace. Then he takes walking break,s and when I almost catch him he starts running again and ends up beating me. So I joked that my only goal for this race was to beat Bobby. </div>
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When Bobby took off with Laura and Brittany, Will predicted that Bobby would lose his wheels around mile 12. Sure enough around the 12 mile maker we saw Bobby up ahead walking up the hill and going to the porta potty. We ended up passing him there and were able to maintain our lead on him. So I reached my goal of beating Bobby and he never hears the end of it ;)</div>
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A little while after passing Bobby we picked up Brittney. Her stomach had started bothering her so she had lost Laura and our other friend Brandon. So I finished with Brittany and Will. The last 3 miles were the worst. It was all I could do to keep going. But with Brittany and Will by my side, we fought through it putting one foot in front of the other over and over again until the end. Just when you think you are at the end they made us go around back into the parking lot where we originally started. I finished in 2:22:30 with an average pace of 9:10 per mile. My half marathon split would have been a sub 2 hour half, which made me really happy. We had really slowed up those last hilly 3 miles. I was very satisfied with the race and my performance.</div>
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Overall it was a wonderful race. It was very well put together. There were a couple issues with not all the cops being there because of their misunderstanding that it was on Easter weekend, even though it had been set up over 6 months in advanced. Other than that the race was amazing. The volunteers were outstanding, especially since I knew almost every one of them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3pA4r5IUjuMEnjajVMbEewpJfypCAUrLX615SVnAbgc4EsJ1dEKb2maPN846EfCB0qWrxZG_r-mjYcYmY7GknuaIWZP3C4PyHzKcR69PiHaLJ6iCYSnmWHnCXoRbNT-P9_DSgME_hk4/s1600/PhotoGrid_1433778586753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3pA4r5IUjuMEnjajVMbEewpJfypCAUrLX615SVnAbgc4EsJ1dEKb2maPN846EfCB0qWrxZG_r-mjYcYmY7GknuaIWZP3C4PyHzKcR69PiHaLJ6iCYSnmWHnCXoRbNT-P9_DSgME_hk4/s400/PhotoGrid_1433778586753.jpg" width="400" /></a>Our friend Brandon had probably ran the smartest race, running it as a progression. He had been behind us for a good distance and then speed up past. Eventually he had caught up with Laura. At the very end Laura turned it on and ended up beating Brandon. We still like to give Brandon a hard time about it. Laura is sneaky though and is a lot more talented than I think she realizes. The girl has speed and is really good at kicking it into another gear at the end of a run or race. She is my hero :)</div>
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Laura ended up placing second in our age group (30-34). I got excited because I ended up winning 3rd. We got an Easter baskets since it was Easter weekend. The basket had a chocolate bunny and some candy, plus a $10 gift certificate to Dicks Sporting Goods. My friend Saundretta had watched watched Hannah for me while I ran so they were there for the rewards ceremony. As soon as I received my basket, Hannah grabbed the chocolate bunny and ate almost the whole thing before I fully comprehended what she was doing. Little booger.</div>
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I also did the <a href="http://tarheel10miler.com/" target="_blank">Tar Heel 10 Miler</a> in April. It was a pretty race. It had a lot of hills and was really crowded. They really need a better corral system because it was a mess. Not to mention it was so crowed at the start of the race that it was hard to move let alone get into a comfortable pace. Luckily I had no time expectations for the race and was just looking to run by feel.</div>
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A unique thing about this race is that near the end there is this horrendous hill you have to climb. So the event coordinators make it a separate challenge, "Laurel Hill Challenge". </div>
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<b>The race describes it as follows:</b></div>
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"Get ready for the Laurel Hill Challenge! Laurel Hill Road passes through one of the most exclusive and beautiful neighborhoods in Chapel Hill, but it has a reputation for being one of the most challenging roads to run up. Over the course of approximately one mile, runners will climb just over 200 vertical feet. Runners will cross a timing mat at the bottom and top of Laurel Hill Road. A separate split will be included in your final results."</div>
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It was a beast of a hill and knowing you would be timed on it made it so I ran the whole thing. I'm pretty sure I would have walked some of it otherwise. Only problem is that once you reach the top of it there is another hill. Good lord I was mad. haha.</div>
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I finished the race feeling pretty exhausted. It was a great race. I'm not sure I would do it again unless I had some friends my pace that wanted to run it with me. </div>
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In May, I ran <a href="https://race131.com/races/Race-13-1-Greensboro-NC" target="_blank">Race 13.1 Greensboro</a>. My goal had been to get a course PR. <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/05/race-131-greensboro-recap.html" target="_blank">Last year</a> I was going for my first sub 2 hour half and had missed it by 29 seconds. </div>
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Everything went well up until mile 10. I was running with Brittany and Laura. The day was humid and got worse by the minute. The course consists of a ridiculous amount of rolling hills. It reminds me of a rollarcoaster. Last year we had been lucky and got a nice cool day. Not this year! </div>
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At mile 10 the humidity and heat started to get to me. I just wasn't feeling it . The relentless hills, heat, and and humidity were working against me. Plus I think we started out too fast for the course. Luckily Brittany and Laura helped get me through it. I had lost them for a while but they ended up waiting for me and telling me they wanted to finish together. The elements were getting to them too. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">At that point we were still set to get a sub 2 hour half. Then we came across the hill of hell, and I just did not care about my time anymore. We walked up that evil hill and talked each other to the finish line. At the top of the last hill our friend Duncan met up with us. He is super speedy and finished over a half hour before us. He helped run us in. He was laughing because usually we are all talkative and we were dead silent. He asked us if this was the part of the race where we were not talking, hehe. Umm, yeah!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Laura and Brittany still finished a bit ahead of me. I was just a hot mess and could not get my legs to move. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Hey you win some you lose some. I was just happy I finished the race with some of the best running friends a girl could ask for.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Will I ever do this one again... I don't know. This time of year is so hard with the weather. Maybe I will sign up on race day next year if it is another cool day ;)</span><br />
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That puts me at 9 Half Marathons!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-85544304814752553442015-03-20T10:41:00.000-04:002015-03-20T10:41:40.466-04:00New Half PR! Tobacco Road Half Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had heard great things about the <a href="http://www.tobaccoroadmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Tobacco Road Marathon</a>. I signed up for the half marathon before it sold out. I wanted to prove to myself that I could run another <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/09/sub-2-hour-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">sub 2 hour</a> half marathon. This sounded like the perfect course to do it on. They promote it as "Flat, Fast, and Fun". I would not call it flat, but it was a pretty fast course with some great downhill sections.<br />
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I was excited to be running it with one of best racing buddies, Brittany. I was a little nervous as we had not run together as much lately, so I was not sure how fast her race pace would be. So I was a little worried I would not be able to keep up. I knew it did not really matter because we both are each others cheerleaders, and we highly encourage the other to do their best. -- <i>Running friends are the best!</i><br />
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My day started at an ungodly hour of 3 am. I got up and got ready to leave at 3:40 am so I could get to the hotel Brittany and her boyfriend, Jason were staying at in Cary for 5 am. I had purchased parking for the race but they said you needed to be there by 5:30 am to guarantee a parking spot. We just chilled in the car for an hour keeping warm before the race. The race started at 7 am. Having to get their so early was my only real big complaint, but it is a very popular race so I guess I just have to suck it up. I know people who had to get up at 2 am for Disney races.<br />
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Going into the race I was not sure what my plan was. I really wanted to race it. I am currently training for a 25k (<a href="http://triviumracing.com/event/runner-dudes-trust-believe-conquer-25k/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's 25k</a>) for April 4th. I kept thinking that I would race this half and then see how I felt for the 25k as far as actually racing it.<br />
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My training runs have been going really well. I have seen a good increase in my speed. So I felt pretty good going into the race. I wasn't really nervous. My plan was just to go by effort and go from there.<br />
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The start was very congested. Brittany and I had already talked about starting out slower and not trying to weave in and out of the crowd. Typically you end up just wearing yourself out before you even truly get started. Our first mile was 9:27. We had planned to run near the 2 hour pacer but the crowd was pretty big around them and after the first mile they took off like bats out of hell. I think they were making up for the first mile but it was a little crazy how fast they were going. A group of us were complaining / talking about it.<br />
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Eventually we caught back up with the 2 hour pacer and passed them. They finally seemed to be back on track. At that point we were clocking all our miles in under 9 minutes. My secret goal was to try to keep every mile under 9. We only had 3 over 9 minutes and the slowest mile was the first mile.<br />
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Most of the course runs on the American Tobacco Trail in Cary, NC. It is a really nice shaded wooded trail, that is mostly compact dirt. It had rained the day before, so I though it felt nice and spongy. Only a few parts were muddy. Also, I like out and back courses. I like knowing what to expect on the way back. Plus I love watching people run by, it makes the time fly by. I'm a people watcher.<br />
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Typically when I run with Brittany, we talk the whole time. During this race we barley spoke. We were working hard ;)<br />
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When we hit the turnaround point,we had seen the 1:50 pacer pass not too far ahead of us. Then saw the 2 hour pacer behind us. At that point I knew we were near a 1:55 finish. I tried not to get too excited since I knew we had a pretty long gradual hill coming that had the potential to slow us up.<br />
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I had a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Huma-Chia-Energy-Gel-Variety/dp/B00LXK8Y0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426860076&sr=8-1&keywords=huma" target="_blank">Blueberry Huma Chia Energy Gel</a> around mile 8. Brittany and I had ran 14 miles the weekend before with a 30 minute fast finish. I had not taken in any nutrition during the run, and remembered that I wish I had during those last 30 minutes struggling with my energy level. -- I was having a hard time trying to eat it on the go, going up the gradual incline, and my nose was stuffy so I was having a hard time breathing. I kept laughing to myself, thinking how ridiculous I must look to the people coming the opposite direction. I also wondered if any photographers caught me with gel dribbling out the corner of my mouth, hehe. But I got it done, and it really helped me with the last half.<br />
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Toward the end of the race the loudest breather I have ever heard was just behind me to my left. He was driving me crazy. Sometimes just hearing other people struggle can make you tired. Finally he passed us and I was so thankful. He had headphones on, probably so he didn't have to hear himself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2DXKw5yx9Fmv7LqJKLHzdvO-ujrirBy8ksm4FlKvVGg0-trUuDckZ9rlRqi2A6TkULBckdScmz1HSKtwWaMmJzcTzXXunBrVRmvwG-NTjlKtngqlgRsRMToCJa0uDC4P1guoGm7Wcs0/s1600/finish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2DXKw5yx9Fmv7LqJKLHzdvO-ujrirBy8ksm4FlKvVGg0-trUuDckZ9rlRqi2A6TkULBckdScmz1HSKtwWaMmJzcTzXXunBrVRmvwG-NTjlKtngqlgRsRMToCJa0uDC4P1guoGm7Wcs0/s1600/finish.JPG" height="320" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the finish line together</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we got to the last 5k mark, we started picking local landmarks to compare how far we had left. Brittany would say "we have from the studio to Battleground parking lot". Then "CVS to the studio". It really helped get through those last miles. The best is when we could start to hear the crowd, then you turn the corner and there is the ginormous American flag hanging above the finish. Brittany and I crossed the finish line at 1:55:04. I even got to ring the PR bell. It was all very exciting.<br />
<br />
Later we found out Brittany won first place for females in the military for the half. She won $350!<br />
<br />
Overall it was an awesome race. I got to PR and do it with one of my best running friends. We are now talking about doing the full next year.<br />
<br />
I highly recommend this race. It is a beautiful course.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Here are the stats:</b><br />
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<b>Next up: <a href="http://triviumracing.com/event/runner-dudes-trust-believe-conquer-25k/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's 25K</a>!!!</b><div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-19788494115660675352015-02-09T23:15:00.001-05:002015-02-09T23:15:49.349-05:00Massacre Marathon Relay RecapThis past weekend I ran in my first relay race. The <a href="http://massacremarathon.com/" target="_blank">Massacre Marathon Relay</a> was held at Country Park in Greensboro, NC. The marathon consisted of doing 16 laps around the park. I was on a team of 4, so we each did 4 laps. I ran last.<br />
<br />
My running group, the <a href="https://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/the-runegades" target="_blank">RUNegades</a>, had 4 total teams competing. We all set up our chairs together and cheered each other on. It was a really fun experience.<br />
<br />
<b><u>The teams were:</u></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Team Trust (my team)</li>
<li>Team Believe</li>
<li>Team Conquer</li>
<li>Team Preserver</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-nl30bMVRanvyq50Fc4EKAyG_WQ9_6ikiONcMRztQ1KHG9qwNkcejU79JD7UU9gSZimyvzUzetMrgxNoyKuRldGdx2imkMv5tgs70sXUFaStcYN16rd5DC1MFyNrxUb8XvRvjh4ve5s/s1600/10968432_10152776706400889_8455117870928694782_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-nl30bMVRanvyq50Fc4EKAyG_WQ9_6ikiONcMRztQ1KHG9qwNkcejU79JD7UU9gSZimyvzUzetMrgxNoyKuRldGdx2imkMv5tgs70sXUFaStcYN16rd5DC1MFyNrxUb8XvRvjh4ve5s/s1600/10968432_10152776706400889_8455117870928694782_n.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
On my team we had Thad (our running coach), Margret, Karen, and Colin. Technically we had a team of five. Thad was having an open house at the studio and had forgotten it was the same day as the relay. So he ran the first 2 laps and Colin was nice enough to run the last 2 laps for his turn. It worked out really well.<br />
<br />
Thad ran the first lap, which was the longest lap at 2.2 miles. Every lap after that was 1.6 miles. I was really nervous the first time I went because I was not sure about how to do the baton transition from one runner to the next. It ended up not being a big deal at all.<br />
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The baton was a hollow pipe. So the funny thing was that sometimes when I was running, I would naturally bring it up near my mouth. Every time this happen it would make funny sound when I would breathe into it. Kinda like blowing on a paper towel roll tube. It made me chuckle every time.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDZeAIgINMisggQUSif71JKf-jWHRJieRl_R7sIRdmciM-F52ofO5v78lGh4FZuzmIPIvEoOQ98CyIcOtVZSjf8tNKza5bFD0zeYt-TGkOlFoiRRDmptbdO5dVFKahZdnLmogf9sUkKk/s1600/16701_10153002864787789_2900782850173927421_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDZeAIgINMisggQUSif71JKf-jWHRJieRl_R7sIRdmciM-F52ofO5v78lGh4FZuzmIPIvEoOQ98CyIcOtVZSjf8tNKza5bFD0zeYt-TGkOlFoiRRDmptbdO5dVFKahZdnLmogf9sUkKk/s1600/16701_10153002864787789_2900782850173927421_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>Country Park is pretty hilly. According to my Garmin I gained 935 ft of elevation during my 4 laps that totaled 6.2 miles. Going into the race I had no expectations of how I would do. I felt ok. Early on in the week I had been dealing with some pretty annoying calf pain. So I was a little worried about how my calves would like this course.<br />
<br />
On my first lap I was nervous. It had been a while since I had raced and at a shorter distance. The whole strategy changes. You definitely put the pedal to the floor when you run one of these because you know you can rest in between your turn. I decided not to worry about my time and to only focus on how I felt. I would push it just past my comfort zone. The hills sucked, but I enjoyed the fact that through my training with RUNegades, I am becoming a pretty strong hill runner. Often times I would pass a good number of people on the hills. I would only look at my Garmin when it would signal I had completed another mile.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>I could not be more ecstatic about my splits:</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4-5GYHg47wD8rsWHvmq5zx-_uOtRqxcNP_XzKlUb9dvnim7sQPLnN_iqIC7SNySdt6i2iXFfrcHJhr5S0QtdkR1LscfjG5gQ7yEyCOsPjgpB7rGyNupiLqUsMpxUAraEpW3McHkcTtE/s1600/splits.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4-5GYHg47wD8rsWHvmq5zx-_uOtRqxcNP_XzKlUb9dvnim7sQPLnN_iqIC7SNySdt6i2iXFfrcHJhr5S0QtdkR1LscfjG5gQ7yEyCOsPjgpB7rGyNupiLqUsMpxUAraEpW3McHkcTtE/s1600/splits.JPG" height="320" width="140" /></a></div>
<b><u>My Laps:</u></b><br />
Lap 4: 12:22<br />
Lap 8: 12:26<br />
Lap 12: 12:30<br />
Lap 16: 12:38<br />
<br />
