foto friday / november wrap up.

my foto friday ties into my November wrap up perfectly.  ...i went to google. clicked on images. typed in lazy. and came up with this:

how stinking cute are those critters.  i am positive i was not that cute while lounging around the apartment being lazy.

november wrap up. you know when you have those days that you just do not want to do anything... well days turned into weeks and weeks turned into a month and i found myself doing practically nothing this past month.  i ran 5.40 miles total and went to 1 Blast class.  I think I just spent November being a person again. I had dinners and happy hours with good friends,  I saw my brother and sister in law for the first time in months, I had my engagement party, I pretty much asked my whole bridal party to share my BIG day with me, and spent quality time with Kyle.  Things that I had not been able to really do while working 40+ hours per week and training for Marine Corps.  And I just enjoyed myself!

I would lie is I said I didn't enjoy being a 26 year old with a life, but I would also be a liar if I said I didn't miss the working out and running.  December will be all about finding a balance of getting in my work out sessions.  I am super crazy excited to make Blast900 a weekly thing and even more excited to have my good friend and Team in Training love Mitzi doing it with me!  I do need to plan my 2011 race calendar... when I was home for Thanksgiving the question I was asked over and over again is "what is next" and as of right now, there is nothing on the books until June!

Hope you all have a rocking weekend and had a great November and have an awesome December! 

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?!

july i let you down. sorry.

when july started i thought it was june. i think i need a mental vacation. i looked at my marathon training plan and thought pfew, i am still in the 3 milers. then i realized it was the 1st and we weren’t celebrating my birthday which meant it was not june, it was july. :: hand palm to face ::

july came in with some gorgeous weather. the 1st weekend in july was out of the spring that we missed and all us peachtree road race runners were blessed with great temps. …july ended just as steamy as it should have been. but i am still super thankful for the short blast of gorgeous-ness. (are my monthly recaps turning into weather reports or is it just me?!)

miles and runs and work outs. what really matters. 20.90 miles ran. i was hoping i could report in that i had a great month. my early month outside run and then running the peachtree roadrace wanting to DIE, made me realize i needed to kick it into high gear, FAST! …and i had full intentions of doing so, the beginning of the month was so easy and smooth. i was aiming for a 40 mile month, but work over took my life and i got engaged, was in a bridesmaid in a good friends wedding, and well it was done. i didn’t run really at all in July and there were moments where I felt like I was drowning in pressure from the office. i was working till 5:15 in the office and then till 11 at night at home. working on the weekends. i had moments where i wish i wasn’t expected to work 7 days a week. i started to wonder when my life was going to get back to a point when i could do more than just walk the dog for exercise. i paid the $29.99 for my LA Fitness membership and never made it through their doors. needless to say i got in little to no running in july and i wasn’t unhappy about it – i was annoyed and frustrated. after my run to the office where i could barely go 1 mile, i made the decision to just start back from the start – rebuild my base and just go from there. hopefully it will help and i just have to stay on track…

This month I did 2 spin classes and 1 swim session… not quite enough in my book. but, i did love my time in each swim and spin session so that is a total positive! and i was wickedly sore after each workout. the runs and swims and spins i did do this month I gave it my all so that is good.

my only good break from running: i took a week off from running because i got ENGAGED and was so wrapped up in weddings and excitement and celebrating. Not a planned week off, but it happened and as much as I hate that I didn’t get in any miles that week, I really do not care because I am now on the road to becoming Barbara Ann Shanahan! =)

Also: soon I will have a giveaway for a gift card. Stay posted for details. :o)

wedding update #1: we have not settled on a date. we’re running between march 31 2012, april 7 and april 14 2012. However, we (or…I) have decided on colors. Navy blue, cream, and lavender/lilac. my parents are coming down to Atlanta in a few weeks to check out venues and after that I think the wedding hype will be put on hold for a bit....

june you were so steamy. monthly recap.

june = summer… so summer kicked itself into high gear and it brought it’s friend humidity with it. nights were just as hot and some mornings were cool but most were humid and gross. really, did we even get a spring?!   i am just hoping that since summer came so fast it will go away earlier too.  *one can hope right?!*  i have been hitting the treadmill a lot more than the pavement because i cannot run in this heat and i am slowly getting back in a treadmill grove, but i would KILL to run outside and not want to die due to the heat and heavy air.

now. lets get down to the nitty gritty…  31.47 miles run total – a total improvement from my May (and April) miles – but i will give all that credit to Marine Corps training – but i didn’t hit it as hard as i wanted to. of course i had my normal tuesday night spin classes and saturday afternoon swims with some time spent on the elliptical in the mix. i didn’t get in as many spin classes as i wanted to because the friggin 5:30 spin class fills up at 5:05 and I have to leave work at 4:30 just to get a bike. ludicrous. just ludicrous i tell you.  i have noticed that since i am staying active my endurance is building. not getting faster, but i am able to run longer without getting tired. baby steps. :o)  …i need to remember that i am training for a MARATHON & HALF MARATHON and need to push the happy hours and dinners with friends to the side and run… but oh how i love good nights and good conversations with good friends.  ….my goal for july is a 40+ mile month.

