Hippity Hoppity

Who got her new medal in the mail yesterday?

THIS KID!!

Yay! I love shiny things! Mucho thanks to Amy @Pumpkin to Princess for a fun virtual 5k and some snazzy bling to go with it.

I hope everyone had a good Easter (if you celebrate it). We had a big family gathering at my parent's house. I got to hang out with my niece and help her do the egg hunt (she found them all on her own- I swear!), and enjoy a TON of homecooked goodness. We had ham, lasagna, bbq kielbasa, kielbasa and sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, mac and cheese, and rolls. I was pretty good and gave myself small portions (I only did one helping of everything as well). For dessert I made a banana bundt cake with white chocolate drizzle. It was a low cal, low fat cake recipe (no oil or eggs)- it came out super yummy!

Anywho, the day before Easter I did a 2 mile run in 27 minutes. Not too bad. I'm just struggling with trying to hold that pace for longer than 2 miles. Just going to have to push through it, I suppose. Any tips or ideas?

Oh! I also found a website where the writer is doing an 11 week Bikini Body Bootcamp. I actually found it on Pinterest and ended up really liking her blog. I decided I am going to join in and put myself on this 11 week Bikini Body Bootcamp starting this weekend.  On top of the workouts I do throughout the week, I am going to toss this in as an additional circuit training. So, I hope y'all get excited and look forward to my Bikini Body Bootcamp updates. I will fill you in on what I did, which ones I felt worked me hard, which seemed easy slightly less challenging, so on and so forth. Also, if anyone wants to join in with me, please leave a comment and let me know! Maybe we can help each other push through and get all 11 weeks done! Who's with me!?

Run Like a Fool 5k

And that is exactly what I did this morning!

Amy @Pumpkin to Princess sent me an event request on Facebook for this 5k run to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It's a virtual 5k so i got to run it this morning around my neighborhood- and I get a snazzy medal to go with it! Woohoo! I managed to finish in about 43 minutes. Maybe it was because I know the area well, or the fact that I was excited about my new shoes, but it was a great run!

My new shoes are the Saucony Powergrid Cortana.

They are heavier than my Kinvaras and have more cushioning, but I like them better. I also got them a half size bigger than normal and I'm glad I did. Maybe my feet grew since I got my Kinvaras but lately my toes have been smushing into the front of my sneakers and I lost part of a toe nail after my 5k last Saturday. Boo!!

Last night, besides being a giddy school girl and opening my new shoes, I was graced with another awesome surprise. I was lying in bed, relaxing and watching Netflix when my mom came in to talk to me. She pointed to the vase I keep on my dresser (which usually has one fake flower in it that my boyfriend gave to me) and asked where all the flowers had come from. I looked up and realized my vase was full of pink roses! I was so confused! At first I thought her and my dad had gotten them for me, but she assured me that was not the case. Then, it dawned on me- my boyfriend! He had texted me earlier saying that he wanted to know what time I was working til so he could drop off my mom's charm book I had left in his truck. DEVIOUS! He didn't want to drop off the book, he was delivering flowers for me! It all came together (after I called him up and asked if he had given me the flowers- at first, he denied it, but then finally gave in and said they were from him). On the phone he told me he had wanted to surprise me and make me smile because he knew we both were running around crazy lately with our work schedules. Isn't he just the sweetest thing ever?!

Okay, enough gushing over that- I was perusing the blog world today, when I stumbled upon (Just) Trying is for Little Girl's most recent post. She was talking about how she had kind of lost her mojo and was advised to find her running identity. It made me realize that I need to sit down and really try and find my running identity. I want to run for fun and I try to do this as best I can but, it's hard to keep my competitive side out of it. I feel like I need to do better and get faster and be more like all of my friends and bloggers who run 8 or 9 min miles. I think I really just need to come to the conclusion that I am a slow runner and that that is okay! Not everyone needs to be fast, right? I want to solely run to enjoy myself and destress and have fun.

New Shoes

It has been decided!

You all voted and to reward myself once I lose these pesky 10 pounds, I will reward myself with a new pair of shoes. Sweet!

I already bought myself a new pair of running shoes (they come in tomorrow!!!!) so I will buy myself a new pair of heels. HOORAY!