I cannot believe I went below 8 minute miles, let alone on this course. I feel so excited, and so sore today, haha. I'm excited to see how much I've progressed in my running since joining the RUNegades.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYH-D23dVRkE2F8DgXjWpu4HQ0gi1rZFzh5dj4Ke0D42yXCa0rRZNeCGMnCAPFHYU5odzwfZCj6RAZhvIryhSHPrLNpJgXI0txr7FpITwvfGm4O0hrZPzfLMax3WSZjApyIe3Bdj-mGs/s1600/10980755_10203356546345329_3737793495851844012_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYH-D23dVRkE2F8DgXjWpu4HQ0gi1rZFzh5dj4Ke0D42yXCa0rRZNeCGMnCAPFHYU5odzwfZCj6RAZhvIryhSHPrLNpJgXI0txr7FpITwvfGm4O0hrZPzfLMax3WSZjApyIe3Bdj-mGs/s1600/10980755_10203356546345329_3737793495851844012_n.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm so proud of every team. We all did it in under 4 hours, which is so cool.<br />
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<b><u>For overall teams this was our places out of 161 finishers: </u></b><br />
<br />
Believe - 23rd place in 3:12:56<br />Conquer - 68th place in 3:44:24<br /><b>Trust - 76th place in 3:48:55</b><br />Persevere - 95th place in 3:59:29<br /><ul>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
This will definitely not be my last relay race!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgGAN_FY1ohRjdCoU5jezjJKnH_oa-f2Nq5M8TFnGdef7j1wHAskDd5bRZkh40D5B1PyuvvPP3t_LZYgQrjhDHGe_RfVjYc7CqbXI22IEigvfsnxS1kZCmUKDvWn3HzN6Dkgoge8GoTs/s1600/10987577_10153002684242789_756224351456447963_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgGAN_FY1ohRjdCoU5jezjJKnH_oa-f2Nq5M8TFnGdef7j1wHAskDd5bRZkh40D5B1PyuvvPP3t_LZYgQrjhDHGe_RfVjYc7CqbXI22IEigvfsnxS1kZCmUKDvWn3HzN6Dkgoge8GoTs/s1600/10987577_10153002684242789_756224351456447963_n.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>Did I mention we got a medal and a hoodie too?!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHP7XNE-4trQFXKmEvIJuYbLW4FZTZUHJodknEfo_qoFO3PH8f07Mk8u1RFWG8yRR2BxDiMOLCW9uwfjC2DE3WfJ-earMKmoXiDcEOHmHLsT062xUQHhCDmNrHPWSQsJWG4KTgP4in5U/s1600/GaiamRestorePressurePointMassager.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHP7XNE-4trQFXKmEvIJuYbLW4FZTZUHJodknEfo_qoFO3PH8f07Mk8u1RFWG8yRR2BxDiMOLCW9uwfjC2DE3WfJ-earMKmoXiDcEOHmHLsT062xUQHhCDmNrHPWSQsJWG4KTgP4in5U/s1600/GaiamRestorePressurePointMassager.PNG" height="320" width="99" /></a>Today I purchased my new best friend for when I have sore muscles, which I definitely have today. It is called the <a href="http://www.target.com/p/gaiam-restore-pressure-point-massager/-/A-13561600?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=13561600&CPNG=Sports&kpid=13561600&LID=14pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=13561600&kpid=13561600&gclid=CjwKEAiA0uGmBRDwj7mE1v-LlCYSJADxH16O09_91UjdFG1ru9JJrKKcvvjTkbm0RdVmp9Vm9ZMIIhoC4E_w_wcB" target="_blank">Gaiam Restore Pressure Point Massager</a>. I bought it at Target for about $16, which included NC state tax. It targets pressure points to help increase circulation and alleviate sore muscles. It feels amazing! Why did I not buy one sooner? The foam roller is ok, but this really gets into the spots I need it to, like my calves.<br />
<br />
Next up is the <a href="http://www.tobaccoroadmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Tobacco Road Half-Marathon</a> on March 15th. I plan to do another sub 2 hour half. <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/09/sub-2-hour-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">My first sub 2 hour half</a> just does not feel all the way right. My Garmin read only 12.83 at the end of the race instead of 13.1. So I want to do it and feel really good about it. The course was certified but I still feel like a cheater. That is just too big a difference.<br />
<br />
Wish me luck!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-53243761161984310032015-02-02T16:24:00.001-05:002015-02-02T16:30:15.655-05:00Fitletic Hydration Belt Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmbIms5flPlmo4o3uojMzHRdA7J6VhqVe7ip7iAl4qecOXPtcLy3mm-tW-fsVc6o3CeR4vE5JpeDHVv2Dp4v71Cm-LHT5upgUI1wqcuQUf0W7sNbtzyMGYjeoLafHOTQ6oJKtLgcHFlE/s1600/hydrobelt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmbIms5flPlmo4o3uojMzHRdA7J6VhqVe7ip7iAl4qecOXPtcLy3mm-tW-fsVc6o3CeR4vE5JpeDHVv2Dp4v71Cm-LHT5upgUI1wqcuQUf0W7sNbtzyMGYjeoLafHOTQ6oJKtLgcHFlE/s1600/hydrobelt.JPG" height="152" width="320" /></a><br />
I run all my long runs with my <a href="http://www.fitletic.com/hydration-belt-16oz.html" target="_blank">Fitletic Hydration Belt</a>. I absolutely love it. My first hydration belt had one big water bottle that you wore to the back. The waste strap had no give to it and was made of nylon. I hated it for my long runs because if it happened to touch my bare skin, it would rub me raw. Also, as I would lose some water weight as I would run, the whole belt would loosen and really start bouncing. Trying to adjust it on the fly was horrible. It drove me crazy. I hated spending so much effort on something I felt I shouldn't have to worry about.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9I4SY8Op4Ssz2cmEndooNf8rCKLZ-T15h0Y_X2siqL7-eUOUioYv_QvZB1_C7AxW5lr-ktbSLF-4sdzaV8eoGQI09zxhShfqLqkDLHwxmofdAmd3YY9pVUQ8i-GZd8D59yF5DdmuJJXY/s1600/enhance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9I4SY8Op4Ssz2cmEndooNf8rCKLZ-T15h0Y_X2siqL7-eUOUioYv_QvZB1_C7AxW5lr-ktbSLF-4sdzaV8eoGQI09zxhShfqLqkDLHwxmofdAmd3YY9pVUQ8i-GZd8D59yF5DdmuJJXY/s1600/enhance.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing my Fitletic 16oz Hydration Belt<br />
during my first marathon.</td></tr>
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The Fitletic belt is so comfortable. The waste band is elastic and never bounces. The material of the pouch and water holders are like a wetsuit. It is pretty waterproof, and it is a comfortable material. I have never had chafing problems with this belt.<br />
<br />
The center pouch can fit a good amount of things in it. I keep 2 GUs, chap-stick, headphones, and my car keys in it. For my marathon I used the two exterior GU loops, which also worked great.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEgToP3M9dTbgYKsKv4vo46RTNJoiZowvhyphenhyphen7YA9HwtN-STxxhKpsJnjX1-8CSdazhQGzpcJH4gSD4U-9SqxzBpud_zLc1c-prWqlfZKA07d4UWnXW3K3JdHRXdUo55WczULamsv9Em48/s1600/enhance+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEgToP3M9dTbgYKsKv4vo46RTNJoiZowvhyphenhyphen7YA9HwtN-STxxhKpsJnjX1-8CSdazhQGzpcJH4gSD4U-9SqxzBpud_zLc1c-prWqlfZKA07d4UWnXW3K3JdHRXdUo55WczULamsv9Em48/s1600/enhance+(1).jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I prefer to wear mine towards the back</td></tr>
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It has two 8oz bottle holsters. In the summer I like to fill one bottle with a sports drink and the other with water. It did take me a while to like having two water bottles. I was used to having just one big one. I had to get used to drinking from two and having them balance. I hate when one is full and the other is empty. Not a big deal, it can just feel off balanced. So I just rotate drinking from each bottle back and forth to keep them balanced.<br />
<br />
I thought I would like the race bib toggles, but the way I wear<br />
the belt low makes it so the bib would hang down way too low. Plus I like to wear everything to the back. It just feels more comfortable.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb-OLgMMztcu4iLuSkpagiIvqosVdgC85l0qiZMETQHqbXG7QKyxubrybvolP6MM4D4V-Dy3anPC-OHbbVz4kjAV0I9-nJHWg4CLre1u-1ECsurw0rIy7kw0udCaDJkSz_0qE_El5uvo/s1600/adp05___gry_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb-OLgMMztcu4iLuSkpagiIvqosVdgC85l0qiZMETQHqbXG7QKyxubrybvolP6MM4D4V-Dy3anPC-OHbbVz4kjAV0I9-nJHWg4CLre1u-1ECsurw0rIy7kw0udCaDJkSz_0qE_El5uvo/s1600/adp05___gry_1.jpg" height="110" width="200" /></a>I like to have my Galaxy S 3 with me for emergencies so I also bought the<a href="http://www.fitletic.com/window-phone-add-on-1043.html" target="_blank"> Running Belt Phone Holder Accessory</a>. My ginormous phone fits in it perfectly. I also put a credit card and some cash in the interior pocket encase I need it. I have worn it during a lot of rain, and so far it has fully protected my phone. It gives me fast easy access to my phone, which is really convenient.<br />
<br />
Overall I absolutely love this hydration belt. It is comfortable and durable. I like that it is mostly black and blends into my running clothes. It's a must need accessory for me, but not one that I want to be flashy about. I have ran 6 half marathons with it and one full marathon. Not to mention the hundreds of training miles. It is so comfortable that I even forget I am wearing it after the first couple of miles.<br />
<br />
I highly recommend it!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-72095017670927801502015-02-02T15:27:00.000-05:002015-02-02T15:27:36.653-05:00What's New 2015?Well I obviously have not been blogging since the marathon. The holidays were a complete blur. I cannot believe we are already into February of 2015. Time sure waits for no one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMpJ3VYn-0hNmJcH29-dky3EeCLpRLp8hCFHqFUS8VffxiIjWn8aRUFSmpq4-pek1H29xzqvsg9lOXi5bGGJwt7Zl6_ELm4QKjXSJ6okGEsaXXByFU5fBVFbpL0NPXhN3N64kZyqEuMM/s1600/best_of_2014-400x240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMpJ3VYn-0hNmJcH29-dky3EeCLpRLp8hCFHqFUS8VffxiIjWn8aRUFSmpq4-pek1H29xzqvsg9lOXi5bGGJwt7Zl6_ELm4QKjXSJ6okGEsaXXByFU5fBVFbpL0NPXhN3N64kZyqEuMM/s1600/best_of_2014-400x240.jpg" height="120" width="200" /></a>Last year was a really great running year for me. I ended up finishing the year with 1,150 running miles. My original goal had been 1,000, but then when I hit my goal two months before the end of the year, I decided to go for 1,200. I missed it by 50 miles due to my recovery week after the marathon and then my complete laziness during Christmas week. However, I don't regret it at all. In 2013, I ran 410 miles, so I more than doubled that in 2014. It was the first year I consistently ran all year. It truly is a part of my life now.<br />
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<b><u>2014 Running Year Highlight Recap:</u></b><br />
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<ul>
<li>I ran 6 half marathons -- <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/raleigh-rock-n-roll-12.html" target="_blank">RNR Raleigh</a>, <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/05/race-131-greensboro-recap.html" target="_blank">Race 13.1 Greensboro</a>,<a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/10/race-131-midtown-raleigh-fall-review.html" target="_blank"> Race 13.1 Midtown Raleigh Fall</a>, <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/09/sub-2-hour-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">Race 13.1 Fayetteville</a>, Greensboro Half and the YMCA Mistletoe half.</li>
<li><a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/09/new-5k-pr-learning-lessons.html" target="_blank">5K PR</a> of 25:23 and won third in my age group</li>
<li>Finally ran a<a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/09/sub-2-hour-half-marathon.html" target="_blank"> sub 2 hour half marathon</a></li>
<li>Ran my first official <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/10/triad-ten-miler.html" target="_blank">10 mile race</a>, and killed it with awesome friends. Not to mention got third in my age group.</li>
<li>Trained and ran my <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/11/obx-marathon-weekend-recap.html" target="_blank">first marathon</a> - OBX Marathon</li>
<li>Ran 1,150 miles</li>
<li>Ran a 90 day consecutive run streak of at least 1 mile</li>
<li><b><i>My favorite</i></b> -- I made amazing friendships along the way!!!</li>
</ul>
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This year I am attempting to do the <a href="http://www.runtheedge.com/2014/12/run-2015-in-2015-challenge/" target="_blank">Run 2,015 miles in 2015</a>. I'm running as a 3 person team, Collective sMiles. I was almost going to attempt it myself, but that averages to about 5.5 miles a day. I want to run happy and injury free. I'm still going to see how many miles I can get in this year. I just want to be smart about it. A challenge like this is not worth the risk of overdoing it. Plus doing it as a team is fun. In January I ran 120 miles, which is my second highest mileage month to date.<br />
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I am currently training for my running coaches first official race, the <a href="http://triviumracing.com/event/runner-dudes-trust-believe-conquer-25k/" target="_blank">RunnerDude’s Trust. Believe. Conquer 25K</a>. It has been a great way to keep my long run miles up. Plus I love supporting his business, and I'm excited to run with all my Greensboro running friends. It should be a really fun race.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoCMGpZQkGb7pZg7-9EFvqmYpIs7nZsXECCcJF0qtJNi1jOeVI7wvV9xfziEUvQ1aB96yfyMYIBoxjJo1d7P1-aW21g2nK0nuPyqMQbbGimNjVjPn9Qpi5yUTCLnw2HUm06AvBTky8mo/s1600/massacre-marathon-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoCMGpZQkGb7pZg7-9EFvqmYpIs7nZsXECCcJF0qtJNi1jOeVI7wvV9xfziEUvQ1aB96yfyMYIBoxjJo1d7P1-aW21g2nK0nuPyqMQbbGimNjVjPn9Qpi5yUTCLnw2HUm06AvBTky8mo/s1600/massacre-marathon-logo.png" /></a><br />
I am doing my first relay race next weekend. It's the <a href="http://massacremarathon.com/" target="_blank">Massacre Marathon Relay</a>. I'm running with a team of four. It should be a good time. My running group, the RUNegades, has four teams running. The four teams are Trust, Believe, Conquer, and Perseverance. We are team Trust.<br />
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Well hopefully my next post will be about my awesome marathon relay experience :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-55637637165272155142014-11-13T23:04:00.000-05:002014-11-13T23:04:18.666-05:00OBX Marathon Weekend Recap<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.07916666666667; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aft</span>er months of training, the big weekend was upon me. My husband and I were making it a mini vacation with our 2.5 year old daughter, Hannah. We left for the Outer Banks on Friday. Crossing the bridge into the Outer Banks, we were greeted by the beautiful, huge, red moon coming over the water. I also noticed the Washington-Baum Bridge I would be running over at mile 23 of the marathon, gulp.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB_dKYlF6DWWzcZ0Zq8IpXzwaqEYLcBAKlkoPk8s1rfnrNLPRHy158UNUyfztEaJV9FoH7iMgUxmgfmV33SdRzyV0OCbF66NyVOkCqdLhiZwYFnxQrthsKvDFuzLR89oSHTbKhFORB5k/s1600/outer-banks-restaurant-colington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB_dKYlF6DWWzcZ0Zq8IpXzwaqEYLcBAKlkoPk8s1rfnrNLPRHy158UNUyfztEaJV9FoH7iMgUxmgfmV33SdRzyV0OCbF66NyVOkCqdLhiZwYFnxQrthsKvDFuzLR89oSHTbKhFORB5k/s320/outer-banks-restaurant-colington.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colington Cafe (Picture from their website)</td></tr>
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We went out to eat at <a href="http://www.thecolingtoncafe.com/" target="_blank">Colington Café</a>. It looked like an old B&B on the inside, only with all the rooms converted into dining rooms with many tables. The décor at first seemed a little old lady to me with lots of old looking flower patterns and old fashion hats and baskets. However, as the night went on the décor started to grow on me.<br />
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My favorite part was that they sat us in our own room, so we didn't have to worry about Hannah embarrassing us. Normally she does very well in restaurants. But of course she is a toddler, and at almost three, she is really beginning to test her boundaries. She likes to yell no on occasion and can talk really loud... The food was delicious!<br />
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We then went to the hotel. We were pretty tired, but Hannah was all wound up from sleeping in the car for almost four and a half hours. We tried having her in a bed by herself, but she kept jumping on it. I tried to sleep with her, and she kept kicking me when she would toss and turn over and over again. I had it when she head butted me. The rest of the night was a blur, so let’s just say I did not get much sleep that night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim & Sally's 10K</td></tr>
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The next morning I got up early to go see some of my fellow <a href="http://runnerdudesfitness.com/#/the-runegades/" target="_blank">RUNegades</a> / <a href="http://runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">RunnerDude Fitness</a> friends run the 10K and 5K. It was Tim’s first 10K, so I was excited to see him run it. I enjoyed getting to be a spectator of the race. It actually got me a little emotional as I started thinking about what it would be like to cross the finish line of the marathon.<br />
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Tim did awesome on his first 10K. I was really happy I got to be there for him. I know how awesome it is to have people you know supporting you in a crowd full of strangers. His wife Sally ran by his side the whole race. It was really sweet. Tim ended up beating his time goal by 5 minutes!!!<br />
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After the race we hung around a bit. Tim and Sally told me about their race and gave me some pointers, since some of the 10K course ran on the marathon course. Our friends David and Rachael showed up soon after that. David was running the 5K. Both Sally and David were doing challenges where you run two different races and complete them both to get a third bonus medal. It was very neat. To participate, I would have had to run the 10K and the Marathon. Not thinking that was a smart decision for my first Marathon, I opted to just stick to the main attraction. David ran the 5K and the Half Marathon. Sally ran the 10K and the Half Marathon.<br />
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I missed David's 5K as I needed to get back to the hotel to Jeremy and Hannah. I got his finishers results via text though. He had done a fantastic run and had earned himself a new 5K PR. So far this race weekend was going great!<br />
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When I got back to the hotel, Jeremy was in the shower and Hannah was still sleeping away at 9:45 am. Not surprising, the girl was tired from all her overnight shenanigans. <br />
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We hurried up and had breakfast, then rushed back for Hannah's diaper dash race. Upon getting out of the car Jeremy threw his back out. Not a very good sign for the rest of the weekend, but he was a trooper and proceeded to head to Hannah’s race. <br />
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We had told Hannah all about the diaper dash the week before, and she had been excited. This morning she was having none of it. As soon as they said "go" she just sat there staring off into space. When I prompted her to go, she firmly sat down. I tried to get her to stand up, but of course she was planted. Finally I picked her up and crossed the finish line, laughing, and grateful that this race had been free. As we were going back to our car, Hannah started saying she wanted to run in the race. Oh toddlers!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUs28YbYojc-134kAX2I4zIiY9CiMkRf6O31ZHG7IcX8a9EVwKW2CpzJQISGiQv1_r3pJFuVvNIM9oozm7k7iU7CccAfgRZ0Dz4Zp95_GiMFHyjkIepwRqDAkpsDHfhV6JWHX3m5ew2V4/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415896268253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUs28YbYojc-134kAX2I4zIiY9CiMkRf6O31ZHG7IcX8a9EVwKW2CpzJQISGiQv1_r3pJFuVvNIM9oozm7k7iU7CccAfgRZ0Dz4Zp95_GiMFHyjkIepwRqDAkpsDHfhV6JWHX3m5ew2V4/s640/PhotoGrid_1415896268253.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diaper Dash<br />
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We went back to the hotel. Hannah and I enjoyed some time on the beach, while Jeremy took a nap to hopefully help with his back. Hannah loved walking in the sand and finding sea shells. It was very relaxing. I loved getting some alone time with my bean.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oxahJJaJMlibQ_xMtdiiPKvO5I4oVFapr9Q_pI2v2pta3I0pCW2Lxgw6mUTVHqHQtKRnB7wUvXCAEvC4cVmkxL5BS2kQdfAj6739jszjZPva7xysBCPfXSIXwuj9USIOxHgazLx5nJg/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415823593012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oxahJJaJMlibQ_xMtdiiPKvO5I4oVFapr9Q_pI2v2pta3I0pCW2Lxgw6mUTVHqHQtKRnB7wUvXCAEvC4cVmkxL5BS2kQdfAj6739jszjZPva7xysBCPfXSIXwuj9USIOxHgazLx5nJg/s400/PhotoGrid_1415823593012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach right outside our hotel room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Horse Adventure Tours</td></tr>
