Hello 2014

Well it has been a while. I kinda fell off the healthy wagon after my half. The holidays did not help the matter.

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.

My first half marathon for this year is the Inaugural Raleigh Rock N' Roll Half 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.

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.

Here are a couple of pictures from my runs so far this year.

Jan. 1: Committing back to running

Jan 5: My second half marathon training officially began today. I ran in the rain.
I first set out to go for a 5k and ended up deciding to go for over a 10k.

Jan 9: A nice hilly run at lunch. Enjoyed getting outside
mid-day and it was 50° to boot 

Ready or Not

I ended up running 3.35 miles last night on my own. I felt pretty good. It was a hilly route to help get warmed up for Saturday. I'm a little nervous about the hill profile for the race. There's some pretty large hills in the beginning and a big one towards the end.

Greensboro Half Marathon Elevation Chart

I love this!

 I'm trying not to put a lot of pressure on myself. I know my goal for a first half marathon should be to just complete it. Yet I keep having this time in my head that I would really like to get. I think I need to step back and just relax (easier said then done).

Tonight I am going to run the same route I ran last night for my final run before Saturday. I may add a street to make it a 4 miler. Heck I might even change it up and do a 4 miler I used to do at the beginning of training. I will see how I feel after work. I plan to just enjoy it and work on my form a bit. I also need to get my head in the right place.

After my run I'm going to put together my play list for Saturday. I'll post it tomorrow. I have been asking for song recommendations from friends and am excited to see what I come up with. I know I am going to need some good motivational tunes especially for that last big hill at mile 10.

Tomorrow is the Race Expo / Packet Pickup. This sh*t is getting real!

Friday Run

I was supposed to run yesterday but life got in the way. So I decided to make it up this morning. Let me tell you when my alarm went off at 6:45am I was not happy (I am NOT a morning person). Yet I told myself I absolutely had to since I did not go yesterday.


I ran 4 miles. I got another personal record at 38:25. It's so fun competing against myself. I like seeing my improvement. Some days I can't believe I signed up for a half marathon. Other days I'm like "Yeah I've GOT This". 

Earned some more badges

Today I had to battle with my sunglasses fogging up from the humidity and the sweat I was putting off. My husband says I should try some stuff he uses for his glasses when he wears them under ski goggles for skiing. So I'm going to try that tonight and let you all know if it works. I was getting very frustrated not being able to see well. Luckily my run was mostly under the shade of trees so I was able to take them off for most of the run.

I'm going to see how I feel tonight but I may go to Zumba. I don't want to overdo it but I LOVE Zumba. So we will see. Plus tomorrow is my rest day so it will be nice to recover.

Well I hope everyone is having a fabulous Friday!

Fabulous Birthday!

I had a wonderful birthday yesterday. I began it by running my 4 miles. It felt pretty good. I can tell I'm getting stronger everyday. My calves were less sore.

It was a nice cool morning. The trail had a couple people walking their dogs on it. It was nice and quiet and I was able to just let my mind wander. I think that is part of the training as well. You can't think about every mile or it will seem to take forever. I'm training myself to just let go and enjoy the journey. It may be the toughest part of the training.

One of my favorite things about running is going back to check my MapMyFitness stats. I love seeing how I have improved. It's also fun earning course badges. I racked up some great badges with yesterday's run.

It's amazing to find what motivates you. I love seeing progress in graphs and badges. It keeps me going. What keeps you going?

The rest of the day was amazing. I felt so loved. One of my coworkers decorated my office with streamers. Another coworker baked me "made from scratch" cupcakes. I used my spa gift certificate from last year which included a mani, 30 minute massage and 30 minute facial.

The massage was wonderful. I had the masseuse focus on my legs. He really worked the tightness out of them and my calves feel amazing today.  I'm thinking after my half I am going to treat myself to a massage. That way when I'm hurting I will just imagine that when I am done I get a massage:)

When I got home the hubby had cleaned the house, made me a birthday dinner and got me flowers. I got to spend the night with my 19 month old and the hubby and it was a perfect end to a perfect day.


So far being 32 rocks!

3rd Run in the Books

My third half marathon training run is done :)

For some reason my time is off by an hour. I started at 7:43pm, not 8:43pm. Oh well.

I felt pretty good. I ran pushing my bean. She is so fun to run with. She says hi to everyone and everything. Tonight it was people, dogs, squirrels, and rabbits. We also live near an airport so there are a good number of planes that fly by. She likes to point every single one of them out.

I also did a ten mile bike ride with coworkers after work. It was nice to get out of the office and enjoy the great weather.

All in all it was a great day. My next run is 6 miles on Sunday. I'll have to plan out my run to see where I should go.

Training Begins

I started my 12 week training program on July 29th. I'm following the MapMyRun MVP Half Marathon Beginner program. I like their app for tracking my runs. I like seeing the map of where I ran and my split times. I'm still trying to figure out how the courses work so I can compete against myself.

This weeks Program so far:

Monday - 4.0 mi Run / Jog (Done - Ran pushing stroller 4.27 miles, 10:43 Pace, Total time 45:47)
Intensity: Conversational
Run at an easy conversational pace

Tuesday - Off (I did not do this, I need to plan these out better)
Intensity: Moderate
Duration: 45:00 Begin with the general strength routine and complete a core strength routine and then move to you choice of cardiovascular cross training options: elliptical, stair climber, exercise bike, rowing machine or cross country skiing machine for the remainder of the time.

Wednesday - 4.0 mi Run / Jog (Done 4.31 miles, 9:47 Pace, Total time 42:12)
Intensity: Conversational
An easy run at a conversational pace with 4 x 100m strides after run

I'm feeling a little sore. I plan to add a Bikram Yoga class or Regular Yoga class once a week to make sure I'm stretching enough. I think I will do Zumba on Friday and Bikram Saturday morning.