Anywho, I did my first 5k of the 2012 year this past Saturday. It was the Savin Rock Half Marathon and 5k. It was absolutely gorgeous out! And even though the wind made it feel a little chilly while I was waiting for the 5k to start, it felt nice when I started running. The course was 1.6 miles out and 1.5 miles back, all along the coast/shore. Yep, I got to spend my Saturday morning running along the beach- it's okay to be jealous ;)
I was dragging from being on my feet non-stop all week long and having worked over 50 hours, but I managed to finish in about 44 minutes. I actually crossed the line before they changed it over for the half marathoners. Go me!

It felt really good to run a race again. I took it slow and just enjoyed the view around me. Such a nice, flat, pretty easy first race of the year for me. I came home, showered, and promptly registered for another 5k in May. It's the Color Me Rad 5k in Hartford. Check it out HERE- how awesome does that look?! I'm so excited for it!

I've got another super busy week this week, but I'm hoping my new shoes coming in will give me the motivation to get back out there and get some runs in. I'm aiming for 2 runs before Sunday.  

That's my goal- can I do it?! What do you think?

Anyone Want Some Cookies?

There really isn't an excuse for my behavior. There never is.

It's just life and lack of time-management skills that prevents me from updating my blog. Too bad I can't update it telepathically because, if that was the case, I would have already posted at least 5 updates by now. That's right, sometimes I start blog entries in my head, but never get a chance to actually sit down and type them out.

Anyway, part of my current disappearing act was that it is GIRL SCOUT cookie time! Hooray!
No, I did not dive head first into a box of Tagalongs... though I very much would like to do so. I actually work for the organization and have been relentlessly doing programming with my girls and collecting their cookie sale info. This week, the boxes come in and I get to run delivery nights for 3 different towns to come and get their boxes. Woot! It's fun, but it makes for some very long days and very little free time.

On top of that, I'm currently on the tail end of a double ear infection and monster sinus infection. I mean, MONSTER. To the point where, everything was so compacted in my head that my face was swollen and it hurt to touch. Youch! However, I'm almost done with my meds and I am feeling better. I'd say I'm now, finally, at about 85%. So, even though I have my first 5k of the year this Saturday, I haven't run in two weeks. Ugh! I am planning on going to the gym tonight though. I get out of work late, so on my way home, I'm going to hit the gym and do a quick 1-2 miles. I'm not going to push myself, just want to make sure my lungs/sinuses can handle it. I think they can, but we shall see!

Today, I posted on my facebook how I need some serious motivation and people to keep on top of me. I'm still battling the same 10lbs and I'm just tired of it. I want them gone and done with. It's been almost 6 months and I'm stuck on this horrid weight plateau! GO AWAY 10lbs!!! I'm so close and there's no excuse as to why I haven't dropped them yet, other than sheer laziness and lack of dietary discipline. I'm kind of fed up with myself, to be completely honest. I feel like I'm letting myself down and it makes me angry.

So, now I'm trying to pump up my determination and motivation to get back on track.
I'm giving myself bribes, which do you think will be the best?

If I drop these 10lbs, I can:

-buy a new pair of shoes
-treat myself to a day at the beach
-throw myself a party
-get myself a really nice mani/pedi

As much as I would like to treat myself to all of the above, I feel that that just isn't doable.
So, I'm polling all of you lovely readers to help me decide which would be the best Goal-Getter option.

Let me know in a comment!

A New Look and 100th Post Give Away!

It's official! 

I am (currently) posting my 100 blog post!

In order to celebrate, I gave my blog a bit of a remake. Something slightly vintage but still cute.

I love it! Don't you? Of course you do. :)

A bit of news before I post about the give away:

1. I am feeling leaps and bounds better now that I've been on the iron pills for two weeks. I'm not nearly as lethargic and I feel almost like I'm back to my old self. HOORAY! I even went to the gym this past week and did two 30minute circuit trainings and then followed each one up with a short run.
It feels good to be back on track.

2. I am going to be running another 5k this Sunday. I almost forgot that my friend Chris had asked if I wanted to run in the Petit Race (in honor of the Petit family and their loss). It's a great cause and looks to be a pretty flat course. Kristin from Running to Somewhere will also be racing so I'm sure we will meet up. Sadly, Stephanie said she had to work. Boo!!