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We spent the rest of the day on a <a href="http://www.wildhorsetour.com/" target="_blank">Wild Horse Adventure Tour</a> in a hummer. We got to see the Wild Horses, which was really neat. It was a great way to spend the rest of the day.<br />
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We enjoyed the tour. The 13 passenger hummer was very comfortable. The ride back was pretty cold though, due to it being open, but they provided blankets and I had brought a hat and blanket for Hannah. So we survived.<br />
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It was pretty neat riding on the open beach and then pulling into random areas looking for the horses. The horses traveled in small herds of 2 to 4, that we saw. They were funny because they would wait for each other. Hannah really seemed to enjoy it. I would definitely recommend <a href="http://www.wildhorsetour.com/" target="_blank">Wild Horse Adventure Tours</a>. <br />
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The morning of the marathon, I woke and got ready just like any other race. Everything felt kind of like a dream. I was more worried about what I ate and how I felt. Luckily everything felt great. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Am I really doing this?!!!</td></tr>
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We drove to the course start in Kitty Hawk, NC. I was happy that we got there with plenty of time to spare so I could just focus on the race. We took a few pictures by the start banner, and I made my way into my corral. The corrals were not very defined. They just had signs for A-D. The elites were placed in the A corral. I was assigned to corral D because when I had signed up I had projected my time to be 5 hours. I literally had no idea how long it would take me.<br />
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This year the event organizers had added pacers for the first time. I had trained for 4:30 and then had my plan adjusted to 4:15. I had been having an internal battle about what pacer I was going to use. The decision was made for me when they ended up not having a 4:15 pacer.<br />
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When I got in the corral, I could not locate the 4:30 pacer and by the time I did there were a good 500 people ahead of me to get there. Knowing from past experience in half marathons I knew that the beginning of the race is the most congested, and that I should be able to catch up to them without a problem once things thinned out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The journey begins</td></tr>
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I met two other ladies in the corral who were also running their first marathons. It was nice to be around other newbies dealing with the nerves. Then before I knew it, it was time to GO. <br />
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When I hit the starting chip mat I took a deep breath and thought to myself "here we go, we are really going to do this". I spotted Jeremy and Hannah up ahead. Luckily I was on the same side of the road as them, so I was able to wave to them and blow kisses to Hannah.<br />
<br />
I felt really good and just kept reminding myself to run a smart race. I knew I needed to hold back and not start too fast. I wanted to have enough in the tank to finish the race feeling good and strong. So I just started listening to the conversations around me and enjoying the beautiful fall trees. I eventually found myself clustered up to the 4:30 pacer. The group was pretty large, and was pretty congested, so I decided to go ahead of them. From then on I just focused on effort and running my forever pace.<br />
<br />
One of the funny things I saw was a pastor standing outside her church dressed in her robes along with some other men dressed in robes. As we passed, she said she was praying for our health and that we would get a PR. Then I heard one of the men with her ask what a PR was, and she told them it was a personal record. It was definitely entertaining and made me smile. Not something you see everyday out running.<br />
<br />
I would not say any of the race was a blur. I was pretty aware of everything the whole time. I focused on making it a really good, positive experience. I got a lot of joy interacting with spectators. I high fived kids with signs saying "free high fives". I hit signs that said "hit for energy". I said good morning to just about anyone I made eye contact with. I also thanked volunteers. Most of all I kept a smile on my face. Why do something like this if you are not going to have fun?!<br />
<br />
Going into the marathon I had been worried that I would get lonely as I had done all my really long runs with friends. The funny thing is that I never felt lonely. I didn't even listen to music. I brought headphones just in case, but never took them out. I found an inner peace that kept me company throughout the race. I focused on the scenery and the perfect weather conditions. I found all the positive aspects of the journey and just lived in the moment.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9SNoftFeTm-upwhGEbnQt7QRP_7ohcJSFQVm4VwofHprKxvEIjPatsWmllcf2FqbAsvuA6p1GTLPVFXFCqIzs9C-fG4r1UTBqGS2je40ZS8xyWJ6bGysCIUwWJcHjFTIntLH4Hb2PiQ/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415928779145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9SNoftFeTm-upwhGEbnQt7QRP_7ohcJSFQVm4VwofHprKxvEIjPatsWmllcf2FqbAsvuA6p1GTLPVFXFCqIzs9C-fG4r1UTBqGS2je40ZS8xyWJ6bGysCIUwWJcHjFTIntLH4Hb2PiQ/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415928779145.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wright Brothers National Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Around mile 9, I was surprised to see Jeremy and Hannah. It was right after I had passed the Wright Brothers National Memorial. It was so good to see them. I ran over and gave them a hug and kiss. I laughed when Jeremy said "keep going", as if I was wasting precious time coming over to see them. I smiled about it for quite awhile. <br />
<br />
Around mile 10, we entered the Nags Head Woods Nature Preserve portion. I found this section to be somewhat challenging but the beauty of the trail kept me focused and happy. Most of it was on a hard packed dirt road, however, there were loose rocks everywhere. I was careful not to roll my ankle or fall on any of the rocks. I smiled when I thought of my "I Run 4 Buddy" Ava, telling me not to fall in a video she had sent me.<br />
<br />
Then we came upon an awesome water stop that was handing out orange slices and banana bread. I helped myself to both. They really hit the spot. The woods portion ended on a single track trail. I actually really enjoyed this section. It felt like pillows after being on the rocky road. It was also rolling hills, which I enjoyed. A lot of runners were struggling through the woods portions and were complaining about the rocks and the hills. I actually really enjoyed this section. I liked the change of scenery and terrain. The trails were lined by beautiful live oaks splashed in beautiful autumn colors. I truly felt like this was an adventurous journey of different lands.<br />
<br />
As we came out of the woods a volunteer would say "Congratulations, you made it out of the woods". I thought it was cute.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoLZXFwFW36AOOMuSBQygsZWX4DD4BhUxf8LpBkeKIPeAxpzUUstJDj1YBetypqrqJ-NOo1X64VpZY0e4hs2OoSkutbqy5lNA9xiU_r6u0A98BK9POobC4I4IuWUazAf7tQVIzJJjVGs/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415929230341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoLZXFwFW36AOOMuSBQygsZWX4DD4BhUxf8LpBkeKIPeAxpzUUstJDj1YBetypqrqJ-NOo1X64VpZY0e4hs2OoSkutbqy5lNA9xiU_r6u0A98BK9POobC4I4IuWUazAf7tQVIzJJjVGs/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415929230341.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
I hit the halfway marker, and evaluated how I felt at that point. I was still feeling good and had found my groove. I thought to myself that I had just started a half marathon now. My own mind game.<br />
<br />
Around mile 14, we turned onto a road that was lined with the biggest crowd yet. I was a little overwhelmed, until I noticed some amazing familiar faces. There Jeremy stood smiling with Hannah telling me I was doing an amazing job. Such an energy booster. I had figured I would only see them at the start and finish. I was really happy to have seen them two times in the middle of the course as well.<br />
<br />
The rest of the run leading up to the Washington-Baum Bridge went well. I made sure to fuel and hydrate. The only time I walked the whole time was through some of the water stops to make sure I ate and drank properly.<br />
<br />
When I hit mile 20, it felt surreal. I had ran 20 miles twice in training, but this time by far, I felt the best about those 20 miles. I knew every step after this was a distance PR. I had been really worried about these last 6.2 miles in the days leading up to the race. Yet, as I was actually staring them down, I felt a sense of determination and fire. I would do this!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GsyCNO8mQho/VGPXBCo_0_I/AAAAAAAAFJs/0iUJr-RwoK4/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415829106200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GsyCNO8mQho/VGPXBCo_0_I/AAAAAAAAFJs/0iUJr-RwoK4/s400/PhotoGrid_1415829106200.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washington-Baum Bridge <br />
(Pictures from Marathon Website)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Soon I saw the ominous Washington-Baum Bridge in the horizon. I had wondered how I would feel at the bridge when I would think about the upcoming race. I had wondered if going up the bridge would feel terrible at mile 23. I actually found myself excited to see the bridge. I knew I would finish this marathon at this point, no matter what. The bridge was a landmark. I yelled out "yeah the bridge". Runners around me looked at me like I was crazy, haha.<br />
<br />
Running over the bridge was breath taking. The day was perfect, and it was hardly windy at all. I found myself passing lots of runners, as I ran up the bridge while many were walking up it. I actually found the bridge to not be that bad. I think it helped to train in hilly Greensboro. When I reached the top, I did a little fist pump for the cameraman. And then welcomed the downhill portion. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-thKgy54lSxZ3i2Dm_SWGw-1v4u_s17CpxS_RthC9b96-EEaX5o3_6xgymQM-bUYzlk3eHbx5r-ZGyeDL0iRz4HBsSbgokDXYt82BnPY-OQttt5rSEwVdmsVa8fwH_DzJmmvaBkO0ZT8/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415928246503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-thKgy54lSxZ3i2Dm_SWGw-1v4u_s17CpxS_RthC9b96-EEaX5o3_6xgymQM-bUYzlk3eHbx5r-ZGyeDL0iRz4HBsSbgokDXYt82BnPY-OQttt5rSEwVdmsVa8fwH_DzJmmvaBkO0ZT8/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415928246503.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reaching the top of the bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The last 3.1 miles did seem to take the longest, but I still felt really good. At this point many runners around me were struggling. There were some stretching out tight legs, and some that were walking. We passed the big inflatable crab. I got really excited when we passed a bagpiper. It was so cool. I got chills.<br />
<br />
The last mile was by far the hardest. I could feel my left calf starting to cramp up a bit. It was on the edge. I was so happy to know I just had one mile and I would be done. The crowd started telling us the finish line was just around the corner. I laughed and told the runner near me that they better not be lying. She laughed and said "Right!". I looked down at my Garmin and knew it was true.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_jEs0I5WxDIqqrP_HffgbqncUFbDdapUGuzQ1NDoOAvk8mrSx4ckD_VPZWi1S0_ZEI_-fhQPlPg8IsWnmlZtEoyorCUihAENVumC8A4rLk-USqQOq3I21cWX-mXeVlc1jf9kYCIo4wc/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415928567999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_jEs0I5WxDIqqrP_HffgbqncUFbDdapUGuzQ1NDoOAvk8mrSx4ckD_VPZWi1S0_ZEI_-fhQPlPg8IsWnmlZtEoyorCUihAENVumC8A4rLk-USqQOq3I21cWX-mXeVlc1jf9kYCIo4wc/s1600/PhotoGrid_1415928567999.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
I turned that corner to a roaring crowd cheering for all the runners. Then I started to hear my name. I looked around and spotted Sally and Tim. Then Rachael and David. David ran out behind me and ran for a bit cheering. It was so awesome. I missed seeing Jeremy and Hannah, but Jeremy said I had almost looked at them. I was so overwhelmed with what I was about to accomplish.<br />
<br />
I crossed the finish line as a marathoner. I thought I would cry, but instead I just had a stupid grin that I could not get off my face.<br />
<br />
I met up with everyone, and it was awesome. I really was happy to have so many familiar faces at the finish. I loved hearing that both Sally and David had ran great races as well. They both got PRs and earned their bonus challenge medals.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAO42N7RpRic77iW7Lr7ikWE9iliub-cS85Akp36t6VCtM9mIOUKe6IlW-a3w8cyEfCw2-LiJKgAP7oiXFdhUrWKB9x4tkUGkW1uSb_aMIFWVl4NtNGL6llgmkdOmrqCx0PWtvimZAzU/s1600/10321628_10152569381230889_2484833438895040457_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAO42N7RpRic77iW7Lr7ikWE9iliub-cS85Akp36t6VCtM9mIOUKe6IlW-a3w8cyEfCw2-LiJKgAP7oiXFdhUrWKB9x4tkUGkW1uSb_aMIFWVl4NtNGL6llgmkdOmrqCx0PWtvimZAzU/s1600/10321628_10152569381230889_2484833438895040457_o.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachael, David, Me, Sally, & Tim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The marathon seriously could not have gone better. I am still in shock. I ran a smart race. I never hit a wall, and I remained positive the whole time. The weather was absolutely perfect. The Outer Banks was beautiful. The event coordinators run an amazing race. There were ample water / fuel stops. There were lots of energetic spectators. I highly recommend this marathon, so much so that I think I want to do it again next year.<br />
<br />
I really believe I did so well because I followed my training plan from Thad at <span id="goog_1811708483"></span><span id="goog_1811708492"></span><a href="http://runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">Runn<span id="goog_1811708488"></span><span id="goog_1811708489"></span>erDude's Fitness</a><span id="goog_1811708493"></span><span id="goog_586375419"></span><span id="goog_586375420"></span><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1811708484"></span>. It is so valuable to train well, and to have a coach that is so supportive and helpful. Thanks Thad!<br />
<br />
I also could not have done it without my husband Jeremy. He was super supportive, and made it possible for me to get in all my training runs. He spent many hours watching Hannah, and for that I am truly grateful.<br />
<br />
I am lucky to have so many supportive friends and family; who blew me away with all their well wishes on Facebook. I feel so very blessed and loved. Seriously, I still can't get over it. I spent the whole trip home reading messages from all of you.<br />
<br />
A special thank you to my "I Run 4" buddy Ava. I thought about you a lot during the race, and am so lucky to be paired with such an amazing little girl. You were worth the 3 month waiting list. My shoe charms were my lucky charms.<br />
<br />
Last I'd like to thank all my awesome running buddies who ran with me at various times during my training. I could not have done it without your help getting me out there, and helping me get it done. Especially my friends Brittany, Laura, Melanie, and Cara who got me through the really long runs. You ladies rock!<br />
<br />
<b><i>I cannot believe I ran and finished a marathon! </i></b><br />
<br />
<b><u>Here are all the stats:</u></b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3zgo0N2vuAcA2wUHLzL8OXOLT0VRuwKHLMENcvT6PIujEOTvYL2EBrmeXz4-SGwRJwV17fhUDbIaRGGJ6H9qpvrh0ObrjYYnJS_Ix0JDRubC6efbhLWukzk1zRyU0RJjaeqhMpepZa0/s1600/results.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3zgo0N2vuAcA2wUHLzL8OXOLT0VRuwKHLMENcvT6PIujEOTvYL2EBrmeXz4-SGwRJwV17fhUDbIaRGGJ6H9qpvrh0ObrjYYnJS_Ix0JDRubC6efbhLWukzk1zRyU0RJjaeqhMpepZa0/s640/results.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official Results</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChSW6IybRRpOjraIr8yOGIX07d8E4OleegLqEgET0M9xd8dO3b45X2YBby_PKP49ETMZ47LDE-1MsDSDsVOaqhBCUgV8oisY9xGOA1MOM8jDfNsihnGh3aPM4RjIi9ohes42T_HfEl3Q/s1600/map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="569" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChSW6IybRRpOjraIr8yOGIX07d8E4OleegLqEgET0M9xd8dO3b45X2YBby_PKP49ETMZ47LDE-1MsDSDsVOaqhBCUgV8oisY9xGOA1MOM8jDfNsihnGh3aPM4RjIi9ohes42T_HfEl3Q/s640/map.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garmin Splits on Strava</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoLyX9YRxstfxph6I-ONGhFpgknqA40f9wP8ny7Tme0bnAbYZ3oNHApPDcVFHzCz_OY9IOG-ZQSZQUS8GPNX3sNEPSeeTKdhxtAg7TeDsiSfVksu5xV1DCSr2ne829dkO2h9iVYHdEtE/s1600/distancePR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoLyX9YRxstfxph6I-ONGhFpgknqA40f9wP8ny7Tme0bnAbYZ3oNHApPDcVFHzCz_OY9IOG-ZQSZQUS8GPNX3sNEPSeeTKdhxtAg7TeDsiSfVksu5xV1DCSr2ne829dkO2h9iVYHdEtE/s320/distancePR.JPG" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Distance PR!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1811708485"></span><span id="goog_1811708486"></span>What's next.... Maybe the Charleston Half in January. I'm thinking I need a new Half Marathon PR.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-50759004003459062522014-10-01T16:35:00.000-04:002014-11-13T23:08:57.342-05:00Triad Ten Miler<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3uxMxhQT6qVWn_9vRit3i6q5Sym3-yexQeTVHkm80rHxsCP1qlSlwSwfIqcIp6Bj_DJ8xVcqSxR_H_nbhSPUZ9CkwKNWEOfuozUp68_dY06vU1-jMDTxVfAGIr3r4eewYHlyjZ28q2A/s1600/unnamed+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3uxMxhQT6qVWn_9vRit3i6q5Sym3-yexQeTVHkm80rHxsCP1qlSlwSwfIqcIp6Bj_DJ8xVcqSxR_H_nbhSPUZ9CkwKNWEOfuozUp68_dY06vU1-jMDTxVfAGIr3r4eewYHlyjZ28q2A/s1600/unnamed+(1).jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><br />
I had signed up for the <a href="http://triviumracing.com/events/run/2013/triadtenmiler.html" target="_blank">Triad Ten Miler</a> on National Running Day. They were running a promotion where it was like $30 to register. It was a local race, so I thought it would be fun.<br />
<br />
It was scheduled to be a training run. I had all intentions of keeping it that way, until I arrived at the race. It was a beautiful cool fall day. Not to mention, this was my first ten mile race. Our running group also had a lot of runners running the race as well. Which also fueled the fire.<br />
<br />
I did not have a goal time in mind starting out. I just decided to run by effort, and not worry what my Garmin said. After the first 3 miles I was averaging under 9 minute miles. So I decided to try and run this race keeping every mile under 9 minutes. Which would be absolutly amazing for me.<br />
<br />
It was a hilly course, but I was feeling good. The course was beautiful. It ran through some really pretty neighborhoods and along a nice golf course.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCDGSi0hM5ER43aKfli2mjyJF_CP7zLYTbhZ1VooYd1iPYrJrHGYHcRHpv8L0kKf21GHn6Y8z_-S5fpBQz6Ecv46JO1Go4ZPaksRcsSRXKAdcSvIIotVXRVkFgo1IgY4EA1IeU67NxCc/s1600/10171099_10202529936440598_1143087293570087455_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCDGSi0hM5ER43aKfli2mjyJF_CP7zLYTbhZ1VooYd1iPYrJrHGYHcRHpv8L0kKf21GHn6Y8z_-S5fpBQz6Ecv46JO1Go4ZPaksRcsSRXKAdcSvIIotVXRVkFgo1IgY4EA1IeU67NxCc/s1600/10171099_10202529936440598_1143087293570087455_n.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RunnerDudes & Dudettes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had seen two of my friends (Melanie and Michele) from my running group running about 30 seconds ahead of me for the first 5 miles. I wasn't sure if they were trying to race or just run the course. We are all very close in pace and always tend to run near each other.<br />
