Thoughts on 2013

2014 is fast approaching, so here are some thoughts on this year:

I'm stronger and faster at the end of 2013 than I began the year.
I didn't set any goals for 2013 so I didn't know I'd end the year with 4 half marathons under my belt and shaving 10 minutes off my half time between May and November.  I'm also slowly learning to stop obsessing about data.  At the beginning of the year I was constantly looking to see progress and now I'm just checking in to see where I am.  It's actually liberating to run without constantly checking the pace.  That being said, I did get a Nike+ Sportwatch for Christmas (yay!) so I've been playing with that (and still figuring it out) so now I'll have immediate feedback instead of using my phone (and draining the battery).

I will be a kind runner.  
If you read my Princeton Half recap you'll know I was on the receiving end of some crappy runner etiquette.  I didn't like the way that felt,  and I've decided I will not make anyone else feel that way.

No judgement.  
Before I ran my first half marathon, I had a "goal" of not finishing last.  After running lots of races this year, I've decided finishing last is better than not starting at all.

You never know who is watching.
My daughter has run 2 kids races this fall and always asks me if I'm going to go for a run when she sees me in my running clothes.  The second question is: can she go too.  How can you say no to that? I'm thrilled my whole family is getting the running bug.

Helping mommy get ready to run

Pushing kiddo in the jogger.  Can definitely do this for more miles than I started the year.

Losing your toenail(s) is not so bad. 

Never thought I'd actually type that. After losing one on my left foot this summer and having a cracked big toenail and a black toenail on my right foot right now, having it fall off is not a huge deal.  I've taken to doing my own pedicures to spare anyone else from seeing what they look like so I will spare you from photos of my feet (I barely want to look at them myself). 

Races (of all lengths) are fun.

In addition to the half marathons I ran this year, I've done a 10 miler, a 5 miler, a 10k and some 5K's.  I loved each of the races for different reasons and am looking forward to the variety of 2014.  I love race day and approaching the start, but pre-race jitters are not fun.  One thing I'm working on for 2014 is not stress out as much pre-race.  That is definitely going to be a work in progress.

At the start of the Spring Lake 5

No cotton socks. 

I know this, however I get suckered into running socks that are cotton blends.  I got lulled into a false sense of security on training runs wearing them and my feet felt fine, however on race day I got blistered pretty good (which I'm sure is a contributing factor to the state of my feet right now).  So I plan to take better care of my feet in the coming year. 

Say Thank You.

Volunteers, race organizers and spectators are what make races awesome.  Also what I've learned this year is races are made exponentially better when you have your own cheering squad.  

Family and friends cheering me on at the Trenton Half

Pack smarter.

I have a very difficult time packing lightly and will pack what I like to call "options". I'm learning to strike a balance in being prepared for race day and having too much stuff.  I really hate being cold, so I tend to pack layers in case it's cold and then I can take something off...

I had a bag full of running clothes for an overnight, and this is the only thing I wore.

Cross training is your friend.

I totally look forward to yoga days to get a good stretch and strength training days.  I've been not as good lately about going to yoga, so I plan to get back on a regular schedule in 2014. 

Kiddo doing yoga on her "yellow" 

So we'll see what 2014 holds for us and I'm looking forward to the journey!  What are some things you've learned in the past year? 

Happy New Year!

Catching up...and learning something new

I've been away from the blog for a few weeks, and one of my New Year's Resolutions is to be on a consistent blogging schedule, so why not start early.  Since the Trenton Half, I've been focusing on cross training and keeping up the regular runs to get ready for 2014 starting with WDW Marathon weekend where I'll be running the 10K and Half Marathon.  This is my first Disney race and our extended family is making the trip there...so there will be a lot going on that weekend. So what have I been doing since the last race?

My husband, daughter and I did a Turkey Trot 5K Thanksgiving Day, where my husband and I took turns pushing kiddo in the jogging stroller.

Kiddo and I are in our matching Sparkle skirts

At the very cold start, kiddo has the best seat in the house.

The view from the first hill 

My favorite part of this race was seeing my kiddo so happy to run the final part of the race by herself.  I hope I instill a love of exercise and running as she grows up.  

I've also been running without tracking the data which has been nice, just go get out there and run and not necessarily be constantly thinking about how fast (or not) I've been going.  I haven't completely stopped using data, I'm just using data for check-ins to mark my progress every once in a while. 

I've also started running with my dog, which is definitely an exercise in patience as she would rather sniff everything than run with me.  Once we get going, she is definitely a happy camper and good to run along. 

Mid trot.

Yesterday I did a double workout, first with the trainer in the morning and then a 6 mile run in the afternoon.  The weather has been unseasonably warm after the snow last week (like 66 degrees yesterday) so my usual running path is now muddy and icy.  The good news about this is that it forced me to find a new trail, which is always good to have a backup place to run.  