Alright, now for the fun part! 

The Amazingly Awesomely Fantastic 100th Post Give Away!

Ok, it's a bunch of fun stuff I threw together but they are definitely things that (I think) are important for every runner to have in their arsenal. The Give Away Gift Set includes:

• Relaxing Lavender Foot Cream (because let's face it, we are pretty rough on our poor feet).
• Fresh Eucalyptus Foot Scrub (to help with the calluses and such).
• Stress Relieving Coconut scented Bath Soak (for after a hardcore strength training workout- a nice soak is always on my list).
• Pina Collada scented shower gel (because I didn't feel right including an actual bottle of pina collada mix).
• Sport Spray On SunBlock SPF 30 (it's summer folks, we need to stay safe in the sun).
• Chapstick with SPF15 (believe me, your lips can get sunburned also).
• CLIF Bars in assorted flavors (a great pre- or post-run snack).
• 3 vouchers for Free Zico Coconut Water (chock full of electrolytes and just as hydrating as water- love it!)

So there you have the break down of everything YOU could win!

Here's how to enter:

-Be a follower of this blog and leave a comment saying so (+1 entry)
-Follow me on Twitter (biggergirlsrun2) and tweet "I wanna win @biggergirlsrun2 Amazingly Awesomely Fantastic 100th Post Give Away! And you should too!"Leave a comment to let me know (+2 entries)
-Like me on Facebook HERE (+1 entry)
-Share this give away on your blog/facebook/myspace and leave a comment (+1 entry for each)
-Tell me your all-time favorite race you ran (+1 entry)

All entries must be submitted by NOON on July 22nd and the winner will be chosen on July 23rd.

Good luck everyone! And thanks so much for reading!

CT Breast Cancer Race in the Park 5k

Once again, I FINISHED!

For me, that's always a plus.

I woke up at 5:45am, got dressed, checked the weather (NO RAIN!), put my hair up in pigtails, strapped on my sneakers and headed to my friend Chris' for the Breast Cancer Awareness 5k race. He happens to live right across the street from the park where the 5k was being held, so it worked out wonderfully. I managed to enjoy half of a banana and kept my water bottle handy to hydrate before my run at 9:15 (See? I remembered this time!). We got to the park around 7:30 and I got my bib (yea 618!) and my t-shirt. Then we hung around until the men's race started at 8. Chris did fantastic and finished in under 30 minutes (I wish I could do that!). I was at the finish line cheering him on! It was fun to watch all of the guys coming across the line, and the crowd was amazing with their support. A lot of people had some strong finishes, pulling out a fast sprint right at the end. Awesome!

After the men's race they had a children's fun run and a 1 mile race. All of the kids were so cute! Some ran on their own and some ran with their parents, but they all crossed the finish line. Adorable! After the kids were done, the women lined up for our turn to race. Right before I went to line up, Kurt rode up on his bike! He had come to watch me run and cheer me on (plus get in some biking time for himself). It was a nice surprise! 

I put myself about 3/4 of the way back in the line. I didn't want to be at the very end, but I didn't want to be too far up front because I knew I was going to be kind of slow. I managed to run a little over 1 mile before I had to slow down to a walk. I only allowed myself to walk for 90 seconds before jogging again and I kept that rhythm going up past mile 2. At mile 2 I ran into a woman who was sort of having a panic attack. It was her first 5k and she wasn't sure why her fingers seemed to be a little swollen. I assured her it was a normal thing because of the warm weather (Did I mention, NO RAIN!!!) and because of all of the running. We kept pace together and she told me how her daughters had talked her into doing he race as a warm up for the Warrior's Dash coming up and they had pretty much left her in the dust. I felt bad because I have totally been there. Not to the point where friends and family have left me in the dust (though they definitely could) but where it's my first race and I'm nervous, not sure of how much longer I can keep going, etc. So, I took it upon myself to be her cheerleader for the remaining mile or so. 