<br />
They were just far enough ahead of me that it would take too much effort to catch up. So I just kept running my own race.<br />
<br />
Then at mile 5, Melanie and Michele slowed at a water stop. I was able to catch up and began running with them. We had a great time talking, and helping to push each other up over all the hills. It really helped to make the time go by faster. I also truly believe they were the biggest reason I ended up getting such a great time in the end.<br />
<br />
The last mile was the hardest. It was a gradual incline and you could see far down the road, but could not see the finish line. When we finally hit the final stretch, we discussed how it would be fun to try to cross the finish line at the exact same time.<br />
<br />
The announcer spotted us and started making comments about whether or not we were going to race it out in the end. We all silently stuck to the plan, and crossed at the same time. <3<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nn0ZUzcsQlXjp9OQbTuQoGMkjHw9yoDH5UVk4WGKLlQWqbWCLUiwD5fJNXKrgqJllFuNkfNtfvA6zUvbzdyBqJC43_iNEcCh31VGY8jbxPMgLioKD3bADGvK38uc93htRLb7z9gX5L4/s1600/10353173_10202529726675354_3894017560432437823_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nn0ZUzcsQlXjp9OQbTuQoGMkjHw9yoDH5UVk4WGKLlQWqbWCLUiwD5fJNXKrgqJllFuNkfNtfvA6zUvbzdyBqJC43_iNEcCh31VGY8jbxPMgLioKD3bADGvK38uc93htRLb7z9gX5L4/s1600/10353173_10202529726675354_3894017560432437823_n.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Finish!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was seriously my favorite race finish to date. I am still surprised by the relationships you make with other runners. It's a bond that happens so quickly. I really enjoyed sharing that finish with Melanie and Michele.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKJ7FU4lUip4dwL-t_jEeG4VtVRPqWhAWw4zY6mCCnwQ7wxD-u1QvmQww3yQ7pq0vdhHcIsJrsdgHqbdhO-syLDQ3bm2PaiJKUXWhUs9zN3fCW6ytFl7-oKX4tvkmQEf_AUULPA1EZSA/s1600/10499619_10202528895294570_5352512437679509618_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKJ7FU4lUip4dwL-t_jEeG4VtVRPqWhAWw4zY6mCCnwQ7wxD-u1QvmQww3yQ7pq0vdhHcIsJrsdgHqbdhO-syLDQ3bm2PaiJKUXWhUs9zN3fCW6ytFl7-oKX4tvkmQEf_AUULPA1EZSA/s1600/10499619_10202528895294570_5352512437679509618_o.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RunnerDudes & Dudettes with awards :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The best part, was that none of us had ever ran a 10 mile race, so this was a PR for us all. On top of that, we truly killed this race!<br />
<br />
<b>We finished in 1:27:15 (average pace of 8:43 per mile)! </b><br />
<br />
We were all super excited, as this was a really good time for each one of us. I'm not sure I could have kept that pace on my own.<br />
<br />
The icing on the cake was that I actually placed third in my age group!<br />
<br />
Such a fun memorable race!<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Running Stats:</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JZXGgIHy2ELtb4Rr_5xU94PkSrIeH0mAyytzEKClN1DiQssD0oiz4UD3PKWwliDJjpp-VqVU-9D4QszslHfmyVeD5OgbIQ6mxusncI3sYegH4FbKSfz_jY-1HxoHfSeZjY8qSlpjWAg/s1600/awards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JZXGgIHy2ELtb4Rr_5xU94PkSrIeH0mAyytzEKClN1DiQssD0oiz4UD3PKWwliDJjpp-VqVU-9D4QszslHfmyVeD5OgbIQ6mxusncI3sYegH4FbKSfz_jY-1HxoHfSeZjY8qSlpjWAg/s1600/awards.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strava Awards</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8D1AHb6f73lJxrrnCArX_DU_9iSLJoRP4WrOHbB0uc731bRvHao1r2Dg6hQGYwU8WBERKU0SkLT9eeWmv0r5tR8vSP3QY-CiADQyfe3R3KHGUUui3d4Tr_3NrVSfIUo0h0DTVWtobRo/s1600/elevation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8D1AHb6f73lJxrrnCArX_DU_9iSLJoRP4WrOHbB0uc731bRvHao1r2Dg6hQGYwU8WBERKU0SkLT9eeWmv0r5tR8vSP3QY-CiADQyfe3R3KHGUUui3d4Tr_3NrVSfIUo0h0DTVWtobRo/s1600/elevation.JPG" height="96" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4wEZq1Fe1oonPrjST8BcDogcypAS9aAU0wpsU_l-QBcaf5pBKrbUU0GyQvL1lxCUayDSMpI0nNA8e2H-qb0FnncX27oiypv3NMIZ1z0iQBbmIw3R8uLMvjDiVaj_H0inFEBmtGkkn-A/s1600/splits.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4wEZq1Fe1oonPrjST8BcDogcypAS9aAU0wpsU_l-QBcaf5pBKrbUU0GyQvL1lxCUayDSMpI0nNA8e2H-qb0FnncX27oiypv3NMIZ1z0iQBbmIw3R8uLMvjDiVaj_H0inFEBmtGkkn-A/s1600/splits.JPG" height="400" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Splits According to Strava</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>This sums it up :) Love my Sole Sisters!!!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUiYxfI-XPq8jk5JjEyJQARVRXMTKLgHk63-qQFG68YP_r4F_0VnbX6QlfW2ygMdDhahsvQx2posru7y7yRJnfPaP8WNRaphAo6bN-5uEiQphrGcHczdr-oSUR2AeSXa_VqiRMDbz3YI/s1600/1504577_10152482898545889_5660919579527364680_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUiYxfI-XPq8jk5JjEyJQARVRXMTKLgHk63-qQFG68YP_r4F_0VnbX6QlfW2ygMdDhahsvQx2posru7y7yRJnfPaP8WNRaphAo6bN-5uEiQphrGcHczdr-oSUR2AeSXa_VqiRMDbz3YI/s1600/1504577_10152482898545889_5660919579527364680_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-79658367320305508482014-10-01T15:29:00.002-04:002014-11-13T23:05:02.849-05:00Race 13.1 Midtown Raleigh Fall Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6egy48045ANvpYUzNJuXEMXsa2FJ6GNzfEmSi8U2F21OuG39R_5ESqveYZ6Xi6WKKNKYMTtF5pMu0P_kKdbwcWf70A0UWOBa4o9QvCmep4hBY5pioxvtCb3pCiu_fwienDIwq3DFusI/s1600/race131-raleigh-logo-300x68.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6egy48045ANvpYUzNJuXEMXsa2FJ6GNzfEmSi8U2F21OuG39R_5ESqveYZ6Xi6WKKNKYMTtF5pMu0P_kKdbwcWf70A0UWOBa4o9QvCmep4hBY5pioxvtCb3pCiu_fwienDIwq3DFusI/s1600/race131-raleigh-logo-300x68.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had a great time at the <a href="https://race131.com/races/midtown-raleigh-fall/" target="_blank">13.1 Mid-Town Raleigh Fall</a>
race. The weather was finally beautiful. We did not wake up to nasty, muggy air,
making us sweat as soon as we stepped outside.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I stayed in a hotel with my friend Brittany, about 10 minutes from the start line, which again
was really nice. We were able to just get up and go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From the beginning of this race, I had planned for it to be a
training run. I had learned my lesson from my <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/09/new-5k-pr-learning-lessons.html" target="_blank">5k incident</a>. Plus it really
helped that I had finally gotten <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/09/sub-2-hour-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">my sub 2 hour half marathon</a>. I felt relaxed and
excited to just enjoy the race, not having to worry about a PR.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our friends Cara and Melanie were pacing the 2 hours 15 minute group, so we decided that
would be perfect. It is really easy to get caught up in a race, and before you
know it, you are running much faster than you are supposed to be for a training
run. Plus, we had 5 more miles to run after the race, for 18 total miles (my
longest distance yet).</div>
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<br /></div>
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The plan went without a hitch. The course was beautiful,
running mostly on the Crabtree Creek Greenway. We got to meet a group of great
runners with different goals. Katie and Janine were the two I got to know the most.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My favorite experience of the race was helping others reach
their goals. Cara and Melanie do an amazing job of being race pacers. They are high energy,
and really help keep everyone around them in good spirits. I really enjoyed
getting to be a part of it in this race. They almost make me want to be a pacer,
ALMOST. (I think it would be stressful to have to watch the clock so closely. Mad props to them!)<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was one lady around my age, that had a young son at
home, her name was Katie. We had a lot in common. I really enjoyed getting to
know her. She was trying to PR a 2:30 half marathon. She had ran two in that
time. The second time she was like 7 months pregnant! She told me she really
wanted to get a 2:15 half marathon. She picked a hard race to PR but she did it. She stuck with
our group the whole time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Around mile 10, Brittany and I pulled a little ahead of the 2:15 group.
Up until this point I felt great. Problem was during this section, you come up
near the finish line, only to be detoured onto another greenway for another 2.5
miles. At that point, I just all of a sudden wanted to be done. So I started to
pull ahead from the group. Plus, I knew the dreaded Lassiter Hill stood in front of me and that finish line. I
think Brittney was feeling the same, because she paced right along with me, as
did Katie. We were all pretty quiet at this point.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDglbCBAUsLxU5OIBzs1al_GynHirETU6rFuMFHcZAmK-Uvpn-Sg_iLd6mGG0XNOYVZmIpJjcSTV_CMCURbVqHcaD2wQ8ie0I-gzlSlVsMnKd2BdFY1ZtAzgCeCZ-qv4eWldueF6B3Bzo/s1600/conquer+Lassiter+Hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDglbCBAUsLxU5OIBzs1al_GynHirETU6rFuMFHcZAmK-Uvpn-Sg_iLd6mGG0XNOYVZmIpJjcSTV_CMCURbVqHcaD2wQ8ie0I-gzlSlVsMnKd2BdFY1ZtAzgCeCZ-qv4eWldueF6B3Bzo/s1600/conquer+Lassiter+Hill.jpg" height="242" width="320" /></a>Then we came across Janine. She had started the race with
us, but had pulled ahead pretty early. At this point she was walking. This was
her first half marathon, so as soon as I saw her I knew she needed some support.
So we started cheering for her, and telling her we were almost there. She
started running with us again.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We hit the last water stop before Lassiter Hill. We walked
through it knowing the hill in front of us was going to be a bear. You know it
is bad when you can purchase a shirt that says “Conquer Lassiter Hill”.<br />
<br />
We hit that
hill all “Brave Heart” style yelling "Conquer the Hill". Brittney ended up
pulling ahead. I just kept telling myself to just keep running no matter how
slow. Katie paced right along side of me. I lost sight of Janine, but I never
turned around to look for her, as I was fighting my own battle at this point.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
As soon as I crested the hill, I could hear the crowd and
could see the finish line. I pushed to go faster, but nothing crazy as I knew I
still had 5 miles to do after the race. I was just crossing the finish line, when Katie went whizzing past me. Normally I hate getting passed right near the
finish line, but this race had been about so much more. I smiled so big, and
was so proud of her. I love getting to be a part of her PR story. I’d love to
hear how she tells it <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Here were our finish times:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brittany 2:13:40</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Katie 2:13:55</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Me 2:13:56</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: center;"></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: center;">Janine finished her first half marathon in 2:14:53. I was so
proud of her. Not only did she complete her first half marathon, but she did it
under her 2:15 goal. I’d like to think we had something to do with that, but
seriously she gets all the credit.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzUML6c3fIZVDOufwaciXNH4tFnXsjYzfpy-9SXrmXFamrRcps1N-UTseoW7L6shukV4geLHypAGrJRyhdhmG5SRYCJFCGMsL-P_PPDia518mRL4r9Lhxs8Llg3CKRmg1XHN5t2YfPuw/s1600/10245492_10152463934570889_8110940191135970088_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzUML6c3fIZVDOufwaciXNH4tFnXsjYzfpy-9SXrmXFamrRcps1N-UTseoW7L6shukV4geLHypAGrJRyhdhmG5SRYCJFCGMsL-P_PPDia518mRL4r9Lhxs8Llg3CKRmg1XHN5t2YfPuw/s1600/10245492_10152463934570889_8110940191135970088_n.jpg" height="345" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After race photo op</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;"></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUeX720OWXTDtOA7AH3mfHAVLkCKSVCtgDdYzr7Xd0Bh6ejh31S27rdYJZ95im5LhNSPkQCehus4hL3wOUVcsfEifDq4OFgi3PEOnPOXMWMZtWDrQScRmaPl0vrz5bLyUtowOaExctTE/s1600/x3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUeX720OWXTDtOA7AH3mfHAVLkCKSVCtgDdYzr7Xd0Bh6ejh31S27rdYJZ95im5LhNSPkQCehus4hL3wOUVcsfEifDq4OFgi3PEOnPOXMWMZtWDrQScRmaPl0vrz5bLyUtowOaExctTE/s1600/x3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race 13.1 Greensboro, Fayetteville, <br />
and Midtown Raleigh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;">In some ways, this half was more satisfying then <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/09/sub-2-hour-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">my sub 2 hour in Fayetteville</a>. It was a tougher course in elevation, but it was way more beautiful. I also loved running with some of my sole sisters. I enjoyed not having the pressure I put myself through to PR. Most of all, I enjoyed meeting new people and helping them to reach their goals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
This was also my third finished race in the <a href="https://race131.com/" target="_blank">Race 13.1 Series</a>. I received my X3 medal. That brings my half marathon count to lucky number 5.<br />
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Fun race stats:</b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KwmWPLAM0Q-wd54GOzbD1NBUNJKQKL0jkm-9OhS0qJAqv8gi0tQFkeFi3jisLq4bSxb_FqHPMlFg9n7vWvAD0ldZM6EMEgow4HzwF33wycbr_THGySCRGI7CrsZmcw9BoGt5sN4CDt8/s1600/results.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KwmWPLAM0Q-wd54GOzbD1NBUNJKQKL0jkm-9OhS0qJAqv8gi0tQFkeFi3jisLq4bSxb_FqHPMlFg9n7vWvAD0ldZM6EMEgow4HzwF33wycbr_THGySCRGI7CrsZmcw9BoGt5sN4CDt8/s1600/results.JPG" height="314" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official Results</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALAP7xV30KBSuZ6C9AuJdOw_rwtChxSGUy3209nAYa2lBC4Q1XkmRj-Iwfpwm8cBpURpdf7OZKizcGpH5QLYGYMv4K7Y3-VufqA3FtXmLthUSL4ECeIxdpXuJwo7b3j0pr-fjfC4Wm8I/s1600/elevation-raleigh.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALAP7xV30KBSuZ6C9AuJdOw_rwtChxSGUy3209nAYa2lBC4Q1XkmRj-Iwfpwm8cBpURpdf7OZKizcGpH5QLYGYMv4K7Y3-VufqA3FtXmLthUSL4ECeIxdpXuJwo7b3j0pr-fjfC4Wm8I/s1600/elevation-raleigh.JPG" height="91" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Elevation Profile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-21847394963867335032014-09-24T17:38:00.001-04:002014-09-24T17:38:24.956-04:00New 5K PR & Learning LessonsIt's funny how easy it is to overdo something. You feel good so you push harder, until one day you get a dose of "Oh crap, I hope I'm not going to regret this".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4e475KuOq7VvTOr5n99dcPFqMjoc6T5995JbWBn-7dhYsYveiCBZAPXHc49qa1uPSz3puaSOQtcxhHjSBtoH1igMuzNk91EUVbhfimHQWLe8uIUiY_hXWtt4b_8gkI0Qomwd0ZR5IQqg/s1600/streaking.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4e475KuOq7VvTOr5n99dcPFqMjoc6T5995JbWBn-7dhYsYveiCBZAPXHc49qa1uPSz3puaSOQtcxhHjSBtoH1igMuzNk91EUVbhfimHQWLe8uIUiY_hXWtt4b_8gkI0Qomwd0ZR5IQqg/s1600/streaking.JPG" height="98" width="320" /></a>Since Memorial Day 2014, I had started a run streak. I ran at least a mile a day every day. It was going great. Initially my goal was to complete the 40 day challenge from Runners World. The challenge ran from Memorial Day to Independence Day. I enjoyed the challenge, and ended up continuing it after the 40 days.<br />
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I did not know how long I would streak for. I began to think 100 days would be a good goal, and even thought about a one year running streak. Problem is, I knew I was getting into marathon training, and I was not sure how my body was going to handle all the extra miles. So I figured I would just play it by ear.<br />
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I was feeling strong. I had built my long run up to 15 miles. I was still streaking daily and had added some PiYo into the mix.<br />
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Then I made a stupid decision. I was scheduled to run 16 miles (for the first time), 15 miles being the most I had done up to that point. So I decided I would run 13 miles, and then run a 5k race. I felt good during the 13 mile run. So when I arrived at the 5k race a half hour after completing my run, I decided I felt good enough to actually try to PR this race.<br />
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I ran the race strong. I felt good. In the last stretch I came across a boy who seemed to be struggling. I told him we were almost there, and he was able to pick his pace back up. Then I had the brilliant idea to tell him I'd race him to the finish... Yep, I sprinted my butt off trying to beat this 13 year old looking boy that was probably 20 years younger than me, and who had not ran 13 miles before this race. Brilliant idea! He beat me by seconds, and it was fun. I ended up earning a new PR of 25:23 :)<br />
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For the rest of the day I felt great. I felt kinda badass even. That is until Sunday morning. I woke up to my right heel hurting. And upon Googling my symptoms (never a great idea), I came to the conclusion that I must have plantar fasciitis, and all my races for the rest of the year were in jeopardy.<br />
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I was really worried about having a bad injury that would take me out for the season. So I decided to walk my mile for the streak, even though up until this point I had ran at least a mile everyday.<br />
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I woke up Monday to it still hurting, and decided to not run that day and to end my streak all together. I ended up going to see a physical therapist, who determined it was not plantar fasciitis. Thank God! I had just over done it and have tight calves. She did some laser treatments to my foot and gave me some stretches to do before and after every run. She said I needed to be better about stretching.<br />
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Luckily everything worked out, and I have been running pain free for over three weeks now. So moral of the story, listen to your body and your trainer. My goal right now is to complete my first marathon, not risk injury on last minute 5k PR's.<br />
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Does running fry brain cells?<br />
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RIP Run streak! I made it 90 days of running at least a mile each day.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-21904172295664058202014-09-08T15:59:00.000-04:002014-09-09T11:38:54.579-04:00Sub 2 Hour Half Marathon!I started this blog last year while I was training for my <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-did-it-131-miles.html" target="_blank">first half marathon</a>. I thought it would be fun to document my journey. Little did I know that I would fall in love with running in the process.<br />
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When I set out to complete my <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-did-it-131-miles.html" target="_blank">first half marathon</a>, I had no intentions of ever doing one again. As I neared the end of my training, I had the itch to do the <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/raleigh-rock-n-roll-12.html" target="_blank">Raleigh Rock n'Roll Half</a>. Once I completed my first half marathon race, I set the goal of doing Raleigh in under two hours. To accomplish this I would have to shave almost 7 minutes off my time.<br />