my new coworker who i love and adore has been talking about us doing hot yoga. i don’t know. i don’t like to sweat. she swears it is a killer work out. if/when we do it… i will report back. …a little scared but a lot of you runner kids do it and love it. thoughts? i am thinking it may be a good stretch out for pre-long run weekends but i am also super uneducated about hot yoga.

i did not run any local races which was a first this year, but there was nothing that i thought would be super beneficial to my training. {even though runners world mentioned that you can take 5ks to focus on form and foot turnover… blah blah i chose to save my $20 race fee and run solo}

i made the official switch to loving lululemon over nike tempo shorts this month. SO MUCH BETTER. i cannot make an official official switch since i have 4 pairs of lululemons and like 25 pairs of nike tempo shorts but it is so nice to not have shorts that side up when you run (but i am not so sure they breathe as well though… the verdict is still out on that one). and it isn’t a full switch because their tanks suck, but their shorts i love the,. so christmas, birthdays, just because gifts… i welcome lululemon shorts with open arms and I will never buy another pair of tempo shorts (unless the colors are super cute)!! …i just gotta remember to bodyglide my fat thighs so they don’t rub together.

Natalie from Wigwam (my favorite socks EVER) stumbled across my blog somehow and reached out to me to say thanks for loving their product. (No, thank you for making such an awesome sock!) ….but she asked for my address to send me a few pairs of socks to train in. I am super pumped about that and plan on running in them and then reviewing them. …STAY TUNED…

ALSO -- i discovered compression socks this month too. pricey but worth it. and if you go to www.recoverysocks.com you can use the coupon code JHclient and get 15% off your order. i am actually really pumped about these for the half i am running in September because i wont have time to take an ice bath after the race since i am heading back to atlanta right after… it will be postponed until i get home.

5 running songs on total replay on my iPod…

1. “until you were gone” –chipmonk ft. esmee denters
2. “all night long” –alexandra burke ft. pitbull
3. “the instrumental” lupe fiasco
4. “somebody to love” –justin bieber ft. usher
5. “Lean’n” –Top Floor

so i am gonna stop and wrap this up because this was just a bunch of blabber – potpourri of topics if you will. where in the world is the year going?!  is the peachtree road race really here basically?! man did that creep up!! yikes, I am not ready for that big ol hill going up peachtree.  if you’re gonna be spectating – looking out for # 23818 <--- that’s ME!!  I am in wave F – starting at 7:55 AM! :o)  This is so exciting!!

how was your june?! 

ps. congrats to all my favorite bloggers who joined the marathon club and ran their first half marathons!!  I am so proud of all of you!

may recap.

sorry. just a tad late. vacationing took my mind away from knowing that may was ending. but better late than never right.

May was a bad month for running, better than April, but still pathetic. 25.53 miles total  but I added things to my training & experienced new and wonderful things so I am happy with May and that is all that matters!  I celebrated 1 year of running … don’t quite call myself a runner yet … but i have been at this for a FULL YEAR!

First – I added Saturday swims. I am unsure how beneficial they are going to be and I think they may be better suited for a workout after a long run, but to make that switch it is going to have to come to me persuading Kyle to let me have Saturday mornings for long runs rather than Sunday.  Back to swimming… I am getting better and I have not drowned yet and that is all that matters.  Second – I had my first ever trail run while at home in Northern VA.  And wowzas did it kill my legs, definitely used muscles that are not normally used when on the pavement.  But, I liked it, it was a total full leg workout, and now I wish I lived in VA and could run at Burke Lake all the time.  Anyone know of any trails in Atlanta? Third -  I put spin classes back in my routine.  Like swimming, I am unsure how this will work for me and if it will at all… but anything to strengthen my lower body and anything to make me faster… I will try it.  Fourth – I ran a Saturday at Stone Mountain.  Awesome but killer. Once my miles increase I will run there more. Hold me too it!  Fifth -  I discovered Lululemon super short running shorts and fell in love. I was also introduced to a new pair of Wigwam running socks and have switched my loyalty to another line (but still Wigwams).

I have been tossing around the idea of getting involved with an organization here in Atlanta called Girls on the Run … they have them all over the place.  I need to decide if we’re staying down here or moving back to NoVA before I make a decision… they have a chapter up there too… I want to dive in heads first and be able to stick around. So that is up in the air….