I gave us goal markers to jog towards before we would walk again and advised her that the race course finished uphill (which has never made me more grateful to live on the steep hill of a street that I do) and she would want to take the bottom half of the hill in small, slower steps so she would have energy to get over the top. She told me that she had wanted to quit within the first mile and she could barely believe she had made it this far. I know that feeling all too well myself. As we got to the hill, I kept cheering her on and we made it all the way up. I shouted (because there was so much cheering going on near the finish line) that we could sprint to the finish line now and she told me to just go ahead. So, off I went- and man did I fly! I didn't realize I had that much energy left in my poor body, but I passed about 3 people on my way to the finish line! (I didn't look at the clock as I crossed, but apparently my time was 45:34, which isn't too bad considering I did go a little slower than intended. Still, a great time!) It took me a moment to be able to slow my legs down and once I did I realized that I was not really getting as much oxygen to my lungs as I would have liked (oxygen is overrated anyway, right?). The volunteers handed me a water and I weeble wobbled my way over to my dad, Chris and Kurt. I ended up doubled over for a few moments, trying to catch my breath and not pass out, but then the feeling passed and I was fine. To make my amazing finish even better, not only did my father take this action photo

 (Please ignore the fact that the shirt is uber long on me and notice how fast I look! haha)

but, my friend Chris captured it all on video as well!

(He apologizes in advance for his finger being in the way and the cheering he was doing. I love it!)

I'm like lightening, right? Be impressed lol

All in all, it was one of my favorite races that I have ever had the chance to participate in. The crowd was amazing, people lined the course and cheered from their porches, etc. I made a new friend, got to be a cheerleader, had a positive attitude while running, and dug deep to finish fast. How could I NOT be proud of today?!

Pre-Race Jitters

Tomorrow is the 5k Race in The Park for Breast Cancer

I am nervous. I know I need to calm myself down, because I should be sleeping right now so I can be rested for my run, but the jitters have latched on and are refusing to let go. I need to be up in about 7 hours. That's still enough sleep, right? Right.

Anyway, I am excited for this run, on top of my nervousness, which is always a weird feeling. One part of me wants to keep my same time as before (if not drop a few seconds off) but I realize that I need to just calm down with the pacing and just run for distance. My frustration with how I've been running lately has me terrified that this won't happen and that I'm going to freak myself out on the course somewhere. Oy.

I appreciate everyone's advice and feedback about my frustrations- I'm taking it all into consideration and have vowed to focus solely on distance as opposed to speed from here on out. I have to remember that I am still a beginning runner and I'm not going to be hitting anywhere near an 8:00min/mile pace anytime soon, as much as I would like to. Therefore, my goal for tomorrow is to slow myself down, run at a comfortable pace, but to try and run the first mile before stopping to walk. As of this moment, I'm going to force my competitive nature into a padded room and lock the door because tomorrow is not about racing, it's about running. I didn't enter the 5k to win anything, I entered as a fun way to complete some training and I cannot lose sight of that fact or I very well may end up in a padded room of my own. *Deep breath*

I am excited for my race day outfit though!

It may not look it, but it's all pink in honor of breast cancer... except the shorts. 

They're like an orange-red color... and I've got blue shoes. Bwah Bwah.

I checked the forecast and it looks like some thunderstorms are rolling in for the weekend (go figure! Rain when I'm going to run a race?! Surely you jest!), but according to the weather station, the showers shouldn't start until the afternoon. My race starts at 9am. So, here's hoping that the rain holds off and I can finally run a 5k in dry weather. Wouldn't that be a miracle peachy?

 

What I am not looking forward to, however, is the 8 hour shift I have to work at my retail job right after I run. Yay! I'm just worried that my legs are going to snap off at some point during my shift and that would just not be fun (despite how entertaining it sounds). 

Well, I suppose I should hit the hay now. 

Good luck to everyone else who is racing this weekend! 

And a Happy Mother's Day!

Running For Life 5k Race

How did the race go?.... Well,

I finished!

That's the good news.

The AWESOME news is that I finished in 42:55 (unofficially). Which is about 4minutes faster than the 5k I ran in December! Hot Diggity Dog! Also, it is right within my goal time. 

Yay me!

I woke up at 7 and even though I had all of my clothes laid out, I still had to grab a towel and a change of clothes because it was POURING outside. (Second 5k I've had to run in the freezing rain. Gotta love it.) My friend Chris met me at my house and my dad drove us to the park where the race was being held. I managed to have half a banana and a 100 calorie bagel in the car but completely forgot about hydrating beforehand (note to self for next race). It was cold out but it had slowed to a soft misting by the time we got to the race- though it did go back to pouring right around the time the race started.