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You can read about my <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/raleigh-rock-n-roll-12.html" target="_blank">Raleigh Rock n'Roll Half</a> race. I did not get a sub 2 hour. I still PR'd at 2:04. Then I tried again at the <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/05/race-131-greensboro-recap.html" target="_blank">Race 13.1 Greensboro</a>. This time I came up short by 29 seconds!!!<br />
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Jeez, this was turning out to be harder than I thought.<br />
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<b>Yesterday I completed my 4th Half Marathon and FINALLY got a sub 2 hour! </b><br />
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<b>Here is my recap.</b><br />
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I traveled to Fayetteville, NC to run the <a href="http://race131.com/races/fayetteville/" target="_blank">Race 13.1 Fayettville</a>. I had been warned that it is super hot and humid there. I was excited that it was supposed to be a flat and fast course.</div>
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I met up with some of my running buddies and we had an awesome girls night out. We stayed in a hotel from Saturday until Sunday. The race was on Sunday and the hotel was less than a mile from the start line, which worked out great.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew before the race.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weather according to Garmin</td></tr>
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Luckily the temperature was in the high 70's on race day and it was cloudy. The humidity was the worst part by far. We were already sweating before we even started. The course had no shade, so the cloudy day was a necessity. I'm not sure I would have been able to complete the race if it had been clear and sunny. There is nothing worse than running on the road with no shade with hot humid temps. Plus I sunburn really easy...<br />
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The vast majority of the course took place on the All-American Expressway. That was my first time racing on a highway, so that was interesting. Although, I would also add it was very boring. Not to mention the event staff failed to remove a poor dead dog from the shoulder. They should have at least covered it, as we had to pass it twice. I almost cried, it was so sad. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm in the blue shirt and white hat</td></tr>
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I had decided to run with the 2 hour pacer to try and go for my sub 2. He was a nice guy with a lot of energy. As time went by I felt like he was running a little fast and around mile 5 I fell a little behind. My goal was just to keep him in my sight, so if at any point I felt really good, I could catch back up to the group. </div>
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I definitely would not say I felt great during this race. The humidity sucked, and the course was boring, with lots of terrible gradual inclines. Sometimes, I hate those more than hills. It's funny to even look at the elevation map because the course felt a lot hillier. I also did not like the fact that I could see for miles ahead of me, which made the distance more daunting.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Course Map</td></tr>
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I don't think I have ever drank so much water and Gatorade during a race. I could not replenish fast enough. Everything was sweating right out of me. I managed to catch back up to the 2 hour pacer around mile 8 and noticed they were walking through the water stations. So I decided to follow their lead. I even had time to refill my water bottles by doing this. Normally I just roll on right by them because I carry my own water and Gatorade.</div>
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Around mile 9 to 10 my wheels started falling off. I just wanted to be done. I can't really say what exactly was going on, as nothing was bothering me. I was just tired and my shoes were starting to get wet from my sweat, which I cannot stand. This is also when I saw the dead dog and right near that an ambulance and fire truck were taking care of an injured runner. There was also a yucky long incline up over an overpass that was concrete. My legs really felt the impact of the concrete.<br />
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I again fell behind the pacer and had just decided this was not my day. So I plodded along just hoping to finish soon. I walked through the last water station kinda sulking about missing my goal again. When I came across the mile 11 marker, and looked at my Garmin to realize I could still get in under 2 hours! I was so excited. I willed myself to go faster. I forced my legs to move even though they felt like bricks.</div>
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Around mile 12, I caught up to a runner that was running with a full sized American Flag. His friends started lagging behind him and he was trying to get them to go. I ran up beside him and said I'd run in with him. So we killed that last mile. It was such a welcomed way to end the race. He brought in a lot of crowd support which really helped me finish stronger than I felt.</div>
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I was excited to see that I crossed the finish line in 1:58:36. My chip time was 1:58:09. <b><i>Finally!!!</i></b></div>
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Honestly, it is still a little surreal. It was a strange race. It was not terrible but it was not great either. It definitely was not a race where I felt like I had it. If anything I felt the opposite. I'm so glad I pushed through all those thoughts to finally do it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official Results</td></tr>
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My Garmin came up short on distance but it was a USATF Certified Course so I'll take it :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Splits according to my Garmin</td></tr>
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I have 2 more half marathons and a ten miler race left before my full in November. Those will all be training run races leading up to the full, so I'm glad I was able to PR this race. Now I can just focus on marathon training.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-61069932258602910832014-06-12T15:02:00.000-04:002014-06-12T15:09:32.575-04:00Garmin Forerunner 220 Review & Storage SolutionEarlier this year I got a nice little bonus from work and decided to treat myself to a new GPS watch. Up until then I had been using my cell phone and the <a href="http://www.mapmyfitness.com/my_home/" target="_blank">MapMyFitness</a> App to track all my runs. After doing some research I settled on the<a href="https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into-sports/running/forerunner-220/prod129397.html" target="_blank"> Garmin Forerunner 220</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7ZKWqlofv1-qwFnhqRPyyC1HbI7d7P77sAm59-99CM9lQavT38qg1RTl_kthHg56Yado6FNdYNO6iLzaeRMwzurxytv10XV3W6WDydCCHkIIL1dVGKNwg5qOvYA-nEQbXe_ZggOBNZw/s1600/sc-01-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7ZKWqlofv1-qwFnhqRPyyC1HbI7d7P77sAm59-99CM9lQavT38qg1RTl_kthHg56Yado6FNdYNO6iLzaeRMwzurxytv10XV3W6WDydCCHkIIL1dVGKNwg5qOvYA-nEQbXe_ZggOBNZw/s1600/sc-01-lg.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
I loved the purple color of the watch. I also liked that it is really simple to use. I liked that it had the built in accelerometer for tracking treadmill runs. (I have yet to try that feature as all my runs have been outside.) I spent the extra $50 to get the added heart rate monitor strap.<br />
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I like that while I am running I can quickly look down and see what my current time, pace, and distance is. I love that you can set vibrating alerts. I have mine set to tell me my current pace at each mile I hit. I can choose to ignore it or see how I'm doing. You can also set up workouts. I have only played with this feature a little bit but you can use it to set up workouts like intervals, progression runs, and Fartleks.<br />
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The GPS on the watch seems to work very well. It connects quickly and even caches your location so you can get quicker connecting times for the next time you run in the same area. The watch is comfortable. I'm also in love with the fact that I can upload my data to any site that allows me to. I am no longer only married to <a href="http://www.mapmyfitness.com/my_home/" target="_blank">MapMyFitness</a>. I have many running friends that use <a href="http://www.strava.com/" target="_blank">Strava</a> so now I can link there as well. So definitely no regrets on this purchase.<br />
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I am very happy with my Forerunner 220. It was pricey at $300 for the Garmin Forerunner 220 Heart Rate Monitor Bundle. I bought mine at <a href="http://www.rei.com/product/862949/garmin-forerunner-220-gps-heart-rate-monitor" target="_blank">REI</a> and got the <a href="https://www.rei.com/membership/dividend" target="_blank">REI Membership</a> plan. I get 10% back at the end of the year. So I paid $300 and will get $30 at the end of the year. Membership was $20 so in the end I get $10 back. However, now I am a life long REI Member and can get money back on other eligible purchases.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ebFePV69BWMkOR5RGLbJ3eLlQziogRvWQL23QXF-_R3atN1zKjs0fLq1a4oVxt1l05xfm-KGUckVX_tzxgGHLF-TMlB7M2Nfadl6u5mHDMKYb0xR5y2rKULBE1dh4ANmkAIessWjz7s/s1600/PhotoGrid_1402598299135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ebFePV69BWMkOR5RGLbJ3eLlQziogRvWQL23QXF-_R3atN1zKjs0fLq1a4oVxt1l05xfm-KGUckVX_tzxgGHLF-TMlB7M2Nfadl6u5mHDMKYb0xR5y2rKULBE1dh4ANmkAIessWjz7s/s1600/PhotoGrid_1402598299135.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a>My next mission was to find a solution to help protect my purchase when not using it. I looked online and found a Garmin case but it had soft sides, which in my opinion does not keep it very safe. I wanted a case I could throw in my gym bag and not have to worry about it. I also wanted it to fit the watch, heart rate monitor, and the charging/upload cable. After searching and not finding exactly what I wanted I decided I would have to come up with my own solution.<br />
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While shopping in <a href="http://www.marshallsonline.com/" target="_blank">Marshalls</a> I came across a cute Vera Bradly Hard Sunglass Case. Bingo this would be perfect to use to keep all my Garmin Forerunner 220 parts together. Not to mention it is cute and was only $7.99!!!<br />
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Any large sunglass case would work. There are so many options for colors and designs. Some even have little handles. Jackpot!<br />
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Show me your GPS watch case ;)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-40091011978018028612014-05-30T13:56:00.000-04:002014-05-30T13:56:20.796-04:00Half Crazy to Fully Crazy!So I jumped off the cliff into fully crazy! I signed up for my first FULL marathon, yikes! It still does not feel real. I can't even fathom it right now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoSNkx5mY-f2cZdHhMVxo2Gk4VB_iWwPfDQ5-EYn_KmWAUI_c0R2ggyzeBWAT0xavB_sxVBP3ARkDjy-fG4zPXwVvXjeeazyPNUuv2fwKiklkNoCeEiSnBHk8M5AjKkzXVum_Bnj_CEo/s1600/obx-marathon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoSNkx5mY-f2cZdHhMVxo2Gk4VB_iWwPfDQ5-EYn_KmWAUI_c0R2ggyzeBWAT0xavB_sxVBP3ARkDjy-fG4zPXwVvXjeeazyPNUuv2fwKiklkNoCeEiSnBHk8M5AjKkzXVum_Bnj_CEo/s1600/obx-marathon.JPG" height="200" width="180" /></a></div>
I chose to do the <a href="http://www.outerbanksmarathon.com/" target="_blank">TowneBank Outer Banks Marathon</a> on November 9. I have 3 half marathons coming up this fall so I can use some of them as training runs. I figure now is the time to do it since I have a really good mileage base going into it. I also read a lot of reviews of the OBX Marathon and decided it would be a good first marathon. It is a point-to-point course that is mainly flat. It includes some challenges to keep it interesting. Supposedly there is a semi tough portion through the Nags Head Woods Preserve around mile 12 that takes you trail running for about 2 miles. Then at mile 23 you cross the 35 foot tall Washington-Baum Bridge leading to Roanoke Island (stats: 1.05 mi long, 82' high, with a 650' climb to the top at a 4% grade). <a href="http://www.outerbanksmarathon.com/assets/PDFs/Marathon%20Course%20Description.pdf" target="_blank">Check out the full course description.</a><br />
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The course description gets me excited and nervous. I like how it sounds like an amazing journey in a beautiful place. I just pray for perfect cool cloudy weather for race day. The weather can make or break any race.<br />
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I decided to do my training with <a href="http://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's Fitness</a> again. That way I have a coach to help me with my training plan and to run with other runners training for the same race. So my official training starts in July.<br />
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I jumped off the cliff and we will see how I land :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-32894033582310748102014-05-18T15:17:00.000-04:002014-11-13T23:10:58.062-05:00Race 13.1 Greensboro Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQz-uO26dX68baBgfMj42xdKowp_AzuEKmu2d9ZL4-SGxpr-ItcK8ayFpeiyV0lyRemYafrWlYduiLAHhQE8fOcSIjG1675JRh0crW13xtQlQxhI3OCTOmMHpInVhuekO9j6K04bY4Fo/s1600/16247_2071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQz-uO26dX68baBgfMj42xdKowp_AzuEKmu2d9ZL4-SGxpr-ItcK8ayFpeiyV0lyRemYafrWlYduiLAHhQE8fOcSIjG1675JRh0crW13xtQlQxhI3OCTOmMHpInVhuekO9j6K04bY4Fo/s1600/16247_2071.jpg" height="72" width="320" /></a></div>
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Half Marathon #3 in the books!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9giYo73gfBvhuDUXbERaQZDzV9m2ii2SXETtE0cms4K9qd3OkeoJpkzQetcbz6_AbvNZzc3VgInHOxatQeVYUvwDDOqqtmE0TgYovXN6iDkk58_TuuUuN9ulSBoxb2KRHLeLAXb65Nc/s1600/IMG_4722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9giYo73gfBvhuDUXbERaQZDzV9m2ii2SXETtE0cms4K9qd3OkeoJpkzQetcbz6_AbvNZzc3VgInHOxatQeVYUvwDDOqqtmE0TgYovXN6iDkk58_TuuUuN9ulSBoxb2KRHLeLAXb65Nc/s1600/IMG_4722.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of Race</td></tr>
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Today I ran the inaugural <a href="http://race131.com/races/greensboro/" target="_blank">Race 13.1 Greensboro</a>. I had driven the course a couple times and was concerned that it would be hilly. So I was not sure if I would run it or race it. I decided to just see how I felt the morning of the race. Then about a week out I started getting really excited about the race and had the itch to try to PR it.<br />
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First I have to mention that the weather was AMAZING! It was 52° and cloudy. A far cry from the muggy sunny +80° days we had been getting. It was perfect racing weather for sure!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6o1dqjyzyhIgr6LvZp7WHQclcbQazpm-3Aa9pmEmF0jITGEvPphMunqV8GY7mGImGGFaJSFVCfBws0P3h71WktUxfiBRWHuqRz5H8lVrpwd4aPgpgW5UzHMB9I1ZkPLbKGLuF2kFi1qE/s1600/IMG_4746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6o1dqjyzyhIgr6LvZp7WHQclcbQazpm-3Aa9pmEmF0jITGEvPphMunqV8GY7mGImGGFaJSFVCfBws0P3h71WktUxfiBRWHuqRz5H8lVrpwd4aPgpgW5UzHMB9I1ZkPLbKGLuF2kFi1qE/s1600/IMG_4746.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blowing kisses to my family</td></tr>
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The race was relatively small and there were no corrals. This made for a very congested 1st mile. Once the group started spreading out it was really nice. The course was an out and back course. The first half went by super fast. There were a lot more downhills which made the uphills not so bad. I kept reminding myself that these awesome downhills would be terrible uphills on the way back.<br />
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I loved running on the Bicentennial Greenway that I run on all the time. I loved that the course was local and out and back as I got to see so many familiar faces. I even had some friends come out and cheer me on. I felt good pretty much the whole time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDF4ZhymU5AdU3_vONLDL31XiJaB-VVqmTunejQtrKUk9ujZepcQLfaImL5MV5Gh2ySYS0SksYXDc15DWBfQVAJ3PyY0vHFmOkb3k39kYrGMEDcb9qAwMQ3Op76aTEc9qwaQG5fnEibU/s1600/10259860_10201787966891823_8738506666352922388_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDF4ZhymU5AdU3_vONLDL31XiJaB-VVqmTunejQtrKUk9ujZepcQLfaImL5MV5Gh2ySYS0SksYXDc15DWBfQVAJ3PyY0vHFmOkb3k39kYrGMEDcb9qAwMQ3Op76aTEc9qwaQG5fnEibU/s1600/10259860_10201787966891823_8738506666352922388_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running towards the finish</td></tr>
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I loved that I got to see my husband and daughter throughout the course. I loved having Hannah wave at me and say "I love you mama" when she saw me. It was also nice to have my husband taking some pictures. All in all it was a great day!<br />
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I had started off with the 2 hour pacing group in the first mile. However, there were just too many people and I was not happy with the pace they were doing. So I decided to try to stay just ahead of them. They ended up finishing just behind me.<br />
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I was really hoping to finally get my goal of a sub 2 hour half. I came so close! I was off by only 29 freaking seconds. I finished it in 2:00:28! Still a brand new shiny PR :) I'll take it!<br />
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Coming back was pretty brutal with all the hills. So I am very proud of my performance. My next race is in September and it will be the <a href="http://race131.com/races/fayetteville/" target="_blank">Race 13.1 Fayetteville</a> .It is supposed to be a flat course. Hopefully it just won't be a hot day. I will sub 2 hour it though! You heard it here first ;)<br />
