Five Things Friday

I have so so so many things to blog about.  This is going to be my draft.  And a little taste of what should theoretically come.   Plus I need to get back on that Thankful Post Thing. You know.  When I find the time to sit down and blog. In-between all the 4 zillion errands I need to run (I have needed an oil change since SEPTEMBER) and chasing a 15 month old around the house and laundry and catching up on crap TV (which, by the way. Grey’s Anatomy last night? Yes? To everyone who bowed out seasons ago - you’re missing out.  And Quantico. Goodness I am hooked.  And my guilty pleasure - Scream Queens.  Yup. Don’t recommend it.  It is bad. Real bad.)  …. I have found it hard to spend time blogging.  My bad.

O.N.E
I ran a half marathon at the very beginning of October.  It was not pretty.  My training was (per the usual) less than stellar or structured or disciplined. Long story short I did not run more than 6 miles to prep for 13.1 … my bad.  But, I survived. And I have a medal to prove it. Post to come. Theoretically. And, we have a family 5k tomorrow.  It will be the 2nd time we run this one as a family.  Fingers crossed it is not too cold.  Post to come on that one too.

T.W.O
Actually this is going to be a busy weekend and you just may get one big blog post.  We are going to a Pumpkin Patch on Sunday afternoon.  I am sure McKenna is going to be unamused and wonder what we are doing there.  But.  She will suck it up and love the hayride and love pictures with pumpkins.  After all, she is a budding white girl and we all know white girls love all things fall and one of those things is pumpkin patches.

T.H.R.E.E
A few weeks back we went to Florida to visit with my parents and it was great to get away.  It was McKenna’s first plane ride and I had a tiny bit of anxiety.  Full disclosure: I started googling “one year olds on planes” and things like that back in March.  And I read a lot.  And all you really need to know is - keep that kid distracted and you will be A OK.  But, we had a great time.  McKenna warmed up to the pool (after 3 days) and she enjoyed eating out and hanging out with her grandparents.  She did not sleep well, so I did not  sleep well, but it was just great to get away!  Again. Theoretically. Post to come + pictures.

F.O.U.R
Kyle has been asking me what I want for Christmas and I cannot give him any answers. I have no idea what I want for Christmas.  So. I need ideas.  Give me ideas people. I mean, there are things that I want. For example. Red Glossy Hunter Rain Boots. But then I ask, when will I actually wear them?  A new Tory Burch York Bag.  But that is out of our budget range.  Le Sigh.

F.I.V.E
Speaking of “Le Sigh” - I joined the world of Fantasy Football this year and I cannot handle it.  As always I expect too much from players (that I know nothing about) and get mad at them each week.  I think Kyle thinks I am 25% funny and then 75% annoying as I complain about my players who “should think about a new career path because the NFL isn’t working for them anymore” …. or when I tell him I am dropping players or benching players.  I just don’t lose well & if a player is projected to get 10 points he should get 10 freaking points.  What needs to happen each week is this.  I need to set my roster.  Then delete the app off my phone.  And then check the outcome Tuesday morning. 

Welp.  I hope everyone has a really good weekend.  And I have A LOT of writing to do this weekend and upcoming week.  McKenna has some exciting things going on in her life too.  Well, exciting for her.  I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that my kid is basically going to high school.  OH.  And if any of you mom’s want to do a book swap thing - message me and I will give you all the details! 

{thirty before thirty}

Earlier this month/late last month at work my friend was telling me about how one of her friends decided to make a list of all the things she wanted to do before she turned 30 {I feel like this is a stolen idea but I am okay with that}.  My friend then thought it was a good idea and decided to do it. And as I sat in traffic on the way home that night I too thought it was a good idea. And…I thought it would be a fun thing to do and then blog about since we all know my life is rather boring.

 

Well. It took me awhile to come up with 30 things I want to do before I turn 30. But ... here is my list.

{my list}

1. Find a charity I am passionate about and donate money each month. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money – just some money. {completed 10.4.12}
2. Rent a cabin for the weekend with Kyle and just get away
3. Accomplish my running goals:
   -Run a half marathon in under 2 hours.
   -Run a marathon under 5 hours.
   -Run a 10k in under 1 hour.
   -Run a 5k in under 30 minutes.
4. Go on a hot air balloon ride!
5. Learn how to fold a fitted sheet!
6. Pick out my most favorite wedding picture and get it printed on canvas. Hang it on the wall.
7. Go to an Alabama Football game in Bryant Denny!  I have not been since graduating college in ‘06! {completed 10.5.13}
8. Paint Pottery.
9. Go horseback riding.
10. Shoot a gun. At a shooting range or whatever they’re called. {completed 10.21.12}
11. Visit a vineyard!  {completed 6.23.13}
12. Go to a brewery.
13. Take a random spontaneous vacation or weekend trip (with Kyle or with the girls).
14. Go to Savannah for St. Patrick's Day!
15. Go on a ghost tour.
16. Take a Zumba class. {completed 3.23.13}
17. Buy a house.  {completed 12.18.12}
18. Climb a rock wall.
19. Go to a braves game {completed 9.1.13}
20. Do a city scavenger hunt.
21. Get my fortune read.
22. Run another half marathon for charity.
23. Take Kyle J to Sanibel Island. {completed 9.13}
24. Go on one fabulous vacation – honeymoon does not count.
25. Spend a weekend in Charleston!
26. See Alabama play in a bowl game – in person.
27. Weigh less than my drivers license says.
28. Learn how to change a tire.
29. Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.
30. Spend an afternoon lounging at a swanky hotel pool.

 

And that my friends – is my “to do” list for the next year and a half or so. Wish me luck & if you’re in Atlanta and want to do any of these things with me ... comment away and we will party plan!

Half Marathon :: Training Plan

I am officially back on the running thing thanks to Elizabeth and her fabulous giveaway for a free entry into Atlanta 13.1.  I ran this race 2 years ago – loved it – signed up to run it last year – backed out because I wasn’t ready and didn’t feel like suffering for 13.1 miles.  But. now that the wedding is over and done with I need something to occupy my time and running it is.  After all, running keeps me sane and I refuse to do P90X with Kyle.