Late afternoon sky at the end of the run yesterday

So, since it was so warm out yesterday, I decided to put on my warmer weather running gear (which also happens to be extremely bright). I put my keys in the back zipper pocket and as soon as I start running I realize my pants are falling down (I've never had a problem with these pants before).  I take my keys out of the pocket and stick them in my bra hoping that'll solve the problem...which solves the first problem. Now I have a new problem, my keys are poking me. There is no drawstring on the pants so I can't make them tighter, I also know there isn't enough daylight to go back in the house and get another pair of pants and run 6 miles before the sun goes down, so I try to fold the top over on the pants to keep them up...that doesn't work.  I then try to hike them up really high so that hopefully they stay up, which doesn't work either.  I finally realize that my shirt covers my pants so I'm not exposing myself and I can focus on running instead of my clothing.  Lesson learned: wear pants that have a waistband (and retire these pants from my running rotation).

Post run 

Have you had any running mishaps?

Princeton Half Marathon Recap (11/3): A race do-over

Last year, this  race was supposed to be my first half marathon.  Initially the race was postponed until the spring and then cancelled.

We still collected our medals after the race was cancelled.

When the email came to register again I thought, ok I get to do this over. Having already done 2 half marathons this year (the Long Branch Half in May and the B.A.A. Half last month), I definitely felt more prepared than I did last year, and knowing what to expect was definitely helpful. Typically I don't look at the course too much ahead of time (because it is what it is) but I'd heard from a lot of people how hilly the course was so I decided to make note of where the hills where to better prepare myself for the race. I was feeling pretty good going into race day, I had my clothes laid out from the night before and set 3 alarms since it was Daylight Savings Time.

layers, layers, layers.

I should have gotten another hour of sleep.  Instead of was a ball of stress trying to make sure I didn't oversleep.  I got up that morning and started to get dressed and decided on some last minute wardrobe changes. The final race day instructions said to be in town and in the parking garage by 6:30am at the latest (the race was scheduled to start at 7:30) since the roads were going to be closed for the race. I got to the garage at 6:15am because I wanted to make sure I could park, which in hindsight was too early because there was no bag check.  So I sat in my car trying to keep warm. At 7am cars were still pulling into the garage, so I totally could have left later. I settled on the number of layers I was going to wear (a short sleeved shirt and long sleeve shirt plus my hat) and headed over to the start line at 7:10.

Yup, I'm cold and ready to go.

I don't know the best way to describe the mood at the start.  Stoic. Quiet.  I was trying to keep my legs warm, but after a while I just couldn't feel them anymore because I was cold.  Which works out to my advantage because then I can't feel how much they hurt at the beginning of the race before I settle in.

At the start.

And then we were off.  I was feeling good, around mile 3 my legs started to warm up a little bit and we hit the off road portion of the race.

Off road portion. Photo from Princeton Half website

As you can see there isn't a lot of room to pass, from here we ran into the woods where the following happened.  There was a guy running with a backpack who kept pulling leaves off the trees. Behind me I could hear a lady yelling.  Then it became clear she was yelling song lyrics and cheering herself on. Loudly. At mile 6 two ladies passed me and then high-fived each other. (p.s. who does that?) But then something awesome happened at Mile 7 when a group of spectators chanted "Green Skirt! Green Skirt! Green Skirt!" which made me feel pretty good and definitely put a smile on my face.  My sparkle skirt got lots of love along the way.

I re-focused back on my race and looked at my watch to see I was running sub 11 minute miles, as long as I kept going, I was going to beat my previous time. The course was seriously hilly.  A lot hillier than Boston and felt like they were going on forever, uphill. By the time we got back into town at Mile 12 and into the home stretch, I really didn't have anything left to dig deep and pick up the pace to the finish.  A couple of people passed me in that final stretch including Yelling Lady (YL), I was focused only on the clock I could see in the distance...2:28 and I crossed the line with a time of 2:28:11.  YL turns to me and says, "I can't believe I caught you".  I'm certain this photo was taken right after that moment:

What does my face say?

I just didn't know what to say to her, so I just smiled at her and went to find my family.  That was about all the energy I could muster in that moment. I'm choosing to take her comment as "wow, thanks for being such a good motivator!" (because if I don't this comment is just odd.)

This year's bling!

This half experience was definitely different than the previous 2.  The big news is: I shaved 6 minutes off my time from Boston 3 weeks before for a new PR!  

Do you have a memorable race?  How do you block out other runners around you?

B.A.A Half Marathon recap

I went into the week leading up to the B.A.A. Half Marathon feeling rested and ready to run. This was my second half, so I looked at the course map to get a feel of the course and see where water stations were.  I was feeling confident and ready to run, but what I was not expecting was race day jitters. Or as I like to refer to it: Unnecessary Freaking Out.  Freaking out about what the 2 hour 30 hour time limit meant and discovering that the course was hilly and then worrying that I wouldn't make the 2:30 cut off with all the hills. So as I was packing my clothes I thought: what would I say to my daughter in this situation? I would tell her to take a deep breath and calm down.  It will be OK.  

