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!!

I got married & the peachtree.

Well!! It is official. Kyle J and I are married.  We do not have our marriage license just yet - but it is official.   Soon enough, I will be a Shanahan.  You can see some of my favorite stolen from friends off of Facebook pictures HERE!!

But... in other news.  It appears that I actually got into The Peachtree.  Weeeee.  So I have what, 3 months (??) to get into 10k shape.  And with me being married and all I now have no excuses not to run and I do need a new "project" to focus all my time and attention on.  So why not make it This "fabulous" race.  ...hopefully I enjoy it more this go around than I did 2 years ago.

....But I do have the Brookhaven Bolt to run in May at some point {it is a tradition} and I want to run some Big Peach race too.  So... I can do this!!

I am heading to Austin next Tuesday - Friday for a work trip and plan on running and exploring the city.  So if anyone is from Austin or has run in Austin and has some good running routes - hook a sister up! ;o) ...if not I can rely on the handy front desk people.

Peachtree Roadrace -- why oh why

I said I wouldn't do it again since it is so crowded and you end up walking for the 1st mile and having to dodge people who just jump in the course half way just to get the infamous shirt, but for some odd reason I said what the heck and put my name in the lottery system this morning.

The Peachtree Roadrace is an Atlanta "tradition" that I ran for the 1st time last year and (may) do again this year should I get in.  Why I am going to put myself through the frustration of an overly crowded 10k race again where 75% of the people participating do it just to do it and get a COTTON tee-shirt, I do not know.

If you're interested in putting your name in the lottery you can do so HERE 

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....

the infamous peachtree roadrace

i remember last year when i signed up for my first half marathon, everyone asked me if i was running “the Peachtree”. “the what?!” i would answer?  i then remember people wanting to sell me their race number to “the Peachtree”.  to me it was just a 10k. little did i know it was a big deal here in Atlanta.  Owning a coveted Peachtree road race shirt was the ultimate goal and getting up cardiac hill.  i just didn’t understand the hype.

fast forward a year later. i still remember running the ING half marathon, taking an ice bath, and telling myself that i could not fall asleep i had to sign up for the infamous Peachtree road race. the sign up process took me 2 hours but i was in. i would be able to run down and up Peachtree, 6.2 miles of it on the 4th of july. i felt like one of the cool kids who was going to get the tee-shirt. And then I had to wait months for it to actually happen and man did it sneak up on me.

on Friday i left work to go make some sales calls Downtown and to pick up my race number.  The whole thing blew my mind and I realized that this wasn’t just any 10k, this was a pretty big deal.  The Expo was huge with tons and vendors and booths – it reminded me of a marathon/half marathon expo.  I walked around a bit – but quickly headed back to the office, race number in hand.  Oh and there was a LINE at 10:00 am to get in. 

onto race day…  I had a 7:55 start, so I was on the MARTA (or at the station by 6:30 AM). I forgot my muffin so I knew I would be running on an empty stomach and on top of it all I had done a horrible job of hydrating the past 2 days. Once I got to Lenox, I was blown away again.  all.the.people. i don’t even think i can put into words just how many people were surrounding lenox mall, it was unreal but a totally awesome experience. it reminded me of a college football game, people were walking around holding up fingers indicating they needed a scalp a number because they wanted in on the “fun”.  I found my Coral around 7:30 and entered in … only to hear the national anthem be sung and watch the flyover … which gave me total chills. …25 minutes later, I was OFF and running.