I found a training plan and here is what my next few weeks look like:

WEEK	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
1	REST	3 MI	2 MI	3 MI + STRENGTH	REST	4 MI	30 MIN XT
2	REST	3 MI	2 MI	3 MI + STRENGTH	REST	4 MI	30 MIN XT
3	REST	3.5 MI	2 MI	3.5 MI + STRENGTH	REST	5 MI	40 MIN XT
4	REST	3.5 MI	2 MI	3.5 MI + STRENGTH	REST	5 MI	40 MIN XT
5	REST	4 MI	2 MI OR XT	4 MI + STRENGTH	REST	6 MI	40 MIN XT
6	REST	4 MI	2 MI OR XT	4 MI + STENGTH	REST	5K RACE	REST OR XT
7	REST	4.5 MI	3 MI OR XT	4.5 MI + STRENGTH	REST	7 MI	50 MIN XT
8	REST	4.5 MI	3 MI	4.5 MI + STRENGTH	REST	8 MI	50 MIN XT
9	REST	5 MI	3 MI OR XT	5 MI + STRENGTH	REST	10K RACE	REST OR XT
10	REST	5 MI	3 MI	5 MI + STRENGTH	REST	9 MI	60 MIN XT
11	REST	5 MI	3 MI	5 MI + STRENGTH	REST	10 MI	60 MIN XT
12	REST	3 MI	2 MI	2 MI	REST	3 MI	30 MIN XT
13	REST	2 MI	REST	2 MI	REST	REST	13.1

So. This all looks pretty manageable and I seem to be off to a good start – but I always start “off to a good start”. Now, I just hope I can stick with it.  But… with Kyle doing P90X I do have the ability to go to the gym more often since he is not going.

I need to find a 5k the weekend I am scheduled for a 5k. But it just so happens that I am running a 10k that my company is sponsoring the same weekend that I need to run a 10k so that is a success.

I am thinking Thursday nights I may just sneak out of the office a little early and head to Buckhead for Blast900. Since Blast is running and strength. And… I am sure by the time the 5 mile mark hits I will have the endurance to hopefully knock out to 5 miles.

I just need to figure out my Sunday cross training.  I’d like to work in FlyWheel Spin Classes but that is a solid hour and most weekends don’t count for that much cardio.  I don’t want to over extend myself.

Oh well. Hopefully, in addition to Friday’s Letters I can get you a half marathon training update. Weeeeee! :)

Friday*s Letters

Before I get into my letters that sum up my week I would like to go on the record and state that this was the weirdest week in the history of all weeks.  July 4th threw me off.  Having a Wednesday off and then having to go back to work was like having two Mondays in one week and we all know that Mondays are by far the worst day of the week.

I am so super proud of all my buddies who toughed out the Peachtree Roadrace on the 4th.  The heat and the humidity - holy moly no ma'am.  I ended up selling my race number (the honest way - no profit made) because I was not ready for it nor did I feel like waking up early and toughing out 6.2 miles in the hot hot heat. :: slacker, i know. don't hate ::

I am starting half marathon training next week thanks to Elizabeth and her fabulous giveaway for the 13.1 Atlanta.  I have raced this in the past and loved it!

Kyle and I FINALLY found a local Chinese restaurant this evening so we are so super pumped.  We have Mexican and Chinese and Italian. Yum. But why is it that all the best Chinese places are in the most ghetto locations or buildings?!

:: And now... my Friday Letters ::

Dear Friday :: I am so so so grateful for you today.  This week was rough and people never cease to amaze me.  Next week is a new week and I hope hope hope it is hands down way better than this week. Oi Vey.

Dear Life :: I may complain too much about you and seem unhappy at times, but I really am grateful for you and everyone who is in my life. I do wish you'd slow down and throw me a bone sometimes, but I know that you're not handing me more than I can handle.

K doing P90X yoga! :o)

Dear Husband :: I am so proud of you for starting P90X and then sticking with it! I know you just started it but I am super impressed. And because I love you so... I will share this fabulous picture with even more Internet people!  But you do sweat a lot and it is kinda gross.  But don't worry.  I still think you're great, I just don't want hugs or for you to get too close. xoxo - much love. 

Dear Boy At Work Who Made Me Cry :: I know you don't know you made me cry because I hung up the phone. vented to my office mom. and cried. but still. you made me cry and you were not very nice. granted, me being mentally and physically exhausted probably didn't help all that much - but still - manage your employees and stop shoving your work onto me.

Dear Kyle :: I love you. And I love that you asked/said "is _______ still at the office?! Do I need to call him?! he does not make you cry" I love that you protect my honor from afar and think that people should treat me right.

Dear Office Mom :: I am forever grateful for you and your words of wisdom.  Don't kill me but I didn't leave early today like you ordered me to do.

Dear Mom and Dad :: I am going to try and come to Sanibel for a short weekend.  Kyle will probably stay here, but I think I need a break from reality and just disconnect from the world.  And if I am in Atlanta that won't happen.  I'm saving my allowance to see if I can afford a $300+ plane ticket.

Dear Miranda Lambert :: Please protect your voice this weekend and get better soon.  We have been looking forward to your concert next weekend for months.  It is the kick off to the most fabulous girl weekend ever.  So make Blake make you some tea and just kick back in that big house of yours and take.it.easy.  We need some gunpowder and lead in Atlanta!!!

Dear Heather :: I cannot wait to see your face next weekend!! I just mat not let you go back to Tuscaloosa.  And I know you need this weekend more than anything so I hope it is fun and exciting and nothing but amazing! :)

Dear Mulligan :: Sir. It is hot hot hot outside.  Please do not give yourself self imposed heat stroke again. Legit, we thought you were going to fall over and drown in your water bowl.

------

Needless to say. I am looking forward to this weekend. Kyle and I really have nothing on the books so I plan on sleeping and watching shows on Netflix.  I am trying this crazy spin studio in Buckhead called FlyWheel and then doing a Zoes Kitchen lunch on Sunday with my friend Afton {which BTW, I am loving our weekend workouts}.  But other than that, we really have nothing planned.  Which works because it is too hot to really do anything.

And will someone remind me to buy a new digital camera before this weekend?! Please and thank you!!

foto friday - mercedes half marathon medal.

