First Long Run

I had to complete a 6 mile run on Sunday. I was both excited and dreading it. I had only ran 6 miles at my 10K back in June and that was the farthest I've ever ran.

I got a late start and ended up not going out until 12:30pm. Luckily it was a nice day and not a lot of heat and humidity.

Flip Belt | I have the gray one

I got a little past my halfway point and realized my ID was missing. I had put it in my Flip Belt along with some money and a credit card (I will never put them in like that again). It must have fallen out when I had taken my phone out to check my distance. I ended up back tracking looking for it and ended up logging an extra mile. I could not find it and just kept my eyes open hoping to come across it. Then I spotted a walker up ahead and decided to ask her if she had found a license. And to my complete surprise and  relief she had! SCORE! Thank goodness :) I told her thank you and that she had made my day.

The time is still an hour ahead on here for the start time. Not sure why, I have it on New York Time Zone.

Women's Nike Air Relentless 2

 Overall I felt great on my run. At first my right calf felt pretty tight but lossend up as I got further into the run. I kept experiencing some numbness in my left foot. Not sure if I had my shoe too tight. I'll have to keep aware of that. I may need to get fitted fora better running shoe. Since I am new to running and long distance running my biggest fear is dealing with injuries. I'd hate to cause any that I could have missed.

The shoe I am currently running in is the Women's Nike Air Relentless 2 Running Shoes. I got them at Kohl's just before my 10K. They are really cute and overall comfortable. I'm just not sure they will perform well for my long runs. We will see...

Armpocket | i-15

I noticed a couple blisters on both my heels. They are very miner and don't hurt at all. I will also have to keep on eye on those. Overall it was a great run with some adventure.

I really want an Armpocket now to hold my Galaxy S3. It has room for money, cards and a key. It can also fit the phone with a case on it which is so great because I hate taking the protective case off an on. After losing my ID using the Flip Belt I just don't trust it now. After looking around I think the Armpocket is the way to go. I'm hoping I get it for my birthday on Wednesday :)

Tomorrow I run 4 miles. Now I got to go to bed. I've got to get better about going to bed earlier if I ever hope to actually get up at a descent hour to get my runs in before work and before it gets too hot out.

Virtual Races

Something really neat I discovered last month is Virtual Races.

What is a Virtual Race?

A virtual race is just like a normal race. There a number of different lengths you can sign up for including 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon. They are great because there is usually a time period you have to finish the race by. So you can do the race when it works for your schedule (weekday, weekend, morning, night, outdoors, treadmill, etc). I've seen some that have you sign up for a marathon but you can take as many runs as you want to total the full marathon. You can even walk them if you chose because there is no actual time limit. I see a lot of people doing them with their kids.

One such race:

Joggermom Cancer Run Virtual Marathon 2013
When: Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 1:00 AM - Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 11:30 PM (PDT) 
What: You have the whole month to complete 26.2 miles, there is no need to complete it all in 1 run

Note: I'm signed up for this one and am very excited. I will be logging miles for my training anyway so I might as well have some fun while I'm at it. 


What you get:

• Normally you get a downloadable race bib that you can personalize and printout
• Sometimes a t-shirt
• Usually a finishers medal
• Chances to win fun prizes
• Satisfaction that you are running for different charities
 

The races tend to range in price from $10 to $30. Some you can do for fun but you will not get any goodies or bling. Just a printable bib and you can enter your time.

So far I have completed the Mom's Run This Town Summer Virtual: Running Mad 2013. I absolutely loved the theme and the medal is super cute.

I completed the 5K running with my bean. We had a blast. I printed out the bib and pined it on the jogging stroller. We took pictures of our run and just had fun with it. I can't wait to get my medal and see the final results of all the other racers. I'm also hoping to have won a prize in one of their random drawings.

A great place to find out about all the different virtual races is the Facebook Group Virtual Runs! There are a lot of fun ones out there with really fun themes. Most are for great causes.

So what are you waiting for? Let's virtual race :)

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.

13.1 Miles because I'm only Half Crazy

I have never been a runner. I've always envied those that are. Thinking how easy they make it look. In school I always struggled with the 1 mile run. I hated running!

Fast forward to my 31st year of life (2013).

I've always enjoyed gym classes like Zumba, Kickboxing and Spinning. Heck I think I'm pretty fit in those classes. When I look around and see others huffing and puffing and I feel strong. I even did Zumba until I was 38 weeks pregnant while scaring my fellow classmates and instructors to death worrying that I was going to give birth in the middle of class (if only it were that easy). Yet running I still struggled with.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not a superwoman. I get on and off the fitness wagon enough to just about make my goal and then relapse to 5 to 10 pounds over it. Hey life gets in the way, right? You just gotta keep fighting the good battle. (I digress...)

Ran my first 5K :: March 2, 2013

Then a group of my coworkers signed up for a 5K and I knew I had to conquer this running demon I've had on my back all these years. There is no reason you cannot run I kept telling myself. I can do 2 hour Zumbathons with no problem. So I did some training and by golly I ran my first 5K without walking. It was an amazing feeling. I loved passing other people and realizing I could run. It was not my body that denied me this pride it was my mind.

I did a couple more 4 and 5K's and decided to do a 10K. I did not train very much but I was able to complete it in just over an hour. I could not believe I had ran 6.2 miles straight. If you had told me that a year ago I would have asked you what you were smoking.There would be NO way.

Now I've committed to doing my first half marathon. I feel a little bit of dread when I think about it. But I also think about what I will feel like at the finish line. I like doing things I've thought I could never do. It's a great reminder of what is possible with dedication and belief in yourself.

I still don't LOVE running. But I no longer HATE running. We are in a "it's complicated relationship".

Here is my journey to 13.1 (because I'm only HALF crazy)......