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Race stats below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKPtBxdNuv1Gwph8NAAR7-4Ge7z0WWvhXmhp9rstH9S8c-mts2VRvyVJWl5Upjr_k561qsTBjkCuqJapmznbt08idTyak8zy8Mc3C4jbeHEuoYYJcK6r6auLREABddH5yq7Okvt9czgQ/s1600/IMG_4761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKPtBxdNuv1Gwph8NAAR7-4Ge7z0WWvhXmhp9rstH9S8c-mts2VRvyVJWl5Upjr_k561qsTBjkCuqJapmznbt08idTyak8zy8Mc3C4jbeHEuoYYJcK6r6auLREABddH5yq7Okvt9czgQ/s1600/IMG_4761.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the finish line</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxjEviI8dwWdUgA_lat9K8ukIB4JspyF6eakTDH_43uGTWxa_D1ldwdWgLEsMorqH09mah0kcm1Msy6uuSIzUWmnz8CtCCgUcGp24LTFdgeR91tn5dKfc8CB1j-NvSQuUAXNUGOow51Y/s1600/IMG_4772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxjEviI8dwWdUgA_lat9K8ukIB4JspyF6eakTDH_43uGTWxa_D1ldwdWgLEsMorqH09mah0kcm1Msy6uuSIzUWmnz8CtCCgUcGp24LTFdgeR91tn5dKfc8CB1j-NvSQuUAXNUGOow51Y/s1600/IMG_4772.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing Hannah my bling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GYprslZlibDnth3101vdLdH6vCztYPYxnoh3p_V1dW0ai7vwF2QX7GWVnQJ9-V869_4VSVLQ5A_xxRTl14Nw5LuT3NEHs8kBeFT3ZGRUZTBuCFAryDTaloghp45DPpCYmpS1OyLUcjE/s1600/IMG_4794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GYprslZlibDnth3101vdLdH6vCztYPYxnoh3p_V1dW0ai7vwF2QX7GWVnQJ9-V869_4VSVLQ5A_xxRTl14Nw5LuT3NEHs8kBeFT3ZGRUZTBuCFAryDTaloghp45DPpCYmpS1OyLUcjE/s1600/IMG_4794.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#3 Done!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxL3RTfMH-0WvRn9NbBRR5XHvalbINp3H677OfYNHeV1UO0qiTZd7RZj5yXv7zrD7QeiTeNLMq__hNbNDt8SgW3uzQiMYAsq4zbo57gd7PRb4goV2ES3zA8tBP7USM_rFB2urGSvw8Mw/s1600/131GSOresults.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxL3RTfMH-0WvRn9NbBRR5XHvalbINp3H677OfYNHeV1UO0qiTZd7RZj5yXv7zrD7QeiTeNLMq__hNbNDt8SgW3uzQiMYAsq4zbo57gd7PRb4goV2ES3zA8tBP7USM_rFB2urGSvw8Mw/s1600/131GSOresults.PNG" height="412" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official Results</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqIgm6gcQcEMfUScS4v6p4Y8WMoe9YsHnxXAES4CO1nYssgCa_CNJmc3TBJ0odIPgOcDO4GjbMU4lfOd7204tbKDtHGhdKTu1oeJo0bRtGtqbGleksTbX54321PpKl4R6J7UJLWlprXk/s1600/elevation131.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqIgm6gcQcEMfUScS4v6p4Y8WMoe9YsHnxXAES4CO1nYssgCa_CNJmc3TBJ0odIPgOcDO4GjbMU4lfOd7204tbKDtHGhdKTu1oeJo0bRtGtqbGleksTbX54321PpKl4R6J7UJLWlprXk/s1600/elevation131.PNG" height="104" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Y3ziJ7VCEXTZszo4gxAvzjjwFtUZTNK7R4-6WTB4HFkZpWA2apvFGBxqWXPYwG_DzWLh2J9gbXs68xeNYx-SM2bWp6iVCju5tFORw1c_3LU1TC_0rluF8pzmFuSrrp7LNY2pyboxYTM/s1600/splits.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Y3ziJ7VCEXTZszo4gxAvzjjwFtUZTNK7R4-6WTB4HFkZpWA2apvFGBxqWXPYwG_DzWLh2J9gbXs68xeNYx-SM2bWp6iVCju5tFORw1c_3LU1TC_0rluF8pzmFuSrrp7LNY2pyboxYTM/s1600/splits.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My splits and gap times</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OfskHMEolf9SPDqxd-K84TOX-15ig0Rf-zqys0cOJj9beOr1cpyyimpcxa9NxY6szu2-LYIwRM6o130X_oOwegfHzVgaSaDg0Ov0Iq8ImGPpL-cVD9pIDHIi-1d-fPgdMRh-eBa8Znc/s1600/10322701_10152210875370889_6089919808808953329_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OfskHMEolf9SPDqxd-K84TOX-15ig0Rf-zqys0cOJj9beOr1cpyyimpcxa9NxY6szu2-LYIwRM6o130X_oOwegfHzVgaSaDg0Ov0Iq8ImGPpL-cVD9pIDHIi-1d-fPgdMRh-eBa8Znc/s1600/10322701_10152210875370889_6089919808808953329_n.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NEW PR Baby!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-6044259636336364802014-05-16T16:10:00.000-04:002014-05-16T16:10:12.484-04:00Upcoming Half Marathon #3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnm3S1VDrhwidhpeWR-oABKYjELDxDTppky9dume2WV3zQ6qEtEkxmGi59bOkEXZ5Gz6x2UYZEOpcVqwzY-WUGXwE5WIfwNl1llbNyyH1slJMWc1-aJAZR-rM7021SgIK4xSnWJMgxcJI/s1600/give-it-a-try-300x206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnm3S1VDrhwidhpeWR-oABKYjELDxDTppky9dume2WV3zQ6qEtEkxmGi59bOkEXZ5Gz6x2UYZEOpcVqwzY-WUGXwE5WIfwNl1llbNyyH1slJMWc1-aJAZR-rM7021SgIK4xSnWJMgxcJI/s1600/give-it-a-try-300x206.jpg" /></a>I feel both nervous and excited at the moment. I have my 3rd half marathon race coming up on Sunday. I've driven the course and it will be challenging. It reminds me of a roller coaster going up and down. Thank goodness the forecast is looking good temperature-wise. Although now they are calling for a chance of some rain. I'd take rain over the heat any day. Mother nature will do what she wants though and I'll just have to deal with whatever she decides to give us.<br />
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I don't feel as ready for this one as I did my last. I definitely have not ran as much since the<a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/raleigh-rock-n-roll-12.html" target="_blank"> Raleigh Rock N' Roll Half</a>. Plus I'm lacking the speed work that I had been doing with my <a href="http://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's Fitness</a> training group. So I am a little worried about that. I'm trying to just be positive and put my all into it. I think I'm planning to run with the 2 hour pacer and just see what happens. I feel like I was so close at my last race and a big reason I was able to still PR on such a tough course was because I ran with the pacer most of the race. It is really easy to slow down when doing a lot of hills. I'll just have to see how I feel.<br />
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I am really excited that the race is local. It really takes away a lot of stress. I don't have to get up ridiculously early. I know where to go and there will be lots of parking. I can also sleep in my own bed the night before and prepare however I want to in the comfort of my own home. Part of the course is on the Greenway near my house that I run all the time so that is also fun.<br />
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So will this be the race I sub 2 hours? I really don't know. I'm just going to go with how I feel and see where it takes me. I'm proud of myself no matter what happens. I think it is always important to celebrate the accomplishment of just finishing 13.1 miles. How many people can say they have ran that far?<br />
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Wish me luck :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-49600937984525062352014-05-14T10:42:00.001-04:002014-11-13T23:11:24.150-05:00New 5K PR!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-Lb4-ReCAvq3nTGgElW_lZvIcaQO0rYO4XFhk63RqRosH-lkqQMCERGRt3NxiDdnyMAUO1XEOxG0rM5Q0XfCDgfb_MpMw80inv7cObas3tRiMxh4n0GWrz9fCPigwCM__kXmErCogTw/s1600/1888691_10152166064735889_5941394495430000678_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-Lb4-ReCAvq3nTGgElW_lZvIcaQO0rYO4XFhk63RqRosH-lkqQMCERGRt3NxiDdnyMAUO1XEOxG0rM5Q0XfCDgfb_MpMw80inv7cObas3tRiMxh4n0GWrz9fCPigwCM__kXmErCogTw/s1600/1888691_10152166064735889_5941394495430000678_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>I started running a bit last March. I ran the UNC ZTA Franklin 5K. It was the first time ever that I had run a 5K without walking. I ran it in 31:08. I was so proud of myself and something in me clicked that said "You CAN run".<br />
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Since then I ran a 5K pushing my daughter in the jogging stroller and have done some non timed color runs. So when I signed up for the <a href="http://www.tuxedotrot.com/" target="_blank">Tuxedo Trot 5K</a> I wanted to push myself to set a PR. I knew I would PR for my race time because I have been consistently running sub 30 minute 5Ks since I started half marathon training last year. I also knew I was getting faster at the distance from the tempo runs and progressions runs I had been doing for my Raleigh Rock N' Roll Half training with RunnerDude's Fitness. So I knew I should not have a problem getting my time under 30 minutes. Now the question was how low could I get it. I secretly wanted to finish around 25-26 minutes.<br />
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That weekend my brother and his wife were in town visiting us and they also signed up to do the 5K. My husband decided not to do the 5K so he could take pictures and watch our 2 year old daughter. He also was going to help our daughter run her first "Kids' Fun Run".<br />
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So we got up early the morning of the race. I was excited. It was nice to race a smaller distance. The weight of 3.1 miles is so different than 13.1. There is such a different strategy as well. With a half marathon you gotta make sure you pace yourself so that you can finish the distance. Of course you have to do the same for a 5K but it is very different. The total time commitment is a whole lot less for a 5K.<br />
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I'm usually pretty nervous before a race. I was surprised to find that I did not feel nervous for this one. I just kept pretending like it was a group tempo run without the warm up and cool down miles.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking to the "start line"</td></tr>
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The start of the race was a little strange. We had to walk from where the finish line was to what seemed like a random area on the course that took us about 5 minutes to walk up to. I kept wondering if the race had already started and if I should be running (this was their first year so hopefully next year it will be more clear). Finally we all came to a stop and they announced that the race would start in X number of minutes. Once they said go everyone started running. I held off starting my Garmin because I am used to first crossing a start sensor to mark the start of the race and starts your time. After a ways I realized there was not one so I started my Garmin a little late. The race had 296 people so it was relatively small. I guess they just started the time right when they said go.<br />
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Once I got going I felt really good. I passed a number of other runners. I let myself just go faster than normal hoping I did not burn myself out. I think I still could have gone a little faster. I ran my first mile in 8:12 according to my Garmin (again I did not record 0.1 of the race). The course was a little hilly but not bad at all. I did not really like doing the loop twice because you knew exactly where the hills were and I would dread those spots. At the same time it helped me know where the down hill portions were.<br />
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I ran the second mile in 8:38. I still felt good and just hoped I could keep up my pace. The last mile I did in 8:32. I had been running near a father with his 12 year old daughter most of the race. They were really cute. He would ask her periodically if she could give anymore and she would always reply no. Then we were about a quarter mile from the finish and they just all of a sudden turned it on. They beat me by 9 seconds. I was so proud of her. I gave her a high five after the race.<br />
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Once I was on the straight away coming into the finish I picked up my pace and sprinted for the finish. My official time was 25:41!!! I came in 41st place out of 296. So I finished in the top 14-15%. I felt awesome and of course started thinking about my next 5K goal of getting under 25 minutes, hehe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of Kids' Fun Run</td></tr>
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My brother's wife ran it in 29:51 to get 75th place and my brother finished in 30:37 for 86th place. She was pretty happy to beat my brother. I was glad she did too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hannah running her race :)</td></tr>
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Then we headed over for my two year old daughter's Kids' Fun Run. It was a little race for kids under 8. They got to run through the Science Center's little Zoo. She was so cute running with my husband. He said she ran really far before stopping. Once they came back into site my husband pointed me out to her and she started running really fast. It was so adorable. Her little tongue hanging out cracked me up.<br />
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I'm so happy to be setting a good example for her. More than once before bed she has asked me if we are going to go running tomorrow. I love it! Hopefully some day she will love running and we can run a half marathon together :)<br />
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A very Successful race indeed!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-2433839902202351542014-04-17T11:12:00.000-04:002014-04-17T11:12:35.343-04:00Asics Gel Cumulus 15 Review<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh191a1AuAn1V4QKc-q-Rg-Pu-wUdBwaaMXvP6maoINckU86H-SEsVY7mC2QV8FJ_kUzFJhQt2OXgjmHgcTi886rbZU7tU5dJbjkQTb7Kj-tYxEg9O0bkJs73qen2MFrf5bJelM2iIjBlk/s1600/tumblr_mo8ti1a3SF1qj69qlo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh191a1AuAn1V4QKc-q-Rg-Pu-wUdBwaaMXvP6maoINckU86H-SEsVY7mC2QV8FJ_kUzFJhQt2OXgjmHgcTi886rbZU7tU5dJbjkQTb7Kj-tYxEg9O0bkJs73qen2MFrf5bJelM2iIjBlk/s1600/tumblr_mo8ti1a3SF1qj69qlo1_500.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So true!</td></tr>
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At the end of February I had determined I needed to switch out<a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2013/08/new-kicks.html" target="_blank"> my Brooks Ghosts 6</a>'s as my left side of my foot kept really hurting after my runs. The outside of the shoes still looked brand new. Even the bottom tread was not too bad. It was the insides that started wearing down. These were my first pair of actual running shoes that I had gotten fitted for at the local running store. I have never experienced wearing down a shoe from the inside out. I'm estimating I had put around 400+ miles on them. It is recommended that you retire your running shoes between 300 and 500 miles, so it was time.<br />
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I will admit it was a little hard retiring<a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2013/08/new-kicks.html" target="_blank"> my Brooks Ghosts 6</a>'s. They carried me through many personal distance records including <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-did-it-131-miles.html" target="_blank">my first half marathon</a> race. They are still sitting in my closet in a shoe box. I figure I can wear them just walking or when I do obstacle 5K races. -- Anyone else have an attachment to your running shoes? Hehe<br />
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<i>Back to the new shoes-</i><br />
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Again I went to my local running store <a href="http://www.fleetfeetgreensboro.com/about/directions/greensboro" target="_blank">Off n'Running</a> to get fitted for new shoes. I had a different sales person this time which I was happy about as I wanted to see if she had the same recommendations as the last guy I had consulted with. She analyzed my gait and came to the same conclusion. I have a normal arch with neutral foot alignment. So the shoe that they recommend for me is Neutral. Which is a nice cushioned shoe.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlIfGj39-vvESi8fbh5wMNSXg5Jld5NSOSl-O8YvDXaoDHa1T0xITyL6RTKH53oVpUe1lU3E4YaYxCFZOf-uE4K64zoWJGS7eiElm03lRyJSfcF8Ht4v6VXUFxozizNyTHQTFmdv7piQ/s1600/asics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlIfGj39-vvESi8fbh5wMNSXg5Jld5NSOSl-O8YvDXaoDHa1T0xITyL6RTKH53oVpUe1lU3E4YaYxCFZOf-uE4K64zoWJGS7eiElm03lRyJSfcF8Ht4v6VXUFxozizNyTHQTFmdv7piQ/s1600/asics.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asics Gel Cumulus 15</td></tr>
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I had gone to the store half expecting to come out with a brand new pair of Brooks Ghosts 6's in maybe a new color. However, I was open to trying anything that they recommended. I tried on probably 5 pairs of shoes including the Brooks Ghosts 6's. I actually found I liked the <a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/Shop/Footwear/Running/Womens/GEL-Cumulus%C2%AE-15/p/0010171760.9125" target="_blank">Asics Gel Cumulus15</a>'s the best. They felt really nice. I especially liked the cushioning around my heels. So I went ahead and bought them for around $115.<br />
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I immediately took them out for our first miles together. I ran a nice easy paced 5.44 miles. Overall the shoes felt pretty good. I did notice my toes felt like they were rubbing from underneath which I had never experienced with my other shoes. This went on for a couple of weeks and usually happened towards the end of my runs. Just when I wondered if I should take them back and try something different it stopped.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlmMD6fCdqQYK1DzHVRO5zVL4GydkUzVjWogPJYXlDlb9dZm-gkfj5O9CdW6E8iFCDR__6zah-n45pN3xtOreC8ZVR0jyPPzGGDUymuDO4vhrZ3Wn3aZtRNNi3rz0edv-WQz6ah405l4/s1600/shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlmMD6fCdqQYK1DzHVRO5zVL4GydkUzVjWogPJYXlDlb9dZm-gkfj5O9CdW6E8iFCDR__6zah-n45pN3xtOreC8ZVR0jyPPzGGDUymuDO4vhrZ3Wn3aZtRNNi3rz0edv-WQz6ah405l4/s1600/shoes.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time out of the box and hitting the asphalt</td></tr>
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I'm glad I am reviewing them now because I think it took a couple of weeks to really break them in. I have about 150 miles on them now and I have absolutely no issues with them. They are very comfortable and have fantastic ankle support. The colors are fun and bring me back to when I was 5 and my favorite colors were pink and purple. My 2 year old loves them and when she sees me wearing them she says "Oh, pretty mama." I would definitely buy them again.<br />
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I just completed <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/raleigh-rock-n-roll-12.html" target="_blank">my 2nd half marathon</a> race with these and have another race in a month that I will wear them in. Before I know it, it will be time to retire these. Who said running is cheap?!<br />
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I give these shoes 5 out 5 stars after 2 weeks of breaking them in. They get a 3 out of 5 until broken in.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-14759422638625045002014-04-16T12:20:00.001-04:002014-04-18T14:10:53.385-04:00Raleigh Rock ’n’ Roll 1/2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSqsKjwEvSswQBeWvoT6HcW638OGVoYpvx3TO-J3obVXdcws0qcfgiAe5Q4guNv38MWjNVPC1-UoNqvjrPc2SgIztx1DKUGL80tVMHPuAWn3trZCz0bqYUZ9NkpIptGrIrkSwKJ1lY_4/s1600/14_RnR_RAL_Logo_.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSqsKjwEvSswQBeWvoT6HcW638OGVoYpvx3TO-J3obVXdcws0qcfgiAe5Q4guNv38MWjNVPC1-UoNqvjrPc2SgIztx1DKUGL80tVMHPuAWn3trZCz0bqYUZ9NkpIptGrIrkSwKJ1lY_4/s1600/14_RnR_RAL_Logo_.png" height="176" width="320" /></a></div>
The big day finally came for the <a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/raleigh" target="_blank">Inaugural Raleigh Rock ’n’ Roll 1/2</a> (4/13/2014). I had been training since the beginning of January with <a href="http://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's Fitness</a>. This was to be my <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-did-it-131-miles.html" target="_blank">second half marathon</a> race and I wanted to do it in under 2 hours.<br />
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I loved training with a group and a coach this time around. It pushed me to do more speed work, which to my surprise I enjoyed. I also really loved meeting and getting to know other runners. Non-runners will only listen to you talk about running for so long before they glaze over.<br />
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As the race approached I started getting nervous about the elevation profile. Raleigh is a very hilly city. The <a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-did-it-131-miles.html" target="_blank">Greensboro Half Marathon</a> that I had done last year was also very hilly and I had been told this course would be about the same. I am going to state here that Raleigh was <b><u><i>WAY</i></u></b> worse! The hills just kept coming and they were not all rolling hills like I had been told, haha. The elevation gain for the half course was about 595 ft!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_qgY2qDhDM6XvzJzZwx_htTcq26nFwMnBMmKRoKozGd7w40Q04y6HZotfm8WyTF-dVUA5iLZv7xPEkGbq9c9TGojbeZ7LVQH1VNTtz1b-R5ITIH6-_lSmryktQhnXwzdPqS1H4ioAdw/s1600/elevationRNR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_qgY2qDhDM6XvzJzZwx_htTcq26nFwMnBMmKRoKozGd7w40Q04y6HZotfm8WyTF-dVUA5iLZv7xPEkGbq9c9TGojbeZ7LVQH1VNTtz1b-R5ITIH6-_lSmryktQhnXwzdPqS1H4ioAdw/s1600/elevationRNR.JPG" height="102" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile from my Strava readout after the race<br />
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I had to get up super early to make sure to get parked and to meet up for a group picture before heading to my designated corral. We had stayed with friends in Raleigh, which worked out really well. I was lucky to have no issues getting into the city and parked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpav-5v7h2xvGo8NWz73-Z9U4Ii0E2lMw5qr5GP4K69QGESVxqV7wsXImFF6LcB74QhwPTn6A5V9LK1SyJ9WN_QAo5xHhXLaq8A3J_aVbqS-vLUHM1x3CQuqvm_98KhMi6pwrADJ9gSA/s1600/group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpav-5v7h2xvGo8NWz73-Z9U4Ii0E2lMw5qr5GP4K69QGESVxqV7wsXImFF6LcB74QhwPTn6A5V9LK1SyJ9WN_QAo5xHhXLaq8A3J_aVbqS-vLUHM1x3CQuqvm_98KhMi6pwrADJ9gSA/s1600/group.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RunnerDude's RNR Training Group 2014</td></tr>