So I have decided to run the Mercedes Half Marathon in February.  It is in Birmingham so it is a REALLY quick drive from Atlanta so I can run it and then come back the same day.  AND the medal is really cool.  AND it will be a month before my wedding so this can be my forced working out to get skinny minnie for the wedding.  AND I can use this as an opportunity to see some of my favorite Alabama people ever.  AND I can go to Mugshots for a killer good hamburger since they now have one in Birmingham.  Oh, and the race entry is/was wickedly cheap. =D

three things thursday

1. have you read about how they're thinking about making the new york marathon a 2 day race.  If not... you can get all the details HERE.  I have not run the NYCM but it is on my bucket list and when the lottery opened up for this year I toyed with the idea of trying to enter it {and man am I glad I did not}.  ....but I (may be alone in this thinking) but there is something about this marathon and the excitement and suspense of knowing if you did or did not get in. And I understand that the demand to run this race has and is growing, but I don't think that should change the process of getting in.   But I am not a fan of how they're getting rid of the guaranteed entry... guess I will have to get lucky. ;)

2.  I am still really shocked at how EASY the 5k I ran this weekend was.  Running 2 miles in my 'hood is hard - I blame the hills, but obviously the hills have helped a lot.  Now I am looking for a 5k for November and a 10k for December.  I actually have the Run Georgia web site pulled up and am trying to decide what to run. I am *hoping* to be amping up the miles soon.  I registered for The Mercedes Half Marathon for next February in Birmingham and I WILL RUN THIS RACE.  No more DNS.  

3.  I am so excited for everyone running Savannah this weekend but I am also so bummed that I am not running it.  There is always next year...  I kinda regret cancelling my hotel room and kept thinking I should just go to spectate... but that is a lot of money to just spectate.  But I hope everyone has a lot of fun and has a great race this weekend!!

three things thursday–truth edition.

 

TRUTH #1.  I am going to have to make a BIG decision on if I want to continue with Blast900 or not.  I  have a few reasons why I am trying to decide if I want to continue on or not, but it really comes down to money.  It is SO expensive and I go once a week.  I will never ever ever say a bad thing about Blast because it REALLY is a great workout.  But looking at all the money I am spending on it vs. going to the gym – it just doesn’t really make sense.  In addition I am not seeing a real big impact on my running – granted, many weeks Blast is my only workout.  I  just need to decide if it is worth it or not.

TRUTH #2.  Um.  I have a half marathon coming up that I am NO WHERE and I mean NO WHERE near ready for.  I have never had a “DNS” but I kinda wonder if I should even attempt this.  Yeah…. I blogged about this on Sunday but I have been thinking about it ever since.  I am unsure if running 13.1 miles when I haven’t really run more than 3 is worth it – in the past when I have not been really ready, I have at least been in shape enough to push through, walk a bit then run.  But I just do not think that is the case this go around.

TRUTH #3.  I think I have like an OCD personality.  My reasoning?  I tend to throw myself fully into something but I can only really focus on 1 thing at a time.  Last year it was running – this year it is wedding planning.  I wish I could find a way to balance everything, but I tend to let 1 thing take over my life.  Maybe since the wedding is pretty much planned – I just have more candy and candy buffet accessories, the guestbook, welcome bag stuffers, and some super cute signs to buy and then I am 100% done (I think).  Maybe I can take the that time and move it to running.

Atlanta 13.1 Pictures

 The Atlanta 13.1 pictures have been posted and I don't look too bad.  Remember, it was an AWESOME race!  But Yikes, I totally need a tan. ASAP.  Too bad I burn in tanning beds, spray tan things turn me orange and um it's too cold to lay by the pool. Oh Casper.

Rah Rah Shish Koom Bah - Atlanta 13.1 - new PR!

Disclaimer: I feel like a total dork for writing this right after my race. But I have soaked in the tub of ice, stretched, showered, walked the dog, put on recovery socks, and am now on the couch for eternity... and I am excited so I just had to put it all down now.

As another training run I ran the Atlanta 13.1 this morning.  I was pretty pumped after looking at the course map and turn by turn directions since most of the course was planned to be in my neck of the woods which meant I was familiar with the terrain, the hills, and pretty much most of the course. I checked the weather and learned that it was going to be in the 50's for the whole race - so I was feeling pretty confident in my run.  I was wondering how I would do since I gorged myself on spinach dip during the Alabama game the night before and I was a bit worried since Erin did a 13.1 series in Boston and they ran out of water and after seeing the less than stellar expo I feared the same thing, but I didn't want to carry my water bottle (man. I need a fuel belt) so I just hydrated really well and hoped for the best.

As always, race morning came early. 5:45 is not a pretty time and I don't like the darkness, but I got up and ready, took my dog out (the usual) and headed to the Marta Station for the quick trip up to Oglethorpe University for the start.  I got to the college with about 15 minutes to spare and felt really pressed for time but quickly stretched and hunted for my corral, only to learn there were not corrals but it was a test of honesty on your expected finish time.  I guess I am the only honest kid here in Atlanta since as I crossed the start line I was already veering from walkers (hey peachtree road race) and for the first 3 miles I was having to dodge the walkers with backpacks and khakis on.  I was cruising and having a great time and I noticed that my breathing was really under control which is a first for me.  I managed to stay steady and hold just about the same pace and the first 5 miles I was just rocking.  Around mile 5 is when fear set in. Not fear of "oh my gosh I am not going to finish" ... but fear of "why is there a Lexus on the course behind me" ... as the Lexus stayed on my heels and practically tried to run people off the road my heart rate went berserk.  Once the Lexus got around me and harassed other runners I calmed down and found my groove again.  We looped around all these neighborhoods and headed back towards Peachtree and after getting back on Peachtreee I was pretty much in familiar territory.

We trekked down Peachtree heading towards my apartment, turned on Johnson Ferry and onto Keswick and we were in the neighborhood I run for giggles.  My confidence was still high, my breathing was great, and I was just rocking the roads I already run.  I would be lying if I said the hills didn't still kill me because they did but I liked the comfortable feel.  As we turned on Harts Mills I hoped I wouldn't see Marist but we saw Marist and I was not thrilled about the awful Ashford Dunwoody hill.  Lucky for me there was a water stop and water stops = it's okay to walk. :o)  i walked and loved every second of it.  We then headed into Blackburn Park which is another area I run and I just sailed over the hills and around the soccer fields (enjoying the writing on the sidewalks).  We came out of the mark and headed up a hill that I do run and I do hate - I noticed a turn around coming up and I just prayed that my Garmin didn't freak out like it did last weekend and luckily it handled it just find. *phew*  ... as we headed towards Johnson Ferry and onto Johnson Ferry back to Peachtree I knew the rest of the course was 100% familiar territory and was confident that I was going to do well.  As I hit mile 11 I looked at my Garmin and thought "hey, I just may accidentally PR" and just chugged along, listening to my music (my marine corps play list is ah-may-zing).  I headed back up the rolling hills towards Oglethorpe and I knew we were in the home stretch so I just kept going even though I so badly wanted to take a walk break.  We hung a right before campus and then a quick left and was home free. Ms. Miley Cyrus and "The Climb" got me across that finish line in 2:27:53 - a 8 minute personal record - and I got my medal from Mike B who cheers me on via dailymile.com.  It was just a really cool race with a really pretty course and awesome volunteers who made pretty much everything run really smoothly (even the water stops and those are normally chaotic).