So I instead focused on packing my gear and trying not to over pack.

Packing for every possible weather event. Clearly not packing lightly.

So back to the race.  I woke up Sunday morning at 5am and could not get back to sleep. My friend Sarah and I were running this race together, so we got ready and headed to the shuttle location.  

On the way to the race.

We got the the shuttle at 6:45 to head over to the course. Once we got there, we immediately got in line for the porta potties.  I try to go as many times as necessary before leaving the house, as I'm still getting used to using them again (I haven't had to use them since college) so I'm standing in line realizing it's 8am and the line is not moving.  

Our bank of potties...

The race starts at 8:30.  I still have my jacket on and haven't made it to the bag check yet. So now I'm starting to get nervous, about the line not moving and where I'm going to leave my jacket.  We finally get to the potty, I ditch my jacket, we hop in the cue just as Wave 1 is starting...

At the start, getting ready to take off

Approaching the start. My jitters have subsided and I'm looking forward to starting the race (with 6,500 of my fellow runners).

Coming up to the start.

We cross the start line and head off.  The course was described as having rolling hills. It was hilly.  My strategy was to run as many hills as I could and then power walk the rest.  I made it to the hills of mile 6 when I decided power walking the hills would be best to keep my legs from cramping and then running on the flats.  I had been warned about the hill at mile 11, and it was in fact no joke.

The Hill at Mile 11.

What motivates me towards the end of the race when I'm tired is seeing all the the sub 2 hour runners  walking home with their medals, which means I am not far away from the finish line.  This gives me a little more energy that I'm almost at the end, as we run through the zoo at mile 12 and then we're really in the home stretch into White Stadium.

Yes, I'm very happy to see the finish line (and my friend Nicole taking this photo)

So my pre-race jitters were just that, unnecessary jitters.  I finished the race strong and my time was not far off my previous half marathon time (which was on a flat course).  

I did it!

We got our medals, stretched a bit and then walked back to the shuttles to get to the car and head back to the house.

Plenty of buses for everyone.

I had a really good time (who knew that would be something you say after running a half marathon!) and I would definitely do this again next year.  I would love to do the Distance Medley, it may have to go on my wish list for next year.  

I'm feeling pretty good about my upcoming races and my training thus far.  Tomorrow I'll be doing some laundry and packing again for Sunday's Army Ten Miler.

What races are you looking forward to?

Weekend Recap & Challenge(s) Accepted

Being an Military Spouse (in my case Army Wife) means sometimes you have to be commander-in-chief of your house for a couple of days/weeks/months while your partner/spouse is doing military things.  This time around it's only for a short time. For me, it also means I have to get creative on when to do workouts when the dog needs to get walked and our toddler needs everything (and sometimes at once).  To meet all of our needs, I nixed my long Sunday run to do a 4 mile walk with the two of them.

And we're off

Four legged friends need exercise too and they both enjoyed the fresh air on a beautiful day.

The fun part of walking with a dog is you never know what adventures await you.  For example, the gaggle of geese on the path.

Geese + dog = needing all your arm strength to keep doggie away

My pace must have been a little fast for her, because at 3 miles doggie decided she was done with the walk.

Over it.

I had to coax her to get home so our last mile took a little longer than I planned but everyone got some exercise.

And now the challenge...

There are a lot of challenges popping up for August.  One group of friends are doing a full body workout challenge so I said I would join them, when another friend asked if I wanted to take on a squat challenge with her. After looking over them both, I decided to combine the two.  I was on schedule with the squat challenge but was already 3 days behind in the full body challenge so I decided to combine Day 1 and Day 2 on Friday and do Day 3 on Saturday.  

Day 1 & 2 combined (Friday):

35 sit ups

13 crunches

13 leg raises

23 second plank

21 push ups

55 squats

Day 3 (Saturday): 

25 sit ups

10 crunches

10 leg raises

15 seconds plank

12 push ups

60 squats

Sunday was a rest day on the challenge and today was 70 squats (Day 5).  Things I learned today: don't do squats right after drinking coffee. No bueno. My stomach was not happy for the rest of the day. 

In addition to the squat challenge, I'm challenging myself more by trying different things in my cross training.  I went to extreme sculpt at my gym tonight (I did not do the full body challenge today) instead of my typical body pump class.  It was extreme alright.  We did at minimum 60 pushups & dips in addition to squats, rows, etc.  I left there feeling like I was going to throw up, but stronger. I'm going to be sore tomorrow (I already feel it now).  It might be hard and seem borderline impossible in the moment to try something new, but you may discover something about yourself in the process.

What would you like to try?

Wordless Wednesday