Race Recap times THREE.

It has been so long since I've written in this blog. Months, actually. It's almost embarrassing. I guess life got in the way. There has been a lot of personal life drama going on since the end of October and I have just abandoned the blog. Oops. :-(

Anyhow, I haven't been running a lot in the past couple of weeks due to school and work... mostly school. I've been really focused on getting through the semester so that I can move forward with life after May. Whew. Anyways.. now back to running. Haven't done it much since Chicago. I've had really good weeks and really awful weeks... but I've been lacking in consistency, unfortunately. Ugh.

Anyways... so THREE race recaps since the end of October. No joke.

Race one: Wine & Dine Half Marathon, November 10

As this race was the first one after my really rough Halloween Halfathon experience, I wasn't too excited about it, frankly. I felt burnt out on Disney races for the year (I did way too many...) and felt like I should just stop running for a while. I was also exhausted from work and school, as I have been all semester, so I just wasn't excited. My friend Megan  came to run with a bunch of her friends (yay new runner friends!), so of course I was looking forward to the weekend. Just not the race part.

I worked the morning of the race, then took the bus over to Megan and Heather's hotel so that we could all ride over together. (ugh. most awful bus ride ever. Disney transportation is usually reliable, but it was so frustrating and I was in a time crunch.) When I finally got there, I had time to get changed, go to the bathroom, and leave. It was crazy! We went over to the All Star resorts to meet up with more of the group and then headed to the race!

We hung out at Wide World of Sports for a few hours before it was time to get into the corrals. Before we knew it, it was time to start running! Super crazy. I was a little concerned about how my body would react, because I had been up since early that morning and hadn't had a chance to nap at all. Somehow, I was able to gain a second wind, because I ended up feeling okay the entire race. We all initially split up to run at our own pace, which was fine. The plan was to meet up at mile 5 or 8. So there we went.

I felt pretty strong right off of the bat. I passed a lot of people, which is sort of the norm for RunDisney. Big corrals and crowding at the beginning. No surprise there. I felt really good. We ran to Animal Kingdom and through the park. I stopped at the bathroom in the park just to be safe and then kept going. I found Megan and Heather right after mile 5 and we ran together for the rest of the race. It was fun. Being Heather's first race, we ran at her pace to ensure that she would finish strong.. and she did!

We ran through all of the parks besides the Magic Kingdom, which was fun. I enjoyed the course, like I typically do. I just love running through the parks, because there is always so much to look at. They had the Osborne Spectacle of Lights on which was really awesome.

Megan and I stopped to hang with some friends!

The race was really fun. We stayed for the after party, but we were all pretty tired, so we didn't do a ton. We hit some rides and then ate. I slept like a baby that night, though. Exhausting day.

Race two. Subaru Distance Classic Half Marathon, Jacksonville. November 22, Thanksgiving

This is an Alicia and Katherine tradition since we moved to Florida. I hope that I can always find a Thanksgiving Day race that I want to participate in, regardless of where I live.

This race is really neat because it has a small-town feel, even though it is in a fairly large city. Katherine and I both had PRs from last year and were both hoping to get new ones this year. I didn't sleep well the night before, which made me nervous about the race when I woke up in the morning. I wasn't super excited about it. However, I got up and we went out to run.

Kath started the race with me, but I told her to go run her race pretty quickly and she told me that it would be okay if I took short walk breaks, then ran ahead. I felt fantastic for the entire race and was way under PR pace until mile 8, when I had to use the bathroom so much that I could not physically run anymore. I had skipped every port-a-potty that I had come by, because I didn't want to wait in any lines and screw up my PR hopes. Bad idea. I slowly walked for an entire mile before I could stop. I lost more time in that mile than it could have possibly taken for me to wait in line. At that point, I had slowed my pace down by at least an entire minute. I knew I would not PR unless something crazy happened (not likely).

At that point, I knew that all I could do was push myself to do the best that I could. So I did. I cut my pace down about 30 seconds per minute (which I was pleased with, considering how late it was during the race). I finished in 2:56... about 6 minutes slower than my PR... but definitely one of my faster races. I was a little disappointed, but pleased that I had done well considering my stubbornness.

Kath got her PR though! Yay!

Race three. Santa Hustle Half Marathon, Daytona Beach. December 9.

Let's just say... have you ever run a half marathon in sand? It is no joke. At all. Somehow, I missed the memo that the race was actually ON the beach.. until we went to packet pick up. I had hoped to finally get that PR that I almost got a few weeks ago, but I sort of figured that I wouldn't be able to do it.. I was hopeful, though. 

The race didn't start until 9 am. (My thoughts: Yay and nay! It was nice to be able to get ready slowly, BUT it was quite warm outside.) We went to the start for the pre-race party. We had some donuts and walked around and took some pictures. It was really fun. We got to the start... and I felt sort of excited, but nervous about the race. 

The race literally started with an uphill run, then went around a corner and... onto the beach. As soon as we hit the sand, I got frustrated. I felt all of my hopes of a PR and a fantastic race just fly out of the window. I was disappointed and frustrated and overheated... already. It took me a little bit of time to get over it and just try to have a good time. When I finally started to feel a little better, the race got to be a lot more fun. It was really rough on my muscles. Parts of my body that have never ached before were extremely sore... but Katherine stayed with me the entire time and we had some fun talking and trying to push it as hard as we (well I) could. 

Overall, the race was really fun. I wish that I didn't have the high expectations that I did, because the letdown was pretty tough. Once I got out of my head, I really had a fun and challenging race. Our finishing time was 3:11. It was definitely NOT my worst time. I'm impressed with that. My body was more sore after that race than I have been after a race in quite a while. I'm super glad that Kath stayed with me and we were able to run together for the whole race. I definitely took some of my frustrations out on her when I was feeling frustrated and annoyed. (Sorry Kath!!!!!!!) 

Glad I did it.. I don't know if I will do it again next year. We'll see.

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days

So far: 770.35 miles/347 days

To go: 229.65 miles/19 days

(yep.. not going to happen.)

Finally getting my groove back

Today, I ran.
I feel like I should be proud of my accomplishment, considering what a hectic few weeks that I've had. So I am a little proud. At the same time, I'm somewhat disappointed that I have taken way too much time off of running lately.