I don't know if it was the pasta that I ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner or all the spinach dip I gorged myself on last night during the game ... or if it is because Alabama stomped Florida last night and well Alabama and people who went there are just winners, but it was an awesome race and it gave me just the confidence that I need heading into Marine Corps.  I went into this race not worrying about my finish time and I think my "whatever happens happens mentality" helped a lot.  I was 2.39 miles ahead of the bridge closing and I knew that for MCM I need to do about 5 miles per hour and I was ahead of that today.

And in the Erin vs. Barbie competition I totally accidentally beat her last half time by 2 minutes. 

And I am l-o-v-i-n-g running to the Glee kids. Seriously, add them to your iPod. Stat.

Oh and the only bummer - I have a baby blister on the tip of one of my toes, I felt it forming and it surprised me. My wonderful Wigwam Socks usually never blister me, this is my 1st blister EVER. Not cool, not cool at all. Help me. How do I make it go away?!

So rock on 13.1 Marathon Series, you and your volunteers put on one awesome race this morning. The only thing I would change is to add corrals so we can all run easily at the beginning so we're not all jumbled.  BUT  I will be back next year!

september. where did you go?

another month has come and gone and 2010 is quickly coming to an end. honestly, i feel like i JUST started running again and I hardly believe that this time last year I was gearing up for my first ever half marathon. i mean really... where does the time go.

i really to not have too much to say, but i had the 2nd highest mileage month of 2010.  47.94 miles ran in total. call it me cramming for marine corps. but whatever you want to call it, i am super happy with my high miles month. i ran a 10k and beat my time last year which i was super happy about, ran a super hilly half marathon in nashville, and just logged some around the neighborhood miles.  nothing really exciting happened this past month.

with it now being october and marine corps being all of 30 days away (yikes.yikes.yikes.) i am going to make a crazy effort to get my butt out of the office every day for something active. i know what i do this month won't help drastically -- but every little bit helps. i am doing another 13.1 this weekend with a run home so i am hoping to get in 16 on saturday and that will be my longest run before mcm - but goodness october will be cramming time. (...wait i am supposed to be talking about september...)

.my playlist.well, the abbreviated version.
1. "Empire State of Mind" -Glee Cast
2. "Just a Dream" -Nelly
3. "Fancy Footwork" - Chromeo
4. "Peacock" -Katy Perry
5. "If I Had You" -Adam Lambert
6. "2012 (It Ain't the end)" - Jay Sean
7. "DJ Got Us Falling In Love" -Usher
8. "La, La, La" -Auburn
9. "Not Myself Tonight" -Christina Aguleria
10. "Love Me" -Justin Bieber

how was your september?!

half marathon #3 in the record books. gah it was hilly.

Yesterdya I ran my 3rd half marathon and my 1st big race since the ING Half this past March. Honestly, I do not know what made me want to do this race and ultimately sign up for it and I am unsure how I really feel about it, but it was a great training run for Marine Corps (which is quickly approaching) and it gave me some confidence that hey I can totally do MCM and I can totally beat that obnoxious 14th street bridge .... but I may die trying to do so.

i headed up to nashville from atlanta friday morning with 2 missions. 1) run a half marathon and *hopefully beat my friend Erin's most recent half marathon time of 2:29 (sorry E, nothing but love for you, but i do love this friendly competition) and 2) ask my good friend Brian from my childhood to be the minister at my wedding. Since i was not working, i let myself see kyle j off to work and i slept in till about 10:00. I took the crazy dog out for one last little stroll, said my goodbyes to him as i dropped him off at daycare (he did not say bye back... he had playtime on his mind), and headed north west to the city of country music. Once I got to Nashville I checked into the hotel and headed to the expo to get my number.  Since I was staying in the "race headquarters" the expo was in the hotel which made getting my race # and checking out the loot super easy.

the expo really wasn't that great.  Not a lot of cool stuff to look at and overly crowded.  Basically I got my race number, goodie bag, walked the expo, got my tee shirt and headed back to my hotel room.  i kinda hung out there all afternoon/evening and escaped to grab dinner and a bagel for race morning.  my hotel was only a few blocks from both the start and the finish of the race which made it really nice come 5:45 AM. (why am i runner again?! i hate early mornings!)  ...I should have known it was going to be a rough one when I set my alarm for 5:45 and woke up at 4:45 (doh! time change. hi) ... my bagel just did not sit well so as I was walking to the start my stomach wasn't feeling so hot.  But I told myself that I was not going to focus on it and just run it out.  I could not have asked for better weather, it was gorgeous. The sun came out every now and then and made it toasty but for the most part it was super nice.  I woke up Friday with crazy calf craps and thought to myself "did kyle sabotage me... he told me he didn't want me to go" ... and I woke up with the same cramp this morning.  I stretched it out and taped it up with KT Tape and hoped it wouldn't give me too much trouble...