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Our <a href="http://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's Fitness</a> training group met at 6 am for our group picture. Unfortunately our coach got stuck in traffic and did not make the picture.<br />
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I was assigned to run in corral 10. I had kept playing with the idea of running with the 2 hour pacer to help keep me on track. One of my fellow runners was also in corral 10. She told me she knows the 2 hour pacer and that she is really good. So she introduced me to Amanda and I moved up to corral 8 to run with her pacing group.<br />
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I loved running with the pacing group. It was really fun listening to their stories and feeding off their energy. We also ran with the marathon 4 hour pacers while they still ran the half course before branching off to do the marathon course. I was able to stay with the group until around mile 10.<br />
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The course was not bad at first. It had some rolling hills that were fine. Then from about mile 10 to the finish it was just one hill after another. I had done so well pacing to a 2 hour finish until then. The hills just started winning. It was sad to watch the pacing group getting farther and farther ahead but I made peace with it and knew at this point I had to just pace myself to finish the race. I still had a small hope that I would catch back up and somehow still manage at least a 2 hour finish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5SIjVtgUHsd-EqwX5H_lAKAChrXDFgDjPKPuhEivN8HPHDZc-KzRBfF7ch6cDGNw76QKMgm-sJobI011GFM1lcJRo3Wb5pNehC3uv9fVssjQBrHoy-kJ-ZytGbsFd6FgLpgWOMJ2tlE/s1600/763877-1033-0014s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5SIjVtgUHsd-EqwX5H_lAKAChrXDFgDjPKPuhEivN8HPHDZc-KzRBfF7ch6cDGNw76QKMgm-sJobI011GFM1lcJRo3Wb5pNehC3uv9fVssjQBrHoy-kJ-ZytGbsFd6FgLpgWOMJ2tlE/s1600/763877-1033-0014s.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
The last 3 miles were the most epic miles I have ever ran. I was getting so tired and kept thinking after this hill we gotta be going downhill for a bit. But every corner we turned we met another massive hill. At one point I just wanted to cry but focused on all the months I had trained so hard for this. I passed runners that had started walking and were crying. The course hills were starting to break people. It was really heart breaking.<br />
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I just kept chipping away at the miles. I was getting slower and slower. Then an awesome thing happened. I noticed one of my sole sisters running ahead of me. I went over and said hi. We barley talked because at that point I was lucky to still even be running. But just seeing a familiar face helped keep me going.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmlbU5jS8ly00LBfNzsF1nwGLxkZki8s0bBrqoftjNJ5esfNtABUyVm6Fe7AhZFz1TLqXnGEHHJjMrrKG5mzsUp3Ehq5nfBibFdACBj1kF56-Jnz2dO_FAJzYSTsz_V0jbAGXdo8KUs0/s1600/743988-1002-0013s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmlbU5jS8ly00LBfNzsF1nwGLxkZki8s0bBrqoftjNJ5esfNtABUyVm6Fe7AhZFz1TLqXnGEHHJjMrrKG5mzsUp3Ehq5nfBibFdACBj1kF56-Jnz2dO_FAJzYSTsz_V0jbAGXdo8KUs0/s1600/743988-1002-0013s.jpg" height="400" width="258" /></a><br />
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A very sad moment was seeing the 2 hour mark rollover on my Garmin. My new goal was to beat my<a href="http://nicholefitlife.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-did-it-131-miles.html" target="_blank"> last half marathon finish</a> of 2:06:44 to set a new race PR.<br />
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The last mile was the longest mile I have ever ran. I felt like everyone was passing me but I just did not have enough in me to go any faster. I finally reached the finish-line and my official time was 2:04:00. Wohoo! Still a PR! Not the sub 2 hour I was looking for, but damn I had done it. No regrets!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_ldGcZuhz7_vp8Ph3n_Pq6uPETSMBDWo9izSNPq3TFBE33JNkeZgyA5D0aPavDMemSTn0Jo2xOutUGFwVdg44E_nm-_a23Q8OZ2y9oRNAeDdPNyKIS7M5FLPFPR85nG4BJ-lD5R4Sm8/s1600/offical.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_ldGcZuhz7_vp8Ph3n_Pq6uPETSMBDWo9izSNPq3TFBE33JNkeZgyA5D0aPavDMemSTn0Jo2xOutUGFwVdg44E_nm-_a23Q8OZ2y9oRNAeDdPNyKIS7M5FLPFPR85nG4BJ-lD5R4Sm8/s1600/offical.JPG" height="271" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Here are my splits for the race:</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJimhZLSMd37XN7kBfQqvnxYAtlEl8_Mpgz0S2i1HdNC36XxMenLQJkJ4YO7eOJ_DSfes-fhyLVR1Jygcf8vQ2PiNBF7fKPSXXG79wv9M4Cihb1kxq7jqC-EPZ5Rnb4LzRmU4lZImF1w4/s1600/RNRsplits.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJimhZLSMd37XN7kBfQqvnxYAtlEl8_Mpgz0S2i1HdNC36XxMenLQJkJ4YO7eOJ_DSfes-fhyLVR1Jygcf8vQ2PiNBF7fKPSXXG79wv9M4Cihb1kxq7jqC-EPZ5Rnb4LzRmU4lZImF1w4/s1600/RNRsplits.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was on pace until mile 11.</td></tr>
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As you can see by my GAP (Grade Adjusted Pace) it was a hilly one. -- According to <a href="http://www.strava.com/" target="_blank">Strava</a>, Grade Adjusted Pace estimates an equivalent pace when running on flat land, allowing the runner to compare hilly and flat runs more easily. Because running uphill requires extra effort, the Grade Adjusted Pace will be faster than the actual pace run. When running downhill, the Grade Adjusted Pace will be slower than the actual pace.<br />
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<b>I had some personal bests on this race according to <a href="http://www.strava.com/" target="_blank">Strava</a>:</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjdivmIhJWqPCveUJTbapaKHwKhRT4wzgus2YD31cEOmf6rr7NKVe_NPtt4-KUu2_xCx6wUWnTEIf_zqWgkzfNm3XgucBFjqG4ilgcj9a0dtuVJf-uVIjM5GZ0cpnEzBUYXWJdKBuOJs/s1600/strava.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjdivmIhJWqPCveUJTbapaKHwKhRT4wzgus2YD31cEOmf6rr7NKVe_NPtt4-KUu2_xCx6wUWnTEIf_zqWgkzfNm3XgucBFjqG4ilgcj9a0dtuVJf-uVIjM5GZ0cpnEzBUYXWJdKBuOJs/s1600/strava.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My best half marathon time was during training with a break at the halfway point. <br />
So this really was my fastest Half Marathon run.</td></tr>
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I learned that I am tougher than I ever knew. I'm so glad I had ran with the pacing group as I believe it really helped me make a better time than what I probably would have done on my own. I am so glad that I trained with Thad and <a href="http://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's Fitness</a>. I met so many incredibly nice people that I hope to remain friends with and run with again.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3i1OLgGwIj12mLdXdE6WgeXARu5u9zHN8nR7FvVym2HVhn_GL54m-9K-0OsWGIb6Mq4PoBfoE8SSrWKTmp__8jnQ41UeNUvL_u4-fZqUU1ZyFz6usvwFI4bxfGZ0CPg9nkKUByc_f-c/s1600/finishpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3i1OLgGwIj12mLdXdE6WgeXARu5u9zHN8nR7FvVym2HVhn_GL54m-9K-0OsWGIb6Mq4PoBfoE8SSrWKTmp__8jnQ41UeNUvL_u4-fZqUU1ZyFz6usvwFI4bxfGZ0CPg9nkKUByc_f-c/s1600/finishpic.jpg" height="278" width="320" /></a></div>
In closing, I'm so glad I did the <a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/raleigh" target="_blank">Inaugural Raleigh Rock ’n’ Roll 1/2</a>. I don't think I will ever do it again as Raleigh hills can kiss it! Haha... I definitely plan to train with <a href="http://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's Fitness</a> again. My heart is filled with pride for my journey and for those that I trained with.<br />
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I know I will get that sub 2 hour. It's just a matter of time. I have 4 more tries this year!<br />
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<b>Half Marathon #2 in the books!</b></h3>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-50362838499571331162014-02-28T12:03:00.002-05:002014-02-28T12:03:54.724-05:00Training Goes OnSo I've been so busy with normal day life and training that I have not posted here in awhile.<br />
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I am happy to report that I am growing stronger in my running. I have shaved a good 30 seconds off of my normal pace. I love looking back at my runs from last year and seeing how far I have come.<br />
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I am really enjoying group runs and training with a coach (<a href="http://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">RunnerDude's Fitness</a>). I think that has also helped me grow stronger. When I was training for my first half last year I would just run different distances. I never did any speed or hill work. My training plan from my coach this time around includes all kinds of different runs (tempo, progression, hills, etc.). I love the variety and the way it pushes me to go beyond what I thought was possible. You got to love that.<br />
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I am doing a photo a day for a year for 2014. So of course some of them include running. So here are a couple for your viewing pleasure.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE99MozVIS876bqIaKxWOyryuG5IkQGvwcXRPGyx4IVJZKQZCAp1-TGEx18v15ECOkkk6L-8oCNSxVvWQKtYuFgYDZSCE04WTFC7Nh0gfe0d_-5W2zppArQIXmJbRe2ws_HIEeihSnLPE/s1600/jan18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE99MozVIS876bqIaKxWOyryuG5IkQGvwcXRPGyx4IVJZKQZCAp1-TGEx18v15ECOkkk6L-8oCNSxVvWQKtYuFgYDZSCE04WTFC7Nh0gfe0d_-5W2zppArQIXmJbRe2ws_HIEeihSnLPE/s1600/jan18.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jan 18: Group Run with RunnerDude's Fitness.<br />We ran for #megsmiles, #megmiles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9XlWeC15Rmqof7umaFu65wUmcH98Ihn6XbFAcuANvXTFzYlsnLFZJqhe_H0CaaTWdNkl3sj0tdrlGEcVHhGFDlCzYePOYzKHvjrepCljR9RhK_B5K7duq_BbA6GmJgXAmQ0phxSMjpA/s1600/jan20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9XlWeC15Rmqof7umaFu65wUmcH98Ihn6XbFAcuANvXTFzYlsnLFZJqhe_H0CaaTWdNkl3sj0tdrlGEcVHhGFDlCzYePOYzKHvjrepCljR9RhK_B5K7duq_BbA6GmJgXAmQ0phxSMjpA/s1600/jan20.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jan 20: My strongest average pace yet.<br />I was proud to dedicate it to Martin Luther King Jr.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg3ltwaHVQDaM9k0AaYZ2fhebVtUfiPSqy3ZsPsxVTFyTzw6YzjxIISVmqOv57Mrt2yNuZjvTmk6xm84a3FBSkcL21H3-vsfpm5osrevdMRFE3SGEpRb_dBXPJGKqrTSAhUqizHTV-IE/s1600/Feb17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg3ltwaHVQDaM9k0AaYZ2fhebVtUfiPSqy3ZsPsxVTFyTzw6YzjxIISVmqOv57Mrt2yNuZjvTmk6xm84a3FBSkcL21H3-vsfpm5osrevdMRFE3SGEpRb_dBXPJGKqrTSAhUqizHTV-IE/s1600/Feb17.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feb 17: We got some snow in NC so many of the trails were icy.<br />So I decided to complete my <a href="http://momsrunthistown.com/winter-virtual-race/" target="_blank">Mom's Run This Town Winter Virtual</a> <br />at the local park. I did 4 laps to make it a 10K race. I thought it <br />fitting for the theme of "Start Your Engines". Laps like in a car race. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1LOg7op-UcrxARWkEGw9vJn0gxngf6390P6EdNKQph0UNNb6J2jYMKU-TX8lb7gI8XXqZ_b_71naoEXYybptXGk6Ye_O2lJIPckKc4Ag9mI7L4mmQJ3qcj8gRBAp04yDo0XDhEwiU-4/s1600/Feb24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1LOg7op-UcrxARWkEGw9vJn0gxngf6390P6EdNKQph0UNNb6J2jYMKU-TX8lb7gI8XXqZ_b_71naoEXYybptXGk6Ye_O2lJIPckKc4Ag9mI7L4mmQJ3qcj8gRBAp04yDo0XDhEwiU-4/s1600/Feb24.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feb 24: Running some staggered hill repeats at lunch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RGdELHBwsLcRx-idwi6H5OXcA_sn6k9dgT0Es3OaNQy2zTVQ9dKWko4ZbGKSk3I6HyUdXxRtUGUKzH54Xv7UYSuxmiSzY_PESPEEZxAtR1vvj2WQF7as3w8Hxg8YsCVb4EZsoynBv9g/s1600/Feb+26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RGdELHBwsLcRx-idwi6H5OXcA_sn6k9dgT0Es3OaNQy2zTVQ9dKWko4ZbGKSk3I6HyUdXxRtUGUKzH54Xv7UYSuxmiSzY_PESPEEZxAtR1vvj2WQF7as3w8Hxg8YsCVb4EZsoynBv9g/s1600/Feb+26.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feb 26: Had a wonderful group run. I had a 50 minute progression run <br />and ran my fastest mile yet. Then went out for pizza with some of the other <br />runners. I'm loving the team/group aspect.</td></tr>
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I just got new running shoes so I will be reviewing those shortly.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-39356101471397909742014-01-16T11:24:00.000-05:002014-01-16T11:24:37.490-05:00Growing StrongerTraining with a group is great. You get to know other runners. I love hearing their stories about when they started running, what races they have ran, and what their future goals are. I find it extremely motivating. It also reminds me how far I have come in my own journey.<br />
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I started my running journey last February. So as I approach my one year mark I want to think back to all I have accomplished. I ran two 4K's, five 5K's, one 10K and a half marathon. Not too shabby for a non-runner. I think I've finally earned the title of runner :)<br />
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Last night I met with the running group (<a href="http://www.runnerdudesfitness.com/" target="_blank">Runnerdude's</a>) to do a 45 minute progression run. This is the first time I have ever done one. I think I did pretty well for my first time. I'm excited to see how I improve over the next couple months.<br />
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For a progression run you start out slow and build to a faster pace towards the middle of the run and then go all out in the end to about 90% of your max effort. I think I need to work on starting out a little slower. The middle section was a little rough because of a pretty good sized hill.<br />
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Overall I'm pretty proud of myself as this is a great starting point.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-33940353021935024572014-01-14T18:00:00.000-05:002014-01-16T11:25:55.710-05:00Racing in the Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Saturday I had a new experience. It was my first long run with my running group. I was excited and a little nervous. It had been awhile since I had run over 5 miles. I was scheduled to do 7 miles but had decided to do 8 since it is easier to know when to turnaround.<br />
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We meet to run at 7:30 am. It is still a little dark at that time during this time of year. The weather was also very yucky. At first it was just raining a normal drizzle. Quickly it turned into a torrential downpour with some gnarly thunder and lightning. Many in the group turned around once they heard the thunder and lightning.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1173804_10153761198180192_1913842831_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1173804_10153761198180192_1913842831_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I kept going as I felt relativity safe on the greenway as it runs through the trees with no open fields. Only one other lady finished her 8 miles too. We laughed and talked awhile until she just wanted to get the run done and ran ahead of me. I would have loved to keep up with her but I just could not move any faster. I felt twenty pounds heavier with all the water. My feet were soaked. The funny part was that I felt pretty good and not at all miserable.<br />
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Coming back, the greenway was like a river. It was crazy and a little fun all at once. It was like training for a mud run or obstacle course race.<br />
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I'm proud of myself for getting it done. I felt like a true bad ass runner :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-65355548957678855962014-01-10T02:26:00.003-05:002014-01-10T02:35:56.682-05:00UFIT Program<div style="text-align: left;">
While training this time around I want to be better about cross-training. I got <a href="http://cindywhitmarshfitness.com/product/ufit-series-complete-set/" target="_blank">Cindy Whitmarsh's Complete UFit program</a> for Christmas.</div>
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I started it on December 30th. So far I am loving it. The workouts are 20 minutes and the program follows a calendar. Eventually you do 2 of the workouts a day and then work up to 3. I had to make my own calendar to include my half marathon training. I had to modify the program some so I will not burn myself out and likely injure myself. I wanted at least one full rest recovery day.</div>
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Since December 30th I have lost 7 pounds. What has really helped me jump-start my weight loss is logging everything I eat on <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/" target="_blank">MyFitnessPal</a>. For the first time since before training for my first half, I feel completely in control of my diet and fitness. I just gotta keep up this momentum and work on making it a long term change.</div>
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<i>Back to the UFit program...</i></div>
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I've liked doing Cindy's videos for a while now. My favorites are <a href="http://what%20is%20ufit%20training/?%20It%E2%80%99s%20an%20intense%20interval%20training%20method%20that%20uses%20targeted%20intervals%20to%20turn%20your%20body%20into%20a%20calorie-burning%20machine%20while%20building%20a%20sleek,%20toned%20physique!%20The%20Ultra%20Lean%20program%20is%20two,%2020-minute%20segments.%20Upper%20Body%20Bliss%20is%20totally%20focused%20on%20shoulders,%20biceps%20and%20triceps%20to%20carve%20that%20tank%20top%20or%20bikini%20body.%20Lower%20Body%20Blast%20burns%20away%20those%20saddlebags%20and%20leaves%20you%20with%20a%20toned,%20lifted%20butt%20and%20shapely,%20strong%20legs.%20The%20Ultra%20Burn%20program%20gives%20you%20two,%2020-minute%20workouts!%20Calorie%20Crusher%20is%20comprised%20of%20two-minute%20intervals.%20You%20start%20with%20one%20minute%20of%20high%20intensity%20cardio%20followed%20by%20one%20minute%20of%20lower%20intensity%20cardio.%20This%20innovative%20sequencing%20helps%20you%20burn%20maximum%20calories%20and%20get%20RESULTS!%20During%20the%20Stretch%20&%20Sculpt%20workout,%20you%20lengthen,%20stretch%20and%20totally%20tone%20your%20entire%20body.%20This%20workout%20is%20a%20great%20complement%20to%20the%20Calorie%20Crusher%20workout!%20The%20Ultra%20Tight%20program%20consists%20of%20two,%2020-minute%20programs.%20Hard%20Body%20is%20a%20full%20body%20workout%20of%20three-minute%20circuits.%20There%E2%80%99s%20one%20minute%20of%20intense%20cardio,%20followed%20by%20two%20minutes%20of%20%E2%80%9Ctrouble-spot-toning%E2%80%9D%20strength%20training.%20You%E2%80%99ll%20zap%20fat%20and%20tighten%20EVERYTHING!%20With%206-Pack%20Abs,%20you%20get%20a%20cardio%20ab%20workout%20composed%20of%20one%20minute%20of%20cardio%20followed%20by%20one%20minute%20of%20middle-chiseling%20abwork%20that%20creates%20the%20flat%20tummy%20you%20want." target="_blank">10 Days to a Better Body</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUS8FUZdGVw" target="_blank">Less is More</a>. She is upbeat and the workouts are great. I love how she talks about the importance of nutrition. There is a meal plan included with the program. I opted to log all my food instead. I may still consult it for some meal ideas.</div>
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<b><u>About the program (<a href="http://cindywhitmarshfitness.com/product/ufit-series-complete-set/" target="_blank">direct from her site</a>):</u></b><br />