There's no purpose to beating myself up about it, though.

Today, I did ten miles. My goal was somewhere between 9 and 15, but I had a late start, so I sorta knew that 15 was out of the picture. I really don't want to kill myself with running before two weeks of races, also. (Whose idea was that...?!)

My ten miles went really well. I did about 6.5 of them with Katherine and the rest by myself. She caught up with me after she got home from work and changed. My legs felt awesome until the last mile or so, then I started to get worn out. I'm a little concerned about that, considering Chicago is less than two weeks away. I just have to keep pushing it and thinking positive thoughts. Racing feels a lot different than training for some reason. Too often, training runs feel like they drag on endlessly.

I've also noticed that I've started getting really hungry. All of the time. It started at about the time that I started kicking up my training in late June and early July. I'm not sure if it is normal or not. I guess that it probably is a normal thing when training so many hours per week. I just need to start focusing on eating correctly rather than constantly consuming crappy food. I have weight I want to lose and I want my body to be at it's best. That's my goal. I'm tired of being stuck in the same weight range, when I know that I have another 20 pounds to lose.

I've signed up for this year's Triathlon Challenge. It's an October month long challenge through the UCF gym to try to complete an Ironman distance race within the month of October. I did it last year and the bike was REALLY tough. I'm toying with the idea of doing a triathlon in Indiana next summer, so I think this will help me get my head on straight. I also think I can do it a little bit more successfully than I did last year. 

Anyways. Ten miles today in the books. Lots of fun. Good run for once. Back at it tomorrow.

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days

So far: 621.01 miles/268 days

To go: 378.99 miles/98 days

Wipe out!

I've had the most intense week and a half.
I'm not even 100% where to start with this. It's been so crazy.

I think I wrote about it, but last Monday, I was in a car accident. I've had my car in the shop since last Saturday and it's been so frustrating to not have a car. I should have gotten a rental car, but I really thought I'd have my car back by now. I know that it's not really anybody's specific fault. It's just a frustrating situation. I should have my car back early next week. (fingers crossed!)
[I'm super thankful for having a really awesome best friend who has been willing to go out of her way to drive me around.]

That's her!

So anyways, I have been majorly slacking on my running lately. I've also been extremely stressed out about school and my car. I've been putting in a lot of time looking for a full time job. I'm two weeks away from being 26, which means that I come off of my mom's health insurance soon. (as a person with epilepsy, it is pretty important that I stay insured.) I've had a lot on my mind. I guess that running hasn't been working out so well for me. I do need to try to keep my focus though. It's really a prime example of how life can knock a person down... and then kick the same person at the same time. (a few times.) That's sort of what I feel like I've been dealing with lately.

So. I have two runs that I haven't posted about. It's been a week since I've last posted and I've only run twice. That's a little bit sad. But oh well. It's all in having a positive attitude. I just have to keep picking myself up every day. 

Last Thursday, I went for a run after class. I went to the gym with a friend from class. It was fun. We ran on the treadmill, which I hate, but we talked a lot and it was fun. It didn't even feel like I spent an hour on the treadmill. I'm glad I did it! I almost didn't go to the gym, because I had opened at work. Then I had three hours of class. I just didn't want to deal with it. I did, though. I ended up with about four and a quarter miles in a little over an hour. Not terrible.

Today, I opened at work. I was super upset when I got home, because I thought that I'd get to pick up my car today. No such luck. Anyways, I decided that I wasn't going to run today. Then, Katherine got home. She convinced me to run with her. We actually had an awesome run! We aimed for 5 miles, but saw a thunderstorm coming, so we decided to just wing it. We did end up making it to 5 miles! However, I definitely tripped over something. (I'm still not sure what.) I fell hard onto the ground. I skinned two knees and both hands. I feel like I bruised my shoulder, too, but I'm not 100% sure about that. I haven't looked yet. 

It was a little funny, because, when I fell, I jumped right back up because I was worried about my Garmin and my pace. haha. That's a sign of a certain kind of runner. ;-) Anyways, we kept going (after slowing down a lot) and still finished the 5 miles. I'm definitely glad I went today!!

Battle wounds. haha.

Anyways, fun times. hopefully, I get my car back soon. 

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days

So far: 611.8 miles/264 days

To go: 388.2 miles/102 days

Huge milestone: 600 miles!

I feel like I have been so exhausted lately that I haven't had much to say in this blog. It's awful. I've been so busy managing school, work, and running and combining it with looking for a "real" job that I just haven't had time to think through my thoughts, let alone write them down. However, here I am, trying my hardest to put my thoughts into words.

I was in a car accident on the way to work on Monday. It was fairly minor, but it was my fault and I feel like an idiot. I wasn't paying attention for a second. That's all it takes. I'm an intelligent enough person to k now that I need to do better... and be better. I'm a little disgusted with myself. ..that's life though. I'll move on and things will get better.

Today, I opened at work, then worked 7-4:30. On my way home, I was exhausted. I didn't want to run, but I knew that I had to. I knew that I needed to stick to the training plan. Chicago is just a few weeks away and I want to do the best that I can.

So Kath and I did a 10 miler today. It got dark in the middle of it, which was good and bad. Unfortunately, the path we run on is not well lit, so we had to do a few laps around out apartment complex. (That is NOT my favorite thing to do, by the way.) I think I need a headlamp for night runs. For real. It was nice and cool out, though, which was fantastic! I'm very excited about the weather!!

I'm toying with the idea of going to the gym to get my 4 miler in after class. I will open at work again, then will go straight to class.. so I would be on campus anyways. I just really don't like treadmill running at all. It would be nice to get it done, though... I don't know. We'll see what I decide.

So that's it. Oh! I've hit 600 miles for the year! Yeaaaaaaaah!!! I'm getting closer and closer to my goal.
(I am in the 300s left toward my goal!)

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 602.51 miles/256 days
To go: 397.49 miles/110 days

Crazy 18 mile training run

Let's talk about long run day. Again.

18 miles.
Did I mention that I've never followed a training plan before? For ANY of my races in the history of my running life (three years). Never ever. I've decided that I was going to do it and then just not followed through many times. (ten half marathons, two full marathons, one 10k, and several 5ks)

This time I'm following a plan. (minus when my toe was smashed and I was put out of commission for a few days) I almost didn't. I didn't want to do 18 miles today. I couldn't sleep last night and woke up after about 4-5 hours, thinking that 18 sounded horrible. I was tired before I started and that just sucked. A lot.