As we pulled into a parking spot to go register we looked around and realized there was NO ONE to be found! We drove around for a bit longer, searching for the registration tent and/or people, when we finally found it all the way down the road. It seems they were running behind schedule; they had just finished getting everything set up as we walked over. Chris and I were the first ones to get our number bibs and chips (hooray punctuality). They also gave us these awesome tech shirts with their logo and race name on them, (I know normally 5k races give out just regular tees, but these were super awesome!) we grabbed all of our stuff then we headed back to the car to keep warm and dry.

 Two freezing cold, but smiling, excited runners!

The kids race was supposed to start at 9am, but it ended up starting at 10am (when the adults were supposed to go) and we started about 10minutes or so after them.  

Look at them go! That boy in the front has BOTH feet off the ground!

Chris and I, naturally, headed to the back because we knew we were going to be slower than most runners. (I don't know if it was the weather or if there was just a lack of participants this year, but I'd have to say not that many people ran.)We kept up a good pace for awhile, but then it kind of went downhill...

Oh! There we are (I'm in blue and Chris is next to me in black)

I had a rough run, even though I did make good time. The cold air was wreaking havoc on my lungs and my legs felt weak. Around mile 3 I got a massive cramp in my right side. Needless to say, I ended up doing a lot more walking then I had anticipated. When we hit the first mile marker and the volunteer told us we were at 13:30, I almost ran back and kissed him! I was so excited to hear that, he made my day! Our second mile was 15:30 (we hit it at 29:00 exactly, which means our last mile was a little under 14:00. YAY!) At one point, a female police officer came riding up, asking if we were the last of the runners. When we told her we were, she wished us luck and then offered us a ride back if we wanted to cheat. HA! I almost took her up on it, but decided not to and kept running. Chelsea was a darling and came out to cheer us on and take some photos for me (she was completely soaked, poor thing!). 

 Check out that major heel strike we have going on. Ouch!

Running the straight away to the finish line!

We crossed the finish line at 42:55, where they promptly untied my shoelaces to get the chip back. Good thing they got the chip for me, because after booking it down the straight away, I wasn't going to be able to bend down and then bring myself back upright again. Even though I had pushed it for that last stretch, I still recovered rather quickly and managed to snag a banana, some oranges (and a donut- shh!) after the race before heading to go change into dry clothes. Chelsea snapped one last photo of Chris and I, right after we crossed the finish line

We were rather soaked and very tired, but we still managed to strike a pose (holding up our finish time nonetheless!)

All in all, it was a great day. I hit my goal mark, Chris kept me feeling positive (I have a tendency to get rather negative during a race apparently- though I'm fine when I'm doing training runs... go figure) and even though we were the very last people to finish, we still DID finish, and that's what is important! This race gave me high hopes for my next 5k in two weeks. Here's hoping it doesn't rain for that one as well!

Preparing for Race Day and 25 Followers!

I'm slightly nervous but also very excited for tomorrow's race in Danbury. My ITB on my right leg has been a little stiff, but I've been stretching it out and heating it in hopes that it will be good to go for the 5k. My intent is to finish the 5k in 45 minutes or less. I'm being very generous with my PR. I truly think I can finish around 40minutes, but in case something happens, I'm giving myself a cushion of 5 minutes. (Aren't I just so nice?!) Chelsea is being a sweetheart and is coming to cheer me on (she's also going to possibly take some photos of me running, which should be hysterical to look at!... Which reminds me, I've got to charge my camera!) So, THANK YOU in advance to Chelsea! And wish me luck!!

I am a little sore because yesterday I fell through my parent's glass and wood coffee table. (How's that for a fun story?!) The night before, we had moved the coffee table back against the couch and pushed it so that it straddled the border between the living room and dining room. For those who read my cross training post HERE, you will notice its location in the photos.  Yesterday morning, the table was still sitting in it's new position, just in case we were going to dance again. I was sitting in the dining room on my computer, reading some blogs, when I noticed the time. I needed to get ready for work! So, I closed my laptop, pushed back my chair and stood up. Somewhere in that process, I