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<b>What is UFIT Training? </b>It’s an intense interval training method that uses targeted intervals to turn your body into a calorie-burning machine while building a sleek, toned physique!<br />
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<b>The Ultra Burn</b> program gives you two, 20-minute workouts! Calorie Crusher is comprised of two-minute intervals. You start with one minute of high intensity cardio followed by one minute of lower intensity cardio. This innovative sequencing helps you burn maximum calories and get RESULTS! During the Stretch & Sculpt workout, you lengthen, stretch and totally tone your entire body. This workout is a great complement to the Calorie Crusher workout!<br />
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<b>The Ultra Lean</b> program is two, 20-minute segments. Upper Body Bliss is totally focused on shoulders, biceps and triceps to carve that tank top or bikini body. Lower Body Blast burns away those saddlebags and leaves you with a toned, lifted butt and shapely, strong legs.<br />
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<b>The Ultra Tight</b> program consists of two, 20-minute programs. Hard Body is a full body workout of three-minute circuits. There’s one minute of intense cardio, followed by two minutes of “trouble-spot-toning” strength training. You’ll zap fat and tighten EVERYTHING! With 6-Pack Abs, you get a cardio ab workout composed of one minute of cardio followed by one minute of middle-chiseling abwork that creates the flat tummy you want.<br />
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I'll review this more as I go along. I'm currently finishing up week 2.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-37599140198542511412014-01-10T01:50:00.000-05:002014-01-10T01:57:32.224-05:00Hello 2014Well it has been a while. I kinda fell off the healthy wagon after my half. The holidays did not help the matter.<br />
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<a href="http://laurajul.dk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/quotes-courage-to-continue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://laurajul.dk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/quotes-courage-to-continue.jpg" height="171" width="200" /></a>Like millions of other people, my New Year's Resolution is to be more healthy and lose some weight. I'm currently signed up for three half marathons and two 5K Obstacle Races. It's all about lining things up to help keep me motivated. You gotta know yourself.<br />
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My first half marathon for this year is the Inaugural<a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/raleigh" target="_blank"> Raleigh Rock N' Roll Half</a> on April 13. I decided I wanted to train with a running group this time around. My goal is to finish in under 2 hours. So I joined a group training for the same race. I'm really excited.<br />
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I did my first group run on Wednesday. I was supposed to be doing a 4 mile run with 2 miles at tempo pace. Well, I got talking to some other ladies and totally lost track. Oh well, my goal was also to meet new people that also like to run. Now I just need to make sure I can balance my two goals of meeting new people and doing what it takes to do a sub two hour half.<br />
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Here are a couple of pictures from my runs so far this year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5HTiwpGqblEX6_PvmW7INh5ZFp1U9XmRf4Ngk7k_VO9q9-14HlusO9gRX7gUhq99EYkoYJT27IkZkeReCHqUcLLCB3iG5mQfyb6ZdoIdXoAoPPWm763HO9TUYaF1DWwMCGEU3WNT6P8/s1600/1525623_10151952486465889_125782510_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5HTiwpGqblEX6_PvmW7INh5ZFp1U9XmRf4Ngk7k_VO9q9-14HlusO9gRX7gUhq99EYkoYJT27IkZkeReCHqUcLLCB3iG5mQfyb6ZdoIdXoAoPPWm763HO9TUYaF1DWwMCGEU3WNT6P8/s1600/1525623_10151952486465889_125782510_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Jan. 1: Committing back to running</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yLs9roloPnYPrqkYXtBI-IxGq93LDASn0xapa-uN1j3T4Wi6SPCe57-n9eFklOoOWJC-wFmLwZpFahvjRCslM9NB2iHxDb0C2VPHIumij14rjwYU8PbJDZd0e6PwlcvstNaCX4I3W7I/s1600/577825_10151959602825889_1353963137_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yLs9roloPnYPrqkYXtBI-IxGq93LDASn0xapa-uN1j3T4Wi6SPCe57-n9eFklOoOWJC-wFmLwZpFahvjRCslM9NB2iHxDb0C2VPHIumij14rjwYU8PbJDZd0e6PwlcvstNaCX4I3W7I/s1600/577825_10151959602825889_1353963137_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Jan 5: My second half marathon training officially began today. I ran in the rain. <br />I first set out to go for a 5k and ended up deciding to go for over a 10k.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhGfnVByl-oxoOM192Ie-qFsmyuTWqlPp3olpljWCRFv1DeytgQZN9300hC3gXRVLfp-8B6w23quY9SEHLpuiIvJQAxYNR7hDqaJodhzEbdD_FeLt0aYzY45ahZUoBRu02wSBfzfloXU/s1600/1524642_10151967633945889_1521739490_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhGfnVByl-oxoOM192Ie-qFsmyuTWqlPp3olpljWCRFv1DeytgQZN9300hC3gXRVLfp-8B6w23quY9SEHLpuiIvJQAxYNR7hDqaJodhzEbdD_FeLt0aYzY45ahZUoBRu02wSBfzfloXU/s1600/1524642_10151967633945889_1521739490_n.jpg" height="400" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Jan 9: A nice hilly run at lunch. Enjoyed getting outside</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">mid-day and it was 50° to boot </span><i class="_4-k1 img sp_8cfo8q sx_e0e75d" style="background-color: white; background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yg/r/iragtz1H48G.png); background-position: -187px -656px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; height: 16px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"></i></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-64009793761038716692013-11-04T16:52:00.001-05:002014-11-13T23:20:43.300-05:00Fall InspirationI love Fall! I love all the colors of the leaves and the cooler temperatures. I've lived in many states that have pretty Falls (NH, NY, CO) but North Carolina is the best! I love NC Fall because it lasts longer than a week. I love that it comes on slowly until one day your like wow Fall is really here.<br />
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I was a slacker last week and only went to Zumba once. I had not ran since my half marathon. Last week was also Halloween. So I have eaten terrible up until today. It makes me sick to even think about all the candy I consumed. Oh well, time to cut the crap.<br />
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Today I start another round of <a href="http://www.momsintofitness.com/shop/pretty-fierce-lean-out/" target="_blank">Mom's into Fitness Pretty Fierce: Lean Out</a> program. I did it earlier this year and really enjoyed it and had great results. I also committed to keep up with my running. So my hubby made my lunch for me today to bring to work. I packed up my running gear so I could run at lunch.<br />
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I'm proud to say I got my run in. It was a beautiful fall day. I felt pretty good for not running for a week. I'm really glad to get back at it. It made me realize that I really do enjoy running now. It's so crazy to say that, but it is true. It gives me time to think. I also love the time it gives me to enjoy the outdoors and appreciate the area that we live in. We have so many wonderful Greenways near home and work.<br />
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Today I did 5 miles. My only issue was my left calf getting really tight. I know it is just from not running for a week. but it is ok, I am back:)<br />
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Tonight I do the first DVD of the program,Total Body Endurance. I will leave that to it's own post tomorrow.... haha<br />
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Happy Monday!<br />
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<a href="http://timetokickbuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/because-today-is-another-day-to-get-it-right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://timetokickbuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/because-today-is-another-day-to-get-it-right.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-86791173049578428552013-10-31T00:54:00.000-04:002014-01-16T11:28:20.377-05:00What's NextWhile training for my half I really neglected strength training. So now I really want to set my focus back on that while keeping up some of the mileage I have built up in running.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eTnnoTsPekp9m3PwO8-fW0egqMbGOHgi7PrKkb3PL14MOecVs7wxGDHFAW-FdHr9YHtH0NqC76ggSyzpjjYQIsivuJ7FVjaLWnTcBFBmFZc36WqflCyvNGD90tnYji5qPqd_ACVbLTg/s1600/11-disc-set.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eTnnoTsPekp9m3PwO8-fW0egqMbGOHgi7PrKkb3PL14MOecVs7wxGDHFAW-FdHr9YHtH0NqC76ggSyzpjjYQIsivuJ7FVjaLWnTcBFBmFZc36WqflCyvNGD90tnYji5qPqd_ACVbLTg/s1600/11-disc-set.png" height="235" width="320" /></a></div>
Earlier this year I completed the <a href="http://www.momsintofitness.com/shop/pretty-fierce-lean-out/" target="_blank">Mom's into Fitness Pretty Fierce: Lean Out</a> program. It's a 60 day 11 DVD program. I absolutely loved the program and had great results. So I plan to start that up next Monday.<br />
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I love the program because it has some flex days and I can sub in some runs. I think the program will really help me grow stronger as a runner as well.<br />
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I signed up to join a local running group that is training for the <a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/raleigh" target="_blank">Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh Half Marathon</a> in April 2014. The training starts January 5th. I'm really excited to work with the trainer and to meet new people. I'm hoping to find a running buddy especially for these short winter days.<br />
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I'm really pushing myself to get outside my comfort zone and try new things.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2150784551577095212.post-78868274038993690642013-10-29T16:01:00.001-04:002014-11-13T23:18:15.210-05:00I did it! 13.1 Miles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="http://triviumracing.com/Images/Greensboro-Marathon-2013_frontpage.png" height="241" width="640" /></div>
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I woke up on Saturday feeling excited and a little nervous. I was more worried about the cold as it was around 28-30 degrees when I woke up. The week prior had been a gorgeous 60 degrees. So I had not trained in colder weather and I was nervous about what I should wear.<br />
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I ended up wearing:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.target.com/p/c9-by-champion-women-s-compression-tight-assorted-colors/-/A-14655892#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=C9+by+Champion%C2%AE+Women%27s+Compression+Tights" target="_blank">C9 by Champion® Women's Compression Tights</a> from Target</li>
<li><a href="http://www.target.com/p/c9-by-champion-women-s-premium-skort-assorted-colors/-/A-14298702" target="_blank">C9 by Champion® Women's Premium Skort</a> from Target</li>
<li>My Kudzu Green Sport Tek T-Shirt from work</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oiselle-Running-Womens-Solid-Warmers/dp/B00CIQJGP4" target="_blank">Oiselle Running Women's Solid Arm Warmers</a> from Amazon</li>
<li>My green light weight jacket with the thumb holes </li>
<li>My <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Ghost-6/ghost-6,default,pg.html?src=pgooaw616&mkwid=sf8CXeDlr&pcrid=26729242826&pmt=b&pkw=%2Bbrooks%20%2Bghost&mr:adGroup=2801816906&mr:ad=26729242826&mr:keyword=%2Bbrooks%20%2Bghost&mr:placement=&mr:match=b&mr:referralID=NA&gclid=CJ2lgrmwvLoCFQ2g4AodLB8AMQ" target="_blank">Brooks Ghost 6</a> from my local Running Store <a href="http://offnrunningsports.com/" target="_blank">Off n' Running</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.armpocket.com/products/i30.html" target="_blank">Armpocket</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004K6XNQS/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Ultimate Direction Access Waist Pack</a></li>
</ul>
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I thought I'd end up shedding the jacket but it was just too cold and I ended up being very comfortable with it on.</div>
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The week before the race I started becoming very nervous about the hills. I had trained on some hills but I was not sure I had done enough. Luckily they ended up not being so bad. I tried to not focus on them and instead would pick runners near me that I wanted to pass. It became a fun game and with every runner I passed the more confident I became and the faster the miles went by.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://www.greensboromarathon.com/Images/half-marathon-elevation-map.png" height="160" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greensboro Half Marathon Elevation Map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdHah1_8lLxRucoJgdokrmwfCR5f4d7vPwlAggk59sMmUBGn8mXfNt-GMALCi3hA3Rl2QMp1UPeZWXqwW1K3DlGd4QqV3bSQJBkUkmMeiyv3_UzabxS6KH-GoSMe88P8OnZi_JLT-8BM/s1600/map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdHah1_8lLxRucoJgdokrmwfCR5f4d7vPwlAggk59sMmUBGn8mXfNt-GMALCi3hA3Rl2QMp1UPeZWXqwW1K3DlGd4QqV3bSQJBkUkmMeiyv3_UzabxS6KH-GoSMe88P8OnZi_JLT-8BM/s400/map.JPG" height="202" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race Map</td></tr>
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My goal going into the race was to finish in 2 hours 15 minutes. Which would be a pace of about 10 minutes 18 seconds per mile. Which was very reasonable from my training and gave some extra time for the hills.<br />
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I ended up finishing in 2 hours 6 minutes and 43 seconds! I was super proud of that finish. I did have a secret dream of doing it in 2 hours but hey this was my first and you always have to have goals. Plus the hills definitley were a factor. Although I will say I did a pretty good job of keeping a consistent pace even with the hills.<br />
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<b>According MapMyRun my race splits were:</b></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 168px;"><colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 2523; mso-width-source: userset; width: 52pt;" width="69"></col>
<col style="mso-width-alt: 3620; mso-width-source: userset; width: 74pt;" width="99"></col>
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<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt; width: 52pt;" width="69"><u><b>Distance</b></u></td>
<td style="width: 74pt;" width="99"><u><b>Pace</b></u></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">1 Mile</td>
<td>09:37 min/mi</td>
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<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">2 Mile</td>
<td>09:38 min/mi</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">3 Mile</td>
<td>09:42 min/mi<span id="goog_920043323"></span><span id="goog_920043324"></span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">4 Mile</td>
<td>09:50 min/mi</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">5 Mile</td>
<td>09:24 min/mi</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">6 Mile</td>
<td>09:12 min/mi</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">7 Mile</td>
<td>09:31 min/mi</td>
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<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">8 Mile</td>
<td>09:16 min/mi</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">9 Mile</td>
<td>09:29 min/mi</td>
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<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">10 Mile</td>
<td>09:43 min/mi</td>
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<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">11 Mile</td>
<td>09:44 min/mi</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">12 Mile</td>
<td>09:47 min/mi</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">13 Mile</td>
<td>09:37 min/mi</td>
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<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">13.3 Mile</td>
<td>08:20 min/mi</td>
</tr>
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One of my favorite parts of the race was having my family there to cheer me on. My In-laws were visiting and came a day early so they could make the race. That meant a lot to me. My husband and daughter were of course there. I saw them at the start, around mile 6 and at the finish. Most of the pictures were taken by my husband.<br />
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I was also surprised at the finish line by my boss and his daughter. I veered over and gave him a high five right before crossing the finish line. It felt awesome to have all the support.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVWqHu2d87D296toom_wySUYuFmeNWVJTjPOZx7darxH2PkRNsaRREY9K5jqUsYcn6aVEheUfgYQg0MSzQLjsFDZ_1CaULrr2Kx0OGW-9b3dUxnM65-sb2drBX6LD2fPN4zoCJlGBi2s/s1600/1381785_10151808402325889_766954702_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVWqHu2d87D296toom_wySUYuFmeNWVJTjPOZx7darxH2PkRNsaRREY9K5jqUsYcn6aVEheUfgYQg0MSzQLjsFDZ_1CaULrr2Kx0OGW-9b3dUxnM65-sb2drBX6LD2fPN4zoCJlGBi2s/s1600/1381785_10151808402325889_766954702_n.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
A highlight for me was around mile 7. I was running along when all of
a sudden I was passed by the winner of the marathon who was followed by
a cop car. For him it was around mile 20. It was so cool seeing him fly
by doing twice the distance I was doing. The marathoners started 45
minutes before the half marathoners. He won the race doing the 26.2
miles in 2 hours 30 minutes 30 seconds! It was amazing to watch the
elite runners. Eight Marathoners finished in under 3 hours.<br />
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The winner of the half marathon finished it in 1 hour 12 minutes.<br />
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I have to say it was a pretty perfect experience. All my training paid off as I had no problems completing the distance. I felt great the whole time. I was able to beat my original goal. I had a great cheering team. The weather was cold but ended up being a nice temperature for racing once I got going. The event had a lot of wonderful volunteers. I'm so glad I committed to doing this.<br />
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<u><b>Here were my finial results:</b></u><br />
Finish percentile is top 41%<br />
Age group percentile is top 37%<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWCfECOSkWQdFgdRKSjgw3usN84G643zEWXlaidlfAhPlliWQl_fmxyKhFvWKvJuXMys8k4Im8xuajfp5ZxboAlHw43eDahP3JIhFmOEsRe7e5NLlXtpFSStKy7XV-k_QVdCYPDRnpUY/s1600/results+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWCfECOSkWQdFgdRKSjgw3usN84G643zEWXlaidlfAhPlliWQl_fmxyKhFvWKvJuXMys8k4Im8xuajfp5ZxboAlHw43eDahP3JIhFmOEsRe7e5NLlXtpFSStKy7XV-k_QVdCYPDRnpUY/s1600/results+2.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0OyY5ht_Y9EvcQJVeJkW9LyVCMIZOobpBZBpbKsFLQoC6wrGSH72-sFcE0A54XxMeqGIKtXiqIDOnjb0s86JYrSEfj-cSYIIEyPkicA2yL9QjX3ab8KaPSBGYa-8lFVVecDA9xdHwVE/s1600/results.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0OyY5ht_Y9EvcQJVeJkW9LyVCMIZOobpBZBpbKsFLQoC6wrGSH72-sFcE0A54XxMeqGIKtXiqIDOnjb0s86JYrSEfj-cSYIIEyPkicA2yL9QjX3ab8KaPSBGYa-8lFVVecDA9xdHwVE/s640/results.JPG" height="123" width="640" /></a></div>
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What's next? I'm thinking the Inaugural <a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/raleigh" target="_blank">Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh</a> Half Marathon with a goal of 2 hours :)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968402813401079041noreply@blogger.com0