Kath and I ran together, thank goodness. I'm not 100% sure that I could have done it without her. Somehow, we did it though. Kath had never run further than 14 miles in her life and, like I said, outside of a race, I've never run that distance before. It was rough, to be honest. Beyond rough. I'm drained and exhausted and my legs still feel like they are on fire.

But we did it! We got stuck in a crazy storm for a while and we had to stop at Publix and wait it out. There was no way that I was going to risk crazy lightning. It was good though. Sort of like cheating, but not really. You have to do what you have to do in times like that. I felt AWESOME between miles 4-15. When I got to 15.5-16, I started to feel miserable. It's sort of like the emotional stuff that I've gone through during the marathons that I've run. I get these really intense highs and lows, but I think that's normal(ish). It's at least normal during a race. I'm not sure that I like it though.

I am sort of elated that I finished my run today. Next week's long run is 20 miles. I do NOT have my mind wrapped around that at this time. Wow.........................

(plus, I've joined the work softball time plus my class starts this week.)

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 522.01 miles/233 days
To go: 477.99 miles/133 days

celebrating 500 miles in 2012! (so far!)

So this is crazy! I'm officially past 500 miles for the year. I'm SO excited about it. So. SO. excited. I know that I'm late for the year and I'm past the  month mark, but I really feel like I can get to the mileage that I want to get to. (that being 1000 miles in one year. which lots of people have done for many years.)

Yesterday, I ran with Seth for the first time in the history of ever. We didn't take any pictures while running to post to the blog (oops), but it was fun! I was really nervous, because I haven't run with anybody besides my mom and Katherine. I am always pretty self conscious about my pace, especially when I'm running with someone that I know is faster than me. We worked really well together and I had a lot of fun! I'm really excited about it and next time, I won't have to be nervous about running with Seth! haha. (but I will definitely continue to be nervous about running with other people. beyond him. and Kath.)

We ran 8 miles, so we both felt pretty much like beasts afterwards. That's because we are beasts. But ya know.

Today, I was thinking about pushing my run off until tomorrow, because I didn't get much sleep and was beyond tired. However, my computer was acting up, so I went. I did 9 miles in a 14:50-ish pace, which I'm really proud of, because it was terribly hot outside. So yeah. That is really fun news! My legs are a little tired, but I mostly feel awesome right now.

I'm still terrified about Chicago, but I'm also feeling really awesome about how my training is going. My pace is a little awful all of the time, but I think that part of the problem is that I have been worn out and the heat in Central Florida is really tough to run in. What worries me the most is that I'm starting toward the end of Chicago so there is potential that it could be REALLY warm outside. That freaks me out, honestly. I know the midwest and I know that early October in the midwest could be nice or awful. We'll find out.

I'm SO excited to be at 500 miles. Yeeeah me!

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 500.78 miles/229 days
To go: 499.22 miles/137 days

...something to say about motivation.

I don't really have time to write. I have to leave for work in five minutes or so. Blah. (Did I tell you that I don't like working at night? Because I don't. It annoys me.)

Today Kath and I ran together. We did a little over eight and a half miles. It was really tough. For the first time outside of a race, I thought I was going to throw up. I've never felt sick during a training run before. I didn't even push myself too hard. I'm not sure what the problem was with my body. My breakfast was healthy and pretty light (a bagel with peanut butter and a slice of turkey ham). Ijust felt miserable. The. Whole. Time.

There's something to say for motivation though. I pulled it out in the end. I cut my average pace from 16 to 15:30 in the last three miles. (I'm really unhappy with that pace.) I'm glad I found the motivation to push past my barriers and move forward. I think that's pretty awesome.

I just wish I didn't have to dig so deep sometimes.

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 479.34 miles/225 days
To go: 520.66 miles/141 days

3 cheers for being back to running.

I ran! (two days in a row!) I'm really excited about it.

I thought I was going to have to modify my distance in order to help work through the pain in my toe, but my toe really doesn't hurt at all when I run. I actually decided not to tape my toes today, because it seems like my foot is strained and I limp much more when I tape my toes together. The smushed toe is still swollen, but most of the bruising is gone now. I feel so much better. It's crazy how sad I was about my toe being injured. I thought I was going to have to lose a lot of my training in the next several days. Instead, I lost 3-4 days of training.  Yeah me!

So yesterday, I did four miles. It was the first run I'd done in a week and I felt great. It was awesome. I ran slowly, but I did what needed to be done. That's what really matters.

Today, I was scheduled 8 miles and I knew that I could do it. I did two miles, then Katherine came home from work and we finished out together. We had lots of good talks along the way. One fun thing about Katherine and I running together is that our pace has improved exponentially in the past few months. It used to be that we were pretty slow together and walked a lot. Now we can run much more quickly than we could before, so I'm excited about that. Lots of fun teamwork.

I'm exhausted, so that's all I have to say this time. ha. I'm just glad to be back!!

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 456.66 miles/222 days
To go: 543.34 miles/144 days

motivation means improvement

I had a really fantastic run today. I think that the new shoes really helped. A lot. They're super light and my feet felt light and like they weren't really doing anything. It was fantastic. I ran at about a 13:30 pace for the majority of my run (like... all but one mile), which is my racing pace, so I was (and am!) really excited about it.

I was supposed to do 8 miles today. I ended up doing nine. I felt good enough to do an extra lap around my apartment complex when I got home, so I did. I walked it so that it was more of a cool down, which is where my pace really slowed down a lot. That pushed me to almost nine miles. I figured that I might as well finish out the nine, since I was already almost there. So I did.

I ended up with just over nine miles and at a 14 minute pace. I know that, under many standards, that is extremely slow, but I'm pleased. Sometimes I don't feel like going running, I don't always feel like pushing myself, but I still do it. I do feel like that is an accomplishment. I pushed it out there today. I know that I could be faster and I know that my racing speed is at least a minute quicker than my training pace. I think that if I continue to hold onto it like this, continue to push through, I'm going to improve exponentially into a runner that I want to be. I've been really focused on improving that I haven't noticed the improvements that I've made. A few months ago, an eight mile run would have made me cry and I would have run it at a 15-something pace, just because I would have taken it easy.