honestly, I have driven down this stretch of Peachtree thousands of times.  So many times, I could probably do it blindfolded, but this was a whole different experience. If you know anything about ATL, you know that Peachtree Rd. is busy all the time.  And today, this big 6 mile stretch of road was just closed – in both directions.  Blew my mind.  It was like a 6.2 mile party of people cheering and bands and other runners just having a GREAT time on the 4th.  Everyone told me to not RACE the Peachtree, to just enjoy it and take in the sights and the sounds and to check out all the spectators who are dressed up and out cheering us runners on.  …I tried my best, but I also wanted to try and get a fairly good time. (it’s the competitor in me) :o)  The first few miles was a challenge, it was congested, runners got in the wrong Corals and it seemed like I was having to stop and walk around walkers from the VERY beginning.  Around mile 1 I got attacked with lulu love by the Buckhead Lululemon girls since I was in head to toe lulelemon and it made me laugh, smile, and get super excited!  they covered me in stickers and gave me a red, white, & blue lei and took pictures of me dancing around mile 1. honestly, that was probably the highlight of my peachtree race since i am SO lululemon obsessed.

mile 2 and 3 don't have any real memories to be quite honest. i just remember hundreds of people. Around mile 4 I realized that I was not going to PR nor was I going to get a rocking time so I just decided to enjoy the race.  I got a high-five and a hug from a client around mile 4ish/4.5 – I was in awe at the amount of people lining the streets in  (you crossed over the 85 bridge and entered midtown and BAM people everywhere) – i tried to high 5 every kid who offered their hand and took watermelon and freeze pops from people offering them.  I was unable to get UP cardiac hill, but I blame that on the family of 6 walking up the hill drinking their starbucks frappachinos and around that time, I pretty much wanted to die since I was so dehydrated and hungry.  Running past all the hospital patients that were outside of Sheppard Hospital practically brought me to tears and I gave my 4th of July lei from the Lulelemon girls to a little girl in a wheelchair who was cheering us on.  I loved how churches along the route had pushed back their worship & gathered their congregation to cheer us on and then there was one church that was spraying “holy water” (which was somewhere between mile 2 and 3). when i saw cami cakes i suddenly wanted a cupcake, but a few minutes later i saw a lady handing out mini cupcakes and the thought of eating a cupcake made me want to vomit. (i know, i know ME. not take a cupcake?!)  I know I already said it – but the amount of people who just woke up to get a spot on peachtree to watch 55,000 people run and cheer us on… it was amazing. I feel like the turnout for this race was way bigger than the turn out for The Disney Marathon which is nuts.  i honestly was just having a fun time looking at the crowd, weaving in and out of the people, and enjoying the race.

I looked at my watch around mile 5.5/6 and realized, wait maybe I can PR and if I do not PR I will be pretty close to my best 10k time and took off running.  As I rounded 10th street to head into Piedmont Park I was at 1:08 and as I saw the finish I bolted. …I didn’t PR like I thought I did and at first i started to kinda beat myself up about it saying “if only you had run a little bit more on the downhills” and “if you had just pushed a little harder to get up the hills and swerved around the walkers”, but then i calmed down and thought hey… it’s okay. I finished.  I ran the Peachtree and have one of the coveted shirts. it was my 1st race with my yurbuds and they’re an amazing product  …Now I want to do nothing but watch TV in bed (mainly lifetime) all day.

I would say my only complaint was the volunteers who were not monitoring who was entering the Corals.  I looked around Coral F this morning and was surrounded by “J” and “W” and “R” and “S” and “T” – you get the picture.  It made it an annoying start because people in my coral were literally there to WALK it, yet they didn’t want to wait for their 9 am start.  As I zipped past people around mile 2 and 3 I noticed that I was passing people with Corals that hadn’t even started yet.  I know it’s more of a fun event, but I stay to the far middle and close to the right because I am slow and like to take walk breaks… it was frustrating to be blocked by people who were just there for giggles who should have started after the people who actually wanted to try and do well (like me).

mile splits: 10:04, 10:02, 10:54, 12:46 (hello hill to kick my ass), 12:20, 11:13, 10:00  :: finish time: 1:10:22 :: average pace: 11:09

started strong and finished strong… with 2 miles in there that must have been the true up hills! :o)

hope everyone had a great 4th!!

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!

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!

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!