The race started & finished at The Country Music Hall of Fame which was cool to see all the country music "stars" on the walkway.  JoDee Messina (who I love) kicked off the race with the National Anthem and it was just a cool cool start.  I was placed in coral 2 - which freaked me out, but then I realized it was because my finishing time was going to be in the 2 hr and some mark. The one thing that can describe this race is - hilly.  ...and they started early.  we weren't even to the first mile marker and we were trucking up and hill.  There were just a lot of hills - at times I felt like I was traversing a mountain (the Smokey's are in Tennessee aren't they...) and we didn't get to go down the mountain too often. Honestly: the 1st part was a lot of hills and not short ones that you run up and get them over with, but hills that just keep going and going.  Mile 3 took us into Centennial Park which reminded me a lot of Piedmont Park here in Atlanta and it was gorgeous and shady.  We ran by Vanderbuilt and Belmont University and through some neighborhoods with stunning houses.  Somewhere around mile 6 my pink KT Tape started peeling & annoying me so I pulled it off and ran only with half of it and hoped my calf wouldn't start to give me trouble. (seriously: what is in KT Tape to make it work?!) We did a turn around at mile 7 or so and my garmin pretty much freaked out.  I hit mile 8 and my watch read 7.34 (or something) and I was like huh -- that's not right. and then somewhere in mile 8 my garmin just said "okay never mind, nap time" and I looked down to see the clock. nice. somewhere in mile 9 it decided to wake back up... so it was hard to watch my pace/miles/etc for the rest of the race.  By the time we got to the Veteran's Bridge I was 110% over the hills and really did not have another hill in me - but I stuck it out and trudged up it. we ran next to the Titan's Dome to trek up another bridge and that one killed me (and put the nail in the coffin that I was never running in Nashville again).  The Shelby Bridge just kept going up and up and it was killer.  Around mile 12 someone yelled "it's all downhill from here" -- and that person was a HUGE liar.  As we rounded a corner up to mile 13 we were headed UP again.  We hit mile 13, took a left and I could see the finish.... and I just coasted across the finish line.  I got my medal from some military man in uniform (who told me, "you didn't even break a sweat did you" -- no sir, I died a few times on those hills), told him thank you and headed to grab water and a banana.  I steered clear of the "cookie cafe"  .... and walked up another hill back to my hotel.  Later Saturday I was reading comments by everyone who ran on the Women's Half Marathon's Facebook page and basically everyone was saying it was a hard course and much harder than the RnR Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon's course -- even a self proclaimed "veteran marathoner" said it was the hardest half she has ever done which makes me feel much much better about my performance (though I am far from a veteran). 

i had no idea it was an inaugural race and there were 5,000 or so people registered for it.  For it being the 1st time it was held in Nashville they did an AWESOME job.  The expo was fully staffed of volunteers so you didn't have to wait for anything (number, goodie bag, or tee) ... the water stops were practically perfectly executed (with the exception of the 2nd one which was kind of a cluster) ... there were so many volunteers in bright yellow on the course cheering us on.  Honestly, I would have thought this was like a normal year after year event which means it can only get better with time.

best sign saw on the whole course was going up a hill (who would have thought) there was some guy with a sign that said "my favorite people are women" -- it gave me a good laugh.

I didn't feel as strong as I had hoped I would, but seeing that it was the hilliest thing I have run since San Francisco I felt pretty good.  I am sure the pictures look horrendous... but I will post them when they're posted.  I didn't like that I didn't know my true finish time thanks to my Garmin crapping out, but a little suspense is okay every now and then right?!  ...i did learn that I love Clif Shot Blocks which will not be my new GU. strawberry.yum.  And, I ran with my Marine Corps playlist ... and I am gonna need to edit & manage it better. It got kinda dull and unfun a hour or so in.

finish time: 2:44:07 --yikes. not happy about that at all. that is 9 minutes slower than my PR. grr. thanks hills.

average pace:  12:39 -- which is under the 14:00 pace for MCM and I am sure MCM is not that hilly.

my garmin only tracked 12.49 miles of the 13.1, but from that i beat my mcm competition by: 1.46 miles

Post race, I took a 20 minute ice bath and then headed back to Atlanta (bad idea - my legs were sore and I was so tired) to watch the Alabama/Arkansas game. My heart took too much on Saturday. Half Marathon and a too stressful football game. It's amazing I am still alive.

Oh and I didn't get to ask my friend to be my officiant.  He ended up going camping Friday and having to take his dog to the vet.  I do have 545 days till I am hitched so I have some time.

women's half marathon elevation map

so here is the elevation map for my half marathon in Nashville on Saturday. doesn't look too bad. slow gradual hill from 1.5 miles - 4 ... then flat for the most part and then downhill for the finish... i am most excited about touring Nashville by foot. i have never been there, but heard it is a cool city. ...depending on how this goes it will make me decide if I want to do The Country Music Half in April...

race starts at 7:00 AM. I am in coral 2. I figure I will be done by 9:30 AM - 9:40 at the latest. Gotta be back on the road to Atlanta by 10:30... Need to be back in Atlanta by 3:30 PM for the Alabama/Arkansas game. I was kinda excited to see a 12pm checkout time for my hotel, it was shattered when i saw the 2:30 pm (CT) kickoff for the game. Oh Alabama Football how you rule my life in the fall. depending on my true finish time and the ice situation at the hotel, i may get in a 15 minute ice bath... but that's me being optimistic.

I know I want to run it in about 2:21 - so I can beat Erin's most recent time. (love you girl!) a


Saturday is going to be busy, busy, busy with the race and trying to get back to Atlanta...

Three Things Thursday.

I kinda liked sharing things that were non-running related when I did my 100th post and many of my favorite running blogger people (to name a few: runners rambles, run courtney run, and shut up and run) do this little thing called "three things thursday", I like that this little thing tracks my training and lack of training and attempts at training, but I also i feel like "random" is a good word to describe me, so I am going to try my best to do this every Thursday and it will shed a little more light on who I am.... maybe.

3 random thoughts on my mind each Thursday about anything under the sun.

1. Last week I signed up for 3 races. 1) The Singleton 10 miler in Stone Mountain via The Atlanta Track club. 10 miles. September 11th. marine corps forced training. 2) Atlanta 13.1 half marathon. 1st weekend in October. more forced miles for marine corps. 3) The first ever Rock and Roll Savannah half marathon. november 4 2011. coupon code for $30 off - i was sold. ...I feel like a running overachiever but all the races had really good and cheap race entries.
2. Today Kyle and I switched from Comcast (because we think it is horrible) to DirectTV. *will comcast comment on my blog again...hmmm* -- well, I took the morning off (and I am wondering why I took off when HE wanted to make the switch) and to keep the dog from harassing the poor DirectTV man we put him into a new daycare center in Midtown. The place is called Dogaroo and I hope and pray he left his menacing tendencies in our apartment. He has been booted from 1 day care center in Atlanta, lets hope he does not make it two.
3. about a week ago i hate theknot.com until i turned off all their pesky email spam things. now i kinda like it. i think the checklist will be useful & the budget tracker - phenomenal. but planning a wedding isn't sunshine and roses like hollywood makes you think it will be. many of my friends who just got married or are about to be married have told me "after quite a few meltdowns it will all come together", isn't this supposed to be a joyous time?! now... i just gotta get montaluce (gasp.gorgeous) to drop their food min by oh $3,000 or $4,000. ...and decide how much kyle and i want to put towards the wedding. BUT, I have already selected my bridesmaids gifts. Just call me Paula the Planner.

and with that my friends, my 1st three things thursday is complete.