I'm proud of who I am becoming. I do feel like running is shaping me.
(and I kinda like it.)

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 444.6 miles/214 days
To go: 555.4 miles/152 days

Long Run Day and Retiring My Shoes (ending week six)

Today was long run day! My favorite day of the week (or not so much). The plan was to get up early so that I wouldn't have to run alone, but I ended up at work three hours late last night and didn't get home until after two in the morning. I knew I wouldn't be able to get up early for a run. Disappointing. So I had to run when it was already pretty hot out. ..On top of that, I ended up running alone.

I felt really awesome for the first mile. When I knew I was at the first mile marker, I was actually surprised with how little struggle I was going through. I felt like I could definitely finish out the last thirteen miles. haha. I actually didn't really struggle too much until I got about halfway through. I still had a really awesome pace until the tenth mile. After that, I really started to slow down. I actually almost slowed down one minute per mile. It was a little bit frustrating, but that's whatever.

At about mile ten, I started to feel like I was hitting the wall. I had run completely out of energy gels at that point and was just ready to give up. Actually, I REALLY wanted to give up. That only lasted for a mile or so and I was back on track. I felt really good ending the run, too.

I've never actually run 14 miles outside of a race before. Crazy.
It was good though.

In other news, today was the official last day of running with my current shoes. I'm getting some new ones on Tuesday before my four miler. I'm excited, but sad. These shoes have given me lots and lots of miles and many races in the past few months. It is also beyond time to get new shoes. My feet are a little achy.

So the shoes are going into retirement. I wish I knew what to do with old running shoes. I could donate them, but I feel kind of attached to them after all of this time. It's tough to let go. Haha. I sound ridiculous.

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 431.41 miles/211 days
To go: 568.59 miles/155 days

major mental breakthrough.

I don't really have time to write much today. I have to work tonight, but I'm a little excited about my run today.

It wasn't fast. It wasn't impressive. It wasn't anything even noteworthy, but I ran. I intended to run 4 miles today, as I wasn't feeling the six that I was supposed to do and planned to switch today's run and tomorrow's run. (Yeah yeah, I know. I feel like, as long as I still get the miles that I'm supposed to...) Anyways, at three miles, I was still feeling fantastic and I knew that I could do all six. So I did.

It's the small things that make me feel like I'm pushing it and that I'm doing really well in my running. My body can do more than I thought that it could a few years ago. This is a huge deal for me. I feel like I  might actually do as well as I want to do in Chicago.

I feel like today has been a major breakthrough and it is something that I will continue to look back on and think that I can push past the boundaries that I have set for myself. I may not be an extraordinary person, but I can do small things to get myself to be someone I want to be.

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 412.91 miles/209 days
To go: 587.09 miles/157 days

Long Run Day! 13 miles + ending week 5!

Long run day is here again!
I worked a long shift yesterday (11ish hours) and then came home and crashed, knowing that I had 13(!!) miles to run today. I woke up early with an awful Charley Horse in my right leg, and stretched it out, hoping that I'd be able to run all of my mileage. I slept off and on after that for a few more hours and then finally got up to get the run done.

Let's preface this by announcing that today was the very first time that I ran 13 miles outside of a race. I've never done that kind of mileage before. Today was a breakthrough, in a sense, because I didn't know that I really could do it. There are still many MANY times when I question whether I really am a runner. I still feel like the obese girl who drank a case of 24 Mountain Dew cans in less than a week (more like a few days...). I worked at two different ice cream shops in college and ate fast food like nobody's business. That is who I still feel like I am most days. It's really not who I am now though. Yes, I still drink Mountain Dew (...freaking addictions). I still have fast food too often. My diet is a hot mess.

Anyways, back to the run.
I had two frozen waffles, an energy gel, and shared a banana with Katherine. Then we headed out the door. The plan was that we'd head out and go around the same route we did last week, then go back home to get more water before finishing the run. It actually worked really well for us. We ran really well for how hot it was in the beginning, then we ended up running in a thunderstorm toward the end.

The last four miles were intense though! I wasn't terribly exhausted, but we definitely got rained on like crazy. Thankfully, when we were home filling our water bottles, I changed into a long sleeve tech shirt, because I could tell that it was going to storm. It definitely did rain. Sideways. Like crazy. We got drenched. It was fun though. I really like that I've been able to do all of my long runs with Kath. It's nice that it doesn't have to be lonely during those long runs.

I've been thinking more and more about getting back into personal training after school starts again. It's an expense that can add up, but I feel like I need to get back into it. I miss it a LOT. My body definitely needs it a lot.

It's so crazy that I've finished week five of training for this race. I legitimately feel like I'm going to be in Chicago like... tomorrow. That terrifies me. 

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days

So far: 395.36 miles/204 days
To go: 604.64 miles/162 days

Exciting Run!! (Chicago Training Days 16 and 17)

I'm so excited about my run today!!! (I'm also not sure I have ever actually written that in a blog post before.) Bear with me, though, because I have two training runs to write about.

Let's start with yesterday, because, chronologically, Tuesday comes before Wednesday. I do kind of enjoy being chronological from time to time.

Yesterday was a 4 mile "easy" run. I really struggled with it for some reason. I think that my muscles were pretty tight from work. I probably should have stretched before I went out to run. Actually, I generally should stretch more than I do.

Anyhow, yesterday was a really tough four miler. My pace ended up being close to 15 minutes per mile, which was awful, because it was such a short run. I walked almost the same amount as I ran. I'm a little disappointed in myself, but I am glad that I got the mileage in. I know that I took so much time off of running for several months, which is much of why it is so difficult to get myself back to where I was before. (Although where I was before really wasn't so impressive either.)

I guess that it wasn't terrible and I didn't only walk the entire time. I switched it up a little. I'm going to try adding some stretching into my routing.

--

Today was a 6 miler. I went into it with a little bit of a pessimistic attitutde. I thought that I would probably be too slow and actually spent several hours putting running off this morning. (the threat of thunderstorms did not help push me out the door.) Eventually, after I ran out of excuses (and bad television to watch. ha.), I got dressed for my run and went outside.