I am super pumped because Lori gave me a training schedule thanks to Team in Training that will help build my endurance which is going to help with Marine Corps.  Back to low 3 or 4 mile runs (SCHEDULED!!!) and not stressing about 7 or 8 mile Saturdays for a month or so.  Thanks Lori, you rock! :o)

I have another half marathon on my schedule, which I signed up for in May but will run it in September.

running music discovered in may and stuck on repeat:

1. “Can’t Be Tamed” –Miley Cyrus
2. “The Instrumental” –Lupe Fiasco
3. “Airplanes” –B.o.B ft. Haley Williams
4. “No Other One” –Tiao Cruz
5. “I Like It” –Enrique Ingelsias

also. this past month i have been approached by a lot of people in regards to raising money for races (both asking for donations and wanting tips) and as someone who was begging for money is a tough economy just 1 year ago the biggest tip I have been sharing is to THANK THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONATED.  It seems so simple but it is often forgotten.  :: cue mini-rant ::  I have donated to quite a few races in 2010 for many non-profits and not a single person has sent me a thank you note and only 1 has given me a verbal “thanks”.  If you’re gonna ask people to dig in their pockets when everyone is watching their budgets, the least you can do is send someone a thank you note, let them know you appreciate them working your cause of choice into their budget.  As a 26 year old, my budget is tight and sometimes my donation to you and your cause means I cannot grab dinner with a college friend to catch up.  Not trying to say that I do not think my donation went to good because it did and i know it did … but take some time to thank the person who donates.  We dug in our pockets, you can dig and yours for a stamp and a thank you note.  Without that show of appreciation what is going to make someone want to donate the next time you ask?  or maybe i am the only 20-something left that writes thank you notes still…  rant over.

Other than having a lack of shoe hitting the pavement, May was not so bad and I for once didn’t fret over my lack of running.  I understood that life just got busy and embraced it for once.  Soon enough my life and work load will level out… I can just feel it!!

how did your May turn out?!

big peach 5k race.ARPRIL is gone

I decided at the last minute (on 4.24) that I wanted to run the Big Peach 5k. My reasoning: I could ride the Marta to the start – run 3.1 and then run myself home. I have been needing to get in the miles in preparation for Marine Corp and with Big Peach being about 3 or so miles from my apartment, I said WHY NOT! Plus. it benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma society and if a race is attached to that organization 9 times out of 10 I am in. I did not know anything about the race so I checked out the course map and realized that it was roads that I run every now and then while taking breaks from work so other than the hill heading up Roxboro I thought it should be a fairly easy race… then this past Monday I ran the course backwards and realized it may be a little bit harder than I initially thought so I kinda went into the race siked out which is never a good thing. Then for the past 3 or so days I have been all out of sorts, body rejecting food, crazy tired, achy legs even though all I do is climb stairs and look for my lost car in the parking garage ….. On top of all that, Erin and I went out for a much needed happy hour/dinner so after margaritas and tacos I was not quite sure if I was even going to make it to the starting line & I thought that even if I skipped it my race entry went to an amazing cause. Before going to bed I checked the weather and there was like a 30% chance of thunderstorms (with lightening) from 6am – 11 am (prime racing hours) so I turned on “Lovely Bones”, set my alarm, and said lets play this by ear…. and if I do not run I WILL get 6 miles in this weekend at some point – whether is was pavement or treadmill.

SO. Race Day: I flaked out and stayed in bed and slept some much needed zzz’s. I took the dog on 2 long walks to make up for it and Sunday I had this great big plan to hit LA Fitness and knock out 6 miles on the treadmill and call it a day. Well, the treadmills decided to be difficult and 2.42 miles later I was calling it a day. Long story short it is common knowledge that I would rather hit the pavement than step onto a treadmill. But with this heat (84 degrees feels like 95) and the humidity, I had to take it inside. Well I was flying high, I got into a groove on the dreadmill, was rocking and rolling and them bam I read “belt stopping” at .83 miles. WTF?! So I started it back up again… same thing but at .26 miles the belt stopped. So, I moved 1 machine over and could not get back in the groove. I was hot, sweaty, annoyed, and then BAM at 1.33 miles – belt stops. I decided to call it quits and just head home. THAT IS WHY I LIKE RUNNING OUTSIDE THERE IS NOTHING TO STOP ME .83 miles in or .26 or 1.33

April is OVER! Thank God. Where in the world is 2010 going?! April was a fairly unproductive month for me in regards to running, work has been so busy and I fear with my new role it is only going to be busier so it will be a true test of learning to balance life.  I even titled this entry “big peach 5k race.march is over” to start with and started this paragraph saying “march is over” – that is how fried my brain is and has been.  I need a vacation. I ran 26.47 miles which is much less than my 50 some last month and my 50+ goal for the month. Why do I always seem to have low miles the month after a BIG race. I did not hit my 50 mile mark, but for me to get as high as I did, I am surprised. I did a 5k (and PR’d). I got a rocking free sample of Body Glide (remember, you can win a free stick). The pollen was (and still is) outrageous and makes it really hard to breathe. For the most part I slaved in the office, spent a lot of quality time with my dog and kyle, and just tried to enjoy life.

Here is hoping April is full of miles and I am really stoked about a friendship that was so unlikely but is becoming awesome with one of my fellow Nike Team in Training Gals. We’re talking about treking to Nashville together in September to run The Women’s Half as training for Marine Corp for me and her first full at the Nike Women’s Marathon! I love friendships that come out of no where!!!

Don’t forget about my FREE Bodyglide giveaway.