8 MILE

On Sunday I did my 8 miler. It was the farthest I have ever ran. I was surprised at how good I felt. The beautiful weather definitley helped. Plus I did the Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway which is a great place to run. There is shade almost everywhere on the trail. I enjoyed people watching as I made my way through 8 miles.

I was actually surprised at my pace. I did 8.03 miles in 1:19:42 with a pace of 9:56. I am pretty proud of that :)

Next Sunday I tackle 9 miles!

New Kicks

I finally broke down and decided to get some new running shoes. Other runners kept telling me that I should go to a running store and get fitted for the right pair of shoes. I finally decided to give it a try after my 7 mile run last Monday. My left outside of my foot hurt afterwords and my left foot kept getting numb.

So on Wednesday I went to my local running store Off n'Running. They had me run up and down the store and video taped it. Then they did a gait analysis. For those that don't know a gait analysis is an examination of the way your foot falls as you run. It was determined that I don't run in a funny way so I just need a shoe with good cushion and they sized me for an eight. Normally I buy a 7.5.

I ended up getting the new Brooks Ghost 6. I was prepared to buy comfortable shoes no matter how they looked. I was not going to buy them on how cute they are (which is how I normally buy). I was pleasantly surprised to not only find these comfortable but they are also cute too.

 I have ran about 19 miles on them so far. Overall I'm pretty happy with them. I still have a little pain on my outer right foot but I think it is just healing from before. My left foot still gets numb around mile 3-4, but I find if I take off my shoe and sock and put them back on it goes away. Not sure if my foot just swells a bit after running for awhile and my laces are too tight. I'm going to get some new socks to see if that will help. At least I have time to try and see what works.

Any suggestions?

The Brooks Ghost 6

The Brooks Ghost 6

Armpocket Review & Giveaway

A little while ago I had talked about wanting an Armpocket. Well I finally got one and I have been using it for a little over a week.

I got the i-30 in pink with small arm strap. Armpocket recommended that I get the i-30 model since I have the humungous Samsung Galaxy S3 with Body Glove Case. I'm glad they recommended that one because I don't think it would have fit in the i-15.

Tech Specs

Model: i-30

Colors: Black, Pink, Splash, Yellow
Dimensions (H x W x D): - 5.5" x 3.8" x 0.8", (14 cm x 9.5 cm x 1.9 cm)
Strap Sizes (measured around upper arm):
- Small: 7" - 11" (18 cm - 28 cm)
- Medium: 10" - 15" (25 cm - 38 cm)
- Large: 13" - 18" (33 cm - 46 cm)
Recommended for:
- Most phones with Large Cases (Otterbox), including iPhone 4/4s/5
- Samsung Galaxy SIII/S4 (with a thin case)

Here is my review of the Armpocket i-30 


Note: There is actually a size bigger available. The i-35 which fits the Galaxy Note 2 and other devices/cases up to 6 inches.

I'm excited to announce that one lucky winner will win their very own Armpocket.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Week 3

I had planned to do my 6 mile run early Sunday morning but I stayed up way too late and slept in. By the time I was ready to run it was way too hot. The humidity has also been extremely high lately. So I opted to do my run on the dreadmill aka treadmill. I have decided I really prefer running outside. It is so much more enjoyable.

The run went ok. I must run different on the treadmill because I could feel my left calf and my knees. I decided to change it up and watch Netflix on my Roku while I ran instead of my usual music. I watched Drop Dead Diva. I enjoyed the show and it helped pass the time. I watched the first 2 episodes.

This morning I got up and ran my 5 miles. It was so nice to get back outside. My left calf is a little sore still from Sunday but it held up. I'm hoping some yoga tomorrow will help stretch it out.

I have some exciting news coming up, so please stay tuned :)

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!

Centergy... Sure Why Not

Today was a cross train day for me. My muscles are pretty sore so I decided a yoga class would be the ticket. The only class available at my gym that fit into my schedule was a class called Centergy. It's a class made by BodyTraining Systems (BTS). Personally I'm not a big fan of the series. They have group classes such as Group Kick (kickboxing), Group Power (like body pump with weights), Group Ride (cycle/spinning), etc. I prefer instructors that teach their own style. When I lived in NY our gym had moved to this system and it was just not the same in my opinion. With that said I wanted to give Centergy a try with an open mind.

The class was not that busy. There were about 10 people. (I'm used to the Zumba classes where there are 30+.) The teacher was nice and did an alright job of leading the class. I was thrown off by the music that was played during the class. I have never done a yoga class to songs from Taylor Swift. It was a little strange yet I continued to try to keep an open mind.

The class is a fusion between Yoga and Pilates (check out theYouTube video I found). It moved from one pose to another and repeated a couple times. The moves were pretty basic. It definitely got my heart pounding and my body nice and stretched out (which I needed badly). However, I found myself longing for a yoga class without pop music. I missed the quiet and peacefulness of a traditional class. I also longed for Bikram yoga (nothing like a good hot yoga cleansing sweat).

I'm glad I went but I'm not sure I would go again. It's just not my thing. I may try it one more time now that I know exactly what to expect. I really crave a traditional class. Time to check out the schedule and see what I can fit in.

The good news is I feel good. My body definitely needed to stretch. Tomorrow is another 4 miler and it's my birthday. It's going to be a good day I can feel it :)