Polling the audience.

I NEED YOUR HELP!

Hey Runners. Help me out here! SO! One of my co-workers at our corporate office just signed up to run her first half marathon (she is doing Disney!) and because I adore her, I wanted to make her a little training and recovery basket. SO!

What would you want?

What should I put in there?!

I have the Gels, Chomps, BodyGlide, and Runners World covered -- but do you have any other ideas?!

what’s on the agenda?

i am getting really excited for Jess and her first marathon this weekend in San Diego. She is running with Team in Training and she has had an awesome support group surrounding her and I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing about people pushing her to her limits and encouraging her to just keep going. i really have enjoyed following her training (even though I tuned in half way through) and reading about her highs and lows, ups and downs, triumphs and defeats. Jess is real and she isn't ashamed to let the world know that she had a bad run or had the best run of her life. She is relatable and down to earth. Currently, she is having her normal pre-marathon doubts and starting to question her abilities, but I know she is going to rock it and I am excited to hear how she does and find out how hooked she is. Scoot over to her blog as wish her good luck!

her up in coming race (and all the other people headed to San Diego tomorrow) got me thinking about what is next for me and my 2 legs. i decided a month or so ago that i didn’t want to run any more 5ks or 10ks here in atlanta unless they were a known challenge and would be a butt kicker and beneficial to my training. so other then training runs i have thrown a few extra races to my schedule, but with good reason.

…so here is what i am thinking…

7.4.10 – the infamous peachtree road race – it’s a 10k that i have wanted to do so i am. plus i heard there is a killer hill up peachtree and hills are good. hills make you stronger. hills make you faster. peachtree roadrace, you meet my expectations and i hope you're not a let down, but i feel like you're big climbing hill up Peachtree will be worth it.

6.4.10 – US 10k – holy hills is all I have to say. Cobb Parkway is going to kick my butt – 6.2 miles of rolling hills (big hills) will be super beneficial.

6.11.10 – atlanta track club 10 miler in stone mountain. stone mountain = hilly and as mentioned, hills are awesome because they make you stronger, faster, blah blah blah. PLUS a 10 miler is just what I need to training so this too meets my training races for marine corps.

10.25.10 – women’s half marathon nashville – 13.1 miles of heat and She hills can only make me stronger and i am excited for it.

i am also thinking about doing 13.1 Atlanta the week after Nashville -- not as like a race to push the limits and try to PR but as a training run and to get in the miles, but I am thinking that may be too much too close to Marine Corps and rather than sticking with the mid point miles I may need to focus on a long long run. who knows!

Running in Northern VA!

**caution** this post has a little bit of complaining in it.

Forgive me runners for I have sinned. I have not be running like I should be and I have no excuse other than a dog who eats rocks and has to be rushed to the vet, training a new gal at the office, and in town visitors in the form of parents and old bosses. But! That all changed when I got home to Northern VA. There is something awesome about running back home. I do not know if it is just the newness of the routes and roads. Or if it is because it is the ‘burbs and running in neighborhoods is much better than the city. So, as I packed I packed up 5 days worth of workout gear because I had every intention of running, spinning, hitting the elliptical every day I was home. However, mid last week I had a feeling that my vacation away from life and my hopes of getting in some major gym and road time was going to be squashed when Kyle started making my vacation away from my busy life busy with not one but two meals with his mother, drinks with his best friend, and dinner with his dad. Mind you all I wanted to do was dinner with his dad and 1 meal with his mom but of course me speaking up turns into “why do you hate my mother”. Kyle even had the balls to ask why I wanted to grab coffee with a high school friend. Yes, 4 events in like 5 days home made for a pretty hectic first few days home. No gym time as planned Friday. Saturday was spent recovering from 2 days in the car and dinner with K’s dad till oh 11:30 pm, followed by Saturday dinner with his mom and drinks with his friend. blah blah blah – the first 2 days home were packed and Monday was a 4 hour lunch with his Mom (and all I could think was, why does it take 4 hours to have LUNCH?!) …so leading up to leaving I packed running clothes, my iPod, and Garmin in hopes of running Burke Lake and around DC and around my neighborhood but I had a sneaky suspicions I wouldn’t get in too many quality runs and I was right…

so here were my planned runs and let’s see if they happened or did not happen

Burke Lake :: miles run = 4.65 :: I had planned on doing this run at 8 am and well, if you know me… waking up in the morning isn’t my strength so after hitting the snooze button about 5 times I postponed the run to the afternoon. worst.idea.ever. 90 degrees is still hot in the shade. The gorgeous views of the lake distracted me a bit from the terrain for the most part but I did have to take quite a few walk breaks. I never knew how hard trail running could be until this run and I the verdict it still out on how I really feel about it but my legs were dying after the run because of the ups and downs (more ups than downs) which I know if beneficial. If/when we move back to DC I think Burke Lake runs will happen… quite honestly, I wished I had more time home to go run it again. …next time…

Washington DC, around the mall :: miles run = 4.42 :: This was the one run I was looking forward to the most and it was a great idea in my mind but once I did it … no so much. I spent more time on the metro than I did running but other than that it was a cool run. I shall call in “find the monuments” because when I got off the metro I had no idea where I was and I was thinking “ok just find the Washington monument” … well I found the capital instead and then spotted the Washington monument and headed that way. So I ran from The Capital, to the Washington Monument, to Lincoln (where I wanted to wade in the nasty reflecting pool like Jenny from Forest Gump because it was so hot) and then back to the metro. Looking at the map of my run (thanks Garmin connect) I wish I had sucked it up and ran around the tidal basin, but the heat was getting to me. Needless to say it would have been a super cool run if it wasn’t so hot and if/when we relocate back to DC it will for sure be a spring/fall run. Now lets just hope it isn’t this hot in October for Marine Corps!! ….after getting home I kinda wanted to run Burke Lake again (crazy me) but the rain came in so I laid in bed instead! :o)

Around the neighborhood :: miles run = 2.01 :: the heat, hills, humidity, high pollen count, and hangover from 1 too man Blue Moons the night prior cut this run short. Who ever said a good run will cure a hangover was crazy, it just made my stomach cramp up and want to hurl in Taylor Ward’s parents front yard. (I didn’t though.)