My first mile was just over twelve minutes which was decent. I can (and usually do) run my first mile in a little over ten minutes and then continuously slow my pace for the rest of the run. I decided to try to push it a little bit more than usual today. When I checked my average pace again, when I was at about two miles, I was at about a 12:20 pace, so I had cut some time off. That wasn't too bad, so I kept pushing it. At three miles, I had slown down a little and was at a 12:58 pace. That's when I decided that I'd finish in under 13 minutes.

I don't believe that I've ever run a training race longer than 3 miles in under a 13 pace. Even my fastest half marathon is at just OVER a 13 minute pace. I just checked and the only 10k race that I've done was a 12:08 pace. I think that's the only time I've actually run a decent distance at that pace.

Anyways, I finished in a 12:55 pace. I slowed down a lot during the last mile. I tried really hard to continue pushing it, but just had to slow down. I am definitely a little disappointed in that, because, at 5 miles, I was at 12:45.

However, I'm really excited that I finished in the time that I did! I feel like I'm starting to finally improve in ways that I was beginning to give up on.

The only major change that I need to make is that I  need to crosstrain and that I need to start lifting weights more. I haven't lifted in a long time. ...and I miss it. Just a thought...

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 341.24 miles/193 days
To go: 658.76 miles/173 days

major distance accomplishment.

So. January has been quite a whirlwind already. By already, I mean that there are two days left of the month and it has been a ton of craziness multiplied by more insanity. Wow. I jumped into 2012 headfirst, certainly. (well, considering it's supposed to be the last year that the world is still rounding the sun... haha.)

Anyways, major announcement coming! Stay tuned throughout this post. It could be lengthy and boring, but it will be worth it. (I hope.)

When I started running in 2009, I was fighting an uphill battle. I was obese, I had intense stress due to school, 3 jobs, and I had epilepsy that was yet to be diagnosed. Things were pretty overwhelming. Running was just part of my routine exercise that I was attempting to lose my weight. Somehow, it became the major focus of my exercise, while everything else sort of fell toward the wayside. However, I was slower than molasses and had several other focuses than my running. Eventually, my epilepsy was diagnosed, I couldn't drive for three months, and life became a little more of a handful than I anticipated.

I ran my first and second half marathons in 2009. I learned a lot about myself. I lost a lot of weight and gained a little bit of confidence. I attempted my first 1000 mile year starting in November 2009, but that didn't quite pan out. I never quite got all of my miles in that I needed to get in. That isn't to say that I tried though, because I sure as hell did. I just never really was able to get myself out there as much as I should have. Too many excuses.

In the first week of 2011, I ran my first full marathon and my first Goofy Challenge. That was crazy. I rededicated myself to running 1000 miles in a year. Then I fell and sprained my ankle in February, two weeks before a half marathon. Naturally, I did the race that I had signed up for. Then, I went on crutches and became way too frustrated with all of my running. 2011's mileage was out of the bag by the end of the second month. I was pissed, frustrated, disappointed. I participated in a few more races, but I really didn't have my heart in it. (I did set a new PR in November. That was awesome.)

So, 2012 is a new year. I am beyond dedicated to my 1000 miles this year. I have so many running goals that I want to accomplish. I have so much I want to do with my life.. beyond just running. Running is just a piece of who I am... it's something that I want to be good at. It's something that I know that I can work toward and work on in order to become accomplished. That's the goal.

Anyways, so my announcement.

January 2012 has become my first month to officially accomplish 100 miles. ONE HUNDRED MILES. In a MONTH. That's ridiculous. I feel like this was something that I have been working toward for a long time. I'm glad that I have gotten to this point. I have many more months ahead. I'm currently frustrated as hell with my pacing, but at least I can work toward the endurance that I want. It's a start.

Goal: 101.91 miles/29 days
To go: 898.09 miles/337 days

Disney Marathon Weekend Part Three: Marathon Sunday

The theme from last weekend was "is this real life?". It was a question that we were all left to ponder several times with the 3 am alarms combined with the lengthy running. The major day that I was terrified of was the full marathon. I was afraid I wouldn't finish and I was fearful that everything would just prove to be too much for me. But it definitely was real life.

Anyways, we all got up to the wonderful morning alarm clock. I was extremely anxious. I feel like I have enough confidence with half marathon distance that I know I can complete it, but full marathons still scare me. As of last weekend, I'd only done one before and I didn't know how to mentally prepare myself. I don't really understand why, but quitting definitely went through my mind. Somehow, I trudged myself to the bus stop with a thousand thoughts running through my mind every minute. I got on the bus and managed to sit down, still worried about every little thing that could possibly happen to me along the long route. Since I did the Walt Disney World Marathon last year, I knew the route pretty well and felt like I could figure out where I'd  be struggling the most alone the way. That was probably not the best thing to spend my morning doing.

So my mom and I went to our starting corrals, but not without much drama. Naturally, we had a port-a-potty malfunction. Well, at least my mom did. She made a new friend that morning. hahaha. That poor lady..

Anyways, so we made the lengthy trek to the starting corrals, pretending that we weren't really about to run a marathon. You'd think that I'd have the entire running thing mentally figured out the third day in a row, but not so much. Anyhow, so we got there, huddled up and had a spontaneous dance party while all of the other slow runners in our corral looked at us grumpily. They started the race and it started to feel more real. Since we started in the back half of the pack, in one of the slower corrals, we got to wait a little while before our start. That was a little bit intimidating. It was okay, though.

When we crossed the start line, I knew that I had no option but to try to put space between me and the people at the end. I wanted to prove that I was worthy of running a marathon and definitely that I was worthy of running one faster than the people who were already behind me. I wanted to also be faster than the people ahead of me. I had way too much paranoia about being picked up by the sweeper bus. So I ran. My mom ran with me too. At some point my mom wasn't running with my anymore,  but I'm not sure when I lost her. I ran the several miles to EPCOT, where I had to choose between taking a left path or a right path around Spaceship Earth. I went right. Someone ran with me for a little bit, telling me that he was "Perfectly Goofy", meaning that he had completed every Goofy Challenge thus far. Impressive.


I left EPCOT and knew that I was on my way to the Magic Kingdom. First, I knew that, right before mile 5, I'd find Katherine and Kailey waiting there with signs to greet my mom and me. I was excited. There's something about people cheering at races that pushes people along. There's something even MORE about friends and family cheering people along during races that means that much more. As I was running up toward them, I was super excited, just knowing that I had supporters that were there for me. It's really an awesome thing. I'm really thankful for all supporters who get up and go out there and cheer for people at any race. It's truly a wonderful thing.

I watched the sun come up while I was running toward the Magic Kingdom. That was awesome. There's something about being up before the sun and knowing that you're doing something awesome with your life when you see the sun rising off in the distance.

I was still feeling pretty good up until mile 8, when my intestines started aching again. (I really need to be more cautious about what I eat before a race...) I had to stop at the bathroom at mile 8 and a half or so. That's when I really started struggling. Kath and Kailey were at mile 9 waiting for my mom and me, but I was definitely wanting to quit at that point. I felt miserable and I still had 17 miles left. I stopped and said hello to Katherine and Kailey and kept going. The next several miles were up to the Magic Kingdom and through the park. I knew that was manageable. Actually, when I got to the Magic Kingdom, I started to feel a lot better. It was almost as though a weight had been lifted.

I was feeling pretty good, I ran down Main Street, through Tomorrowland, stopped for a picture in Fantasyland with the Mad Hatter and made my way through the castle. Running through Cinderella's Castle is one of the most anticipated parts of the races. For me, the most exciting part is turning the corner down Main Street, seeing all of the cheering people with signs, cheering everyone along. It's exciting and wonderful.

After the castle, we headed through Liberty Square and Frontierland. I saw some coworkers getting everything opened up for the day and waved as I ran through. I felt so much better after I had finished running through the Magic Kingdom. There's really nothing like it. I was rejuvenated and refreshed... and felt like I was ready to run a number of more miles. I didn't really feel like I had just run more than ten miles at that point. Awesome. I had also been checking my Garmin obsessively and was way ahead of pacing requirements at that point. I was extremely excited about that.. and a little bit relieved at the same time. I knew in my heart that I'd finish the race and that I'd receive the medals that I had wanted so badly and for so long. I was not naive enough to think that it was going to be an easy or a simple journey, but I was beginning to feel more confident in myself, finally.

I thought that the section after the Magic Kingdom was going to be really tough, as the road really tightens up and it can get tough to run around people who are slow than you. I spent some time running in the dirt and the grass, which was somewhat unfortunate, but it was reality. Otherwise, I was still feeling pretty good. I saw Katherine and Kailey again at mile 13, almost to the halfway point. It was the last point where they would get to see me for a while, so I stopped, gave some hugs and went on my way. My mom still hadn't caught up with me and I was a little bit concerned about her, as it was her first full marathon and I remembered very well how I had felt during my first full. I knew I had to just believe that she would finish and that she had it in her heart to get it done



I was having fun. I made it to mile 13.1 and smiled as I crossed the little timing thing. I was halfway there and I felt awesome. My body felt okay and the Disney entertainment was phenomenal along the way.I was ahead of my pace by a lot and everything felt fantastic. I kept trucking along, knowing that I was probably going to hit a wall soon. That was an advantage of knowing the race course. I knew what the roughest miles would probably be. I ran as much as I could up until my legs needed to stop and take a break. Unfortunately, that meant that I walked for several miles and obliterated my chance at meeting any of my goals for finish times. My goal kind of morphed into just a goal to finish. I do wish that I would have pushed myself a little harder in those miles between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, but those miles were tough. I had the strength to keep moving forward, but not the strength to continue running every step of the way. I'd like to think that next year I will be more fit, and I will be. I'm working on it every day.

At mile 16 or 17, we entered Animal Kingdom. That was really awesome, because I finally had a little bit more energy in my system. We ran along the park, which is the park that I'm personally least familiar with. I work at the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom just hasn't been a park that I have visited often, ever since it opened. It was neat to run though the park, see characters, guests, and cast members who went out of their way to cheer and wave to us as we passed. I guess it is kind of a continual theme that the crowds really get me through races. I had a lot of fun running through the park again and realized that I had less than ten miles left and that I still has two parks and the Boardwalk to run through. I felt like the rest of the race would be a breeze.

After Animal Kingdom, we headed down the road toward Hollywood Studios. I felt really confident in my ability to finish the race. I was still a little bit ahead of pace, but was still walking the majority of the time. Looking back, I'm somewhat frustrated in myself for not running more and pacing things out better. I wonder if I hadn't pushed it as hard in the first half, maybe I'd have been able to better run the second half. I don't know... There is a part of the route when you run down a half mile down the road and then a half mile (or so) back. You see all of the people faster than you on the way there and all of the people slower than you are on the way back. My mom and I passed each other on the way back, so she was about a mile behind me at mile 20/21. That was a little bit of a relief, because I hadn't seen her in a while and honestly didn't know where she was.



Hollywood Studios was super fun. I had been looking forward to that part of the race for several miles, because it was one of my favorite parts that I ran through last year. We ran backstage a little bit and got candy and fruit snacks at one of the water stops. I couldn't eat the chocolate, so I had to throw them out. (Sorrrrry Disney on a waste of your money...). I ate the fruit snacks, though. Fruit snacks combined with energy gel and water definitely got me through the final few miles. Hollywood Studios was awesome. I tried to congratulate everybody I saw who had a half marathon medal on from the day before, but it was getting a little bit difficult to speak out loud. I wish that we could have fun more miles through the park, because it is such an awesome park, but I guess that there's only so much that they can do when the park is still open. I have to keep that in mind, I guess.

I was most excited to see the Incredibles when I first got into the park, because last year when I got to that point, they weren't out anymore. I had just been a little bit too slow. This year, I made it and got a picture with  both Mr. AND Mrs. Incredible and Frozone. As I was running down the street toward them, Mrs. Incredible was waving and clapping at everybody who was passing. It was a touching moment for me and meant a lot. I stopped and got a picture with them and really felt like I was on my way to finishing my second marathon, that I was past all of the most difficult portions of the race and was almost done. I was so excited. Thrilled, actually.

After I left Hollywood Studios, it was a few more miles and then the finish line. I ran down the Boardwalk, which felt a million miles long. (I think it was actually just two or so.) Then I entered EPCOT again. That meant I was almost done. I tried to speed it up, but my legs were shot. I kept thinking of my favorite childhood story, "The Little Engine that Could". I don't look like a runner. Some days, I don't feel like a runner. I feel like I'm fooling a lot of people. I am SLOW. I still have a lot of work to do in order to get to where I want to be in my fitness lifestyle. I've made a lot of changes and I have come a long way, but I have to still tell myself that "I think I can" from time to time in order to really get it done. Somehow, I did it. I kept moving forward and before I knew it, I was turning the corner toward the finish line. I had done it. I finished my second Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge. I amazed myself at my tenacity. Maybe I am one of those people who can do anything. Maybe it isn't quite all out of my reach after all.

Everyone, their medals, and Goofy. We're all going Coast to Coast this year!

Mileage update- 

So Far: 59.93 miles/16 days

To go: 940.07 miles/350 days

(long run tomorrow!)

a little positivity goes a long way

I'm becoming really bad at posting on my blog. I keep thinking about it, but it's hard to actually go through with sitting down and writing down my thoughts when I'm honestly exhausted 95% of the time. Ugh.

When I got a stocking position at work, I went from working mornings to working nights, since I don't have as much senority as the other stockers. It has made my body so confused, because I'm used to getting up early and going to work, coming home, then getting things done. It's pretty tough to change all of that, so I'm definitely struggling to get up in the morning and get things done before work. It is getting a little bit better, though.. slowly. Yesterday and Tuesday, I got up and worked on homework in the morning before class. Tuesday and today, I had personal training sessions at noon, so that forced me to get ready earlier.

Both of my training sessions went very well this week. I went into both of them with a positive attitude. That's not to say that I frequently am negative, but it can be really tough to get a good workout in when I'm being pushed beyond limits that I'm comfortable with. That's the reason that I hired my trainer, though, so I'm thankful for that. I am noticing strength in my body that I didn't have before and I KNOW that inches are coming off of me. It's just that my numbers on the scale are changing so slowly that it's unbelievable. I don't get excited when I weigh myself anymore, which adds to my negativity. I know that is strongly impacted by my eating habits, which are horrendous. I'm trying. Or at least I keep say that I'm trying. It's definitely a struggle ALL of the time.

Anyways, I went into both personal training workouts this week telling myself to try not to complain. That's pretty simple. I complain a lot actually when I'm working out, even if it's just a funny side comment here or there, I feel like I'm too negative and I don't like it. So, it made a huge difference. I also feel like both workouts were extrmely difficult.. probably two of the most tough workouts that I have had in months. Today, for instance, I wasn't 100% sure that I would be able to walk afterward, because I had pushed myself THAT hard. My legs still feel like jello two hours later.. and when I walk, it's more like floating than walking. Hopefully nobody is staring at me. haha.

I think that having a positive attitude definitely impacted my workout, though. I feel like I pushed through some barriers that I couldn't have done last week. I know that feeling sorry for myself has kind of crushed my ability to live up to my full potential. Yes, bad things have happened in my life. I've spent plenty of time feeling sorry for myself because of it though. It isn't fair to me to let the difficult parts of life crush the potential that I could be living to.

I keep trying to think of little things that I can change.

One major goal that I'm working toward is to complete a triathlon next summer. On my way to accomplishing that goal, I found a great local bike shop with really great prices. (now I just need a second job to save money! bahaha.) I also signed up for a "triathlon challenge" at my university's gym. Basically, over the month of October, I will complete a total of the mileage of a triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run)  while at the gym and it will be recorded there. I'm actually really excited about the prospect.

...now if I could just stop eating waffle fries....
...or just keep my food journal regularly as I should.

hugeeee breakthrough at the gym.

Today and yesterday, I killed it in the gym. No joke. In fact, you could say I had a breakthrough yesterday that carried over into today.

Yesterday, I had a rough day. Actually, I had a rough week for many reasons... including school, work, being away from my family when family members were very ill, and so on. My stress level was pretty much through the roof. But, I agreed to meet Mark, my trainer, at the gym for a session before my class.

The first thing that he said that we were going to do was the stairmaster for 20 minutes. Then he proceeded to tell me that he didn't think that I'd be able to do it for the entire 20 minutes. I'm a stubborn person, actually. Sometimes, I will go out of my way to prove that I can do something that I've been told I can't or shouldn't be able to do (like move to Florida. ha.). Actually, he went on to say that most of his clients could only do 8-10 minutes on the stair master maximum.

When I got to about 12 or 13 minutes, I didn't think that I would be able to do it. I had almost given up on myself, but for some reason I didn't. At any point, I could have hopped right off of the machine. Actually, I got really mad that Mark didn't stop the machine for me so I could quit. Somehow, I pushed through it. Sweat was coming out of every pore of my body. I had sweat puddles in my hands. That's disgusting actually. That was probably my second biggest exercise related breakthrough that I have had. Ever. Second to Goofy's Challenge in January.

I have so many goals in my life that I don't want to cut short due to obesity. Knowing that obesity has become such an American epidemic, it scares the hell out of me.. knowing that I was close to 200 pounds a few years ago... scares the hell out of me, too. I feel like I'm still fighting my weight and I am. Every day, I have to choose between whether to drink a liter of Mountain Dew or to fill up my water bottle for the day. Between Kath and I, we go through 8 gallons of water in about a week and a half. That's a lot of water. It's a struggle making healthy decisions every day of my life. Actually, there are so many times that I don't make a good decision and it's frustrating. I try to pick myself up and keep going though.

That's what kept me going on the stairmaster. Actually, it was that and thinking about my uncle who was hospitalized for an extremely high blood sugar and a new diagnosis of diabetes. I've always wanted to inspire people. I've wanted to make a difference. Maybe if I keep going, I will continue to inspire people to change their lives. I have so much knowledge that I can share. I'd love it if my entire family could live the healthiest that is possible for them. I'm not saying that it's in the cards for everyone I know to become vegan, but everyone has little changes that can be made. It is for sure a possibility.

I also learned that my little brother wants to run a marathon and that he even bought running shoes.  I'm ecstatic for him. It would be so cool to run a race with my mom and all three of my siblings someday. I hope it's in the cards.

Elated AND Discouraged

Hello faithful blog readers! (the few and far between.... haha.)
So today was another day that was just like yesterday. The exciting part of my days off from work this week was getting to go to the gym ...and well, class.

I had planed for my Wednesdays to be my really long days in the gym with weight training, cardio (bike or running), and swimming. Ideally, I'd go to the gym a handful of hours before my class in order to get everything in. However, I  had other things in mind for today- like Oprah's final show ever. I couldn't miss it, so I went out of my way to be able to see it. I cut swimming out of my work out today... it helped that my swim suit needs to be washed so I definitely could skip swimming without feeling too guilty. Plus. Like I said... it's Oprah.

I went to the gym and decided to do legs. I've been working my arms for the past several work outs that I've had with my trainer and then my individual workouts haven't been focused on any particular group of muscles. However, I did some ab workouts too. Mostly legs. I noticed that my legs are starting to get a little bit stronger, though definitely not to the point that I want them to be. So yes. I wore myself out on the weight machines. I wish that I had spent more time on them, but I felt like I was on a time crunch. (I went to the bank before I went to the gym and the teller thought it would be a great idea to go on a long list of the things that I should get- like credit cards/direct deposit/whatever. She made me want to switch banks. Ugh.) So yes. I did weights for about 45 minutes, but I really wanted to do at least an hour to an hour and fifteen or something like that.

So. I decided to go for a run... which is a huge deal, as I haven't really run since February at the Disney World Princess Half Marathon... even then, I walked most of that race because of my ankle. Ok I digress. Back to today. I was so slow. (about 14 minute miles) However, I didn't give up. I set of goal of doing a 5k distance run. I accomplished it. I ran/walked it, but still. It was a huge deal for me, considering my inability to really walk or run for a long time. (I mean, I could walk to a point, but I iced my ankle every night for weeks.) I felt great afterwards. Fantastic. Accomplished.

Then I stopped my work out and left the gym. My ankle started hurting the minute I began to walk down the stairs to get my stuff out of my locker. It continued to hurt the whole way home. I iced my ankle through the entire Oprah show. Then I went to class. After class, it hurt worse- and all that I had been doing in class was sitting.. for FOUR hours. I hardly moved.

This is bad. I feel so accomplished, but I also feel like I may have made things worse. But how can my ankle still be THIS injured after three months? That's 12 weeks-ish. 84 days. A long time. Now I'm just freaked out that my ankle is permanently damaged, which is NOT okay. It definitely doesn't fit in my life plan. I guess that I'm going to have to go back to see someone about my ankle. It's free if I go on campus to the health center, but the information I got from them obviously didn't help. The guy I saw there told me that I'd be able to start running short distances in three weeks. Wrong. I just don't know how I can afford to see a legit sports doctor or something. I have insurance, so I guess that I will just have to call around to figure out tho takes it. (of course, it is Indiana insurance... and I've moved to Florida now... soo......)

I just don't know. I was so glad about my run. I am glad. It's huge. But I'm discouraged at the same time.

Major breakthrough. Fitspiration.

What. A. Day.
I'm not exaggerating. I got less than five hours of sleep, due to a combination of a bad dream and a late night of studying. It's going to be a tough semester. I can already attest to that and it's only the second week. Wow. So I woke up super early and decided to just stay up and study more. Ugh. Literally, I thought my brain was going to explode by noon. I'm almost done with my readings but not quite. I'll be able to get it done tomorrow.

I plan to get up fairly early tomorrow and go to the gym... then come back home, study, and watch the finale of Oprah before my class. I mean, it won't be a smart use of my gas to do all of that, but I can't miss Oprah. I've always dreamed to be on her show. Not all dreams come true, but whatever. Maybe someday I will meet her or something. Anyways, she's for sure worth my extra $10 in gas for the day. If the roads I lived on weren't so busy, I would just ride my bike like I did as an undergraduate.

Alright- let's talk about my work out today. It's actually exciting this time. I'm glad that I decided to continue my personal training. I'm a little tight on money right now and I've been pretty concerned about whether it has been worth it, because I hadn't felt that much of a connection with my trainer. However, I feel like I learned SO much over the past few weeks, so I stuck it out another couple more weeks. Today I had a fantastic training session. Wow. I'm super inspired today. My strength is definitely improving and I'm starting to feel a little bit more confident. I pushed through all of the exercises and did not give up or take a break for a few seconds or anything. I also felt like I am starting to connect a little bit better with my trainer. I hit the treadmill today, but went pretty slow. However, I'm excited that I got to go on the treadmill today. My ankle really hurts, but I feel like I pushed past some barriers.

It was super important that I was able to push through the barriers that I pushed through today, because I had a mental breakdown before I went to my training session. I literally could not find my shoes and laid on the ground and cried. Between work, school, working out, and every other little detail of my life, I'm overwhelmed. I felt like giving up on my weight loss plan, my exercise goals, my Master's Degree... everything. I just felt like things were getting really tough and life was starting to feel impossible. I needed to have a breakthrough today and I feel like I had it at the gym. I'm thankful for it. Hopefully the positivity can follow through to tomorrow and after that. I know that I can reach my goals. It's just not easy. It never will be, as I tend to set myself up for the toughest goals out there.

My skin is starting to look sort of saggy. Any suggestions on how to fix that? ...besides gaining a ton of weight back of course.

So I watched the Biggest Loser finale tonight. Wow. Some of those people looked incredible. I was especially suprised by Dan, Don, Sarah, Deni, and Ana. Wow!! I was pulling for Irene and am sad that she didn't win, but she looks incredible. I was definitely reminded of last season's finale and my personal inspiration, Ada Wong. I watched some video footage of her on youtube after I watched Biggest Loser tonight and was super inspired. I feel like we have some similar stories of childhood pain, though definitely very different, and she never gave up. I really would like to be a strong person in that I would prevent myself from quitting... and I'd continue to try to reach my goals. That's definitely what I want for myself. And she's a Boston Marathon finisher... which is definitely a HUGE goal that I hold for myself. Who inspires you?

Alright, well, I have eight billion things to do tomorrow, so I guess I should try to sleep a little tonight. Bye bye blog readers!