For a grand total of 11.08 miles. Not impressive but not too bad for the busy vacation.

In other news… I pulled the trigger and signed up for a half marathon in Nashville on September 25th. It will be an easy trip up, spend the night, 7 am start, run for 2 hours, hop in the car and head back to Atlanta. I think it would be great training for Marine Corps… nothing like forced long runs with a shiny medal at the end! :o)

Tomorrow is national running day – I hope you all get out there and RUN. I will rock my running gear, but I will be trekking back to ATL from DC so no running for me. Happy running to you all tomorrow!!

march 2010 – over. bring on april.

March has been quite the month. I was pretty busy with work and life but I still managed to accomplish amazing things in the running world. I ran my second half marathon to date, had a great time, and even beat my last half marathon time by a landslide. I ran a 10k when I could barely breath and had not such a great time, and I had a month full of miles ran. Can you believe I ran 50+ miles?!?! (53.28 to be exact) I can’t! I cannot believe we have almost crossed over into April and it makes me wonder where the year is going.

I had the crazy idea to sign up for The Chicago Marathon but before I was able to they reached their 45K runners mark and I missed out. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason so I am ok with not getting in. There is always 2011 or 2012 right? Plus by then I hope to be a running fool and will be able to smoke my 2 Chicago friends.

I am sticking with my normal format of highlights and goals for the next month but have decided to steal some from CAUTION: Redhead Running and her March Recap format.

Highlights of the month:

1. ING Georgia Half Marathon – I set a PR and ran a fairly great race. Like normal, I was no where near ready but who cares. One of these days I will take a half marathon or marathon seriously and put in effort to the training.
2. I had the highest mileage month to date. I ran 50+ miles in one month which is HUGE for me. Now I just have to do that every month!
3. Erin & I ran our second 10k of 2010 together. She smoked me again but whatever, I can admit defeat.
4. I registered for my first (and probably last) Peachtree Roadrace. It was a test of patience and persistence and took me over a hour, but I got in. **That is ALL that matters**
5. I actually took the time to figure out my Garmin 405 and I am super impressed. I can upload all the info online and check out the route I ran, my splits (how fast each mile was), calories burned, elevation junk. I never know how little I was utilizing that big thing!

March Running Song: “Girls on the Dancefloor” –Far East Movement

March Triumph: The ING Half Marathon on 3.21.10 – I rock it.

Current Goal: To stick to the high mile months and keep up with the weekly spin classes.

Goals for April:

1. To run another 50+ mile month. Right.Left.Repeat.
2. To keep up with my weekly spin classes and Sunday cardio circuit at the gym.
3. Register for the Marine Corps Marathon – yes all 26.2 miles of it. :o)
4. Find a local 5k or 10k and run like the wind!
5. Start the 200 Sit Ups Program and actually stick to it. I need (and want) a stronger core.

March has also started a friendly running competition between Erin and me. She ran the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon last summer and beat me when I ran Nike. I just ran ING and beat her time from Napa. She is training for 13.1 Boston in June and her goal is to now beat my half marathon time. Friendly competition has never hurt anyone, but I think her and I should take it to the streets of 5ks and then 10ks and then half marathons *together* and eventually maybe she will work her way up to a full. I will keep you posted on Erin vs. Barbie 2010 and we shall see who comes out victorious in the end.

April is a new month. If anyone has any races they’re interested in running and need a friend let me know, I am game! Same goes with gym time, spin class, or just a running buddy!

ING Half. Finished. Dominated. Booya!

There is nothing like waking up before you normally get up to run a race... especially when you're less than prepared and rain is in the forecast. But I got myself up and on the Marta by 6:00 AM for the ING Georgia Half Marathon. I did not really set any major goals for myself going into the race and I realized that around mile 4, so I decided that I wanted to be at mile 10 by 2 hours flat (check.completed) and finished by 2:30 (ehh not so much). BUT - I finished in 2:36:53 which is only 6 minutes after my target finish time and a whopping 19 minutes faster than my last half marathon. Super big thanks to my running family on Twitter & Dailymile - your congrats and well wishes mean the world to me. ...evidently beating your last have time by 19 minutes is HUGE! :o)

I didn't know too much about this race other than that it was a running tour of some awesome Atlanta neighborhoods, had some killer hills, and that there would be a lot of crowd support. I was in Corral N and I felt wickedly rushed since they were singing the National Anthem to start and I was still making my way through Centennial Olympic Park. Ehh... poor planning on my part, I thought 1 hour would have been plenty of time to get Downtown. 7:00 the gun was off - I crossed the start around 7:30 and for the first mile or so I was just picking people off one by one, got frustrated with the walkers in the middle of the course, and got insanely hot so I stripped off my jacket and tied it around my waist (amazingly it wasn't annoying like it was in San Fran). Near the beginning of the race I was with the 2:45 pace group and I would lose them and they would catch up and then we would lose each other again. I do not know when I decided I wanted to beat the 2:45 pace group, but I told myself I would not and could not let them catch me again. And they never did. The rain started around mile 3 and as much as I was hoping it would have held off, I was so thankful it was falling since it was cooling my body temp down (the beginning of the race was super humid and I was thinking it was going to be a long 13.1 miles in the sticky air). I took Gatorade at the first water stop (on accident) and remembered just why I do not drink Gatorade in the middle of the race - my stomach started to cramp up around mile 5, which luckily Team in Training was at mile 6 so I got to down some water. The Virginia Highlands & Inman Park area was great, but like normal, I do not remember too much about courses and routes. I just run. Right.Left.Repeat. I did have motivation at mile 10 thanks to Ms. Miley Cyrus and "The Climb" ... perfect timing for that song and around mile 12 The Glee Cast singing "Defying Gravity" kept me moving. ...honestly, I had a pretty rocking playlist. Paul Simon "You Can Call Me All" - two thumbs way way up.

....I digress...

The crowd support (in the rain) was amazing. I do not know, but if you live in the Old 4th Ward and were out cheering us on. You're amazing on so many levels. I loved the people dressed in traffic barrels. To the GA Tech kids who were out in full force dressed as whoopee cushions, bananas, guys dressed as girl cheerleaders, and to the girl giving out water who knew me (still no clue) - you're support at mile 11ish was phenomenal! And near the end everyone who had already finished, your high fives and encouragement was wanted, needed, and appreciated.

I rounded the last corner and just took off when I saw the finish line. Never did my body shut down, I felt good pretty much the whole time, and I really did enjoy myself. It was awesome to know that I ran at an 11 and some pace which is a major accomplishment for me, it felt great picking off people who were in Corrals earlier than me (mean. I know), and I felt like a total moron trying to hold back tears of *joy* as I crossed the finish line knowing that I had majorly PR'ed that morning ... in the rain!!

I got to check off one more race on my marathon/half marathon bucket list. If you live in Atlanta (or are looking for a reason to visit Atlanta) and are looking for a great half or full, you should do it. I know it won't be ING next year but still... do it.

Post race, I walked to QT from the Marta station. Picked up a bag of ice for my ice bath and a chocolate milk. I soaked in the nice bathtub of cold water and ice for about 30 minutes and then waited and waited for the Peachtree Road Race 10k registration to open and when it finally did it was a total fail. I hour later, I was registered for my first ever (and probably only) Peachtree. I spent the rest of the day on the couch because I did not want to nap and ruin any chance of getting a good night sleep - HEY I had to work Monday!

To everyone who ran and finished (half marathon and full) - congrats! You all have SO much to be proud of! :o)

On a side note, I do not know how KT Tape works but I am so grateful I had not used my sample from the Disney Marathon. I have had some pretty rough right calf issues which I think was causing my foot to fall asleep so I decided it could not hurt to try it out. I "taped" my calf up this morning and there was not a single pain or issue the whole race. I do not know how it works but I love it and am going to add it to my Christmas list EVERY year and if you have any aches and pains you should 100% try it out.

I do not know what is next on my list (seriously considering Chicago in October and The Rock and Roll Half - VA Beach in September)... but I intend on just putting one foot in front of the other and getting better on incorporating cross training!

3 days till ING

We are counting down the days now to the ING Georgia Half & Full Marathon. I signed up for this race coming off the Disney Marathon when I said I would never ever ever do a full again. Thankfully so, since I am once again no where near in half marathon shape (and because I am wickedly congested and at the tail end of a chest and head cold ... which evidently is floating around Atlanta and plaguing many a ING runners -- feel better if you're sick and running!!).

I have never done this race so please do not think I am giving out any tips, secrets, or pointers because well I am not. All I know is what I have heard and all I have heard is that it is well organized, well run, and hilly. So, I did what I normally do and looked for an elevation map. And well it does appear to be quite the hilly course. Mile 6 looks like it will be a doozy (wait, wasn't mile 6 the rough one in San Fran too?!) and that it will be 100% up hill and into mile 7 and finally giving us a break around mile 8. Luckily it looks like mile 11 (when I will be for sure out of steam) is downhill and that the last mile or so is fairly flat with some little hills.

The weather is supposed to be rainy. Last I heard there was a 60% chance of rain.... which means I will for sure be sporting my new pink Nike rain jacket. I do have my fingers crossed that the rain will hold off until AFTER the race but with my luck that won't happen. I tried to look at the hour-by-hour predictions on weather.com and I guess it is too far away to predict what will happen come 7 am on Sunday morning.

Oh well. Good luck to everyone running, walking, crawling, skipping, whatever their way to the finish. If you're doing it, let me know, maybe we can suffer this out together! Happy Running!

Next on schedule - ING Half.

So I cranked out Disney and now I am onto training for my 2nd half marathon ING Atlanta. It feels so weird to be gearing up for a race so close to home, but it is also pretty cool to know that I can just hop on the MARTA get to the start and then get home. ...it will probably be a little more difficult than that, but who knows. Maybe I should do a test run the weekend before. ANYWAY - ING is a little under 9 weeks away and I took 1 week off from Disney. Learned to walk again - saw the most amazing sports massage guy Tony - sat on my couch and watched reality TV and really did nothing.

Monday I started in full swing to actually train and get ready for the 13.1 miles. Actually... the week that I was doing nothing I pulled a schedule off Runner's World. You have to understand that actually training for a race is a new concept for me. I am the runner/person who semi trains, never really does more than 6 miles and then gets to the starting line thinking WTF Barbie?! So this time, I am going to try my best to take this as serious as possible.

And here is my schedule and plan:
Monday: run the scheduled amount. They have Monday as my "easy day" so I think this will be my favorite day of the week! :o) ...there is one Monday that is a "rest or cross training" day and I think I will make that Monday an Elliptical day.
Tuesday: Is scheduled rest of cross training. I have chose the later and I am going to do a 1 hour spin class every Tuesday night. I did my first one yesterday. It was a butt kicker, I have never sweated so much in my life, I need to bring a bigger water next time, but I also left and was pretty much hooked. Rock on. **now lets just hope it really does help. ha**
Wednesday: The mid week is either a tempo run or speed work day. The miles increase from Monday - but that is fine ... that is so what I need.
Thursday: This is also an "easy run" day - I think I may to this run on the dreaded treadmill to work on pace; however, they have me scheduled for a 12:47 pace and that kills me of slowness. But, I think I will do it on the treadmill and then do like 30 minutes of swimming on top of it. ...there is one day that has a "rest or cross training day" and I will make that an elliptical day.
Friday: MY DAY OF REST! :o)
Saturday: Dun Dun Dun ... dreaded long run day. ....I think I am going to try and get a few of those long runs in at Stone Mountain because I do need hill training and hills are my friend.
Sunday: Another rest or cross training day ... again I have chose the later. I know for sure I am going to do 30 minutes of swimming but I will either combine it with 30 minutes on the Elliptical or 1 hr of Pilates. ...maybe I will switch it up week to week.

...Now wish me luck. My goal for ING is to run at least a 2:30 ... if I could get below amazing but it is going to be one step at a time. I just really hope that I can stick with the training and not be a slacker and then continue the habits on spin classes post race and keep swimming. After all, I gotta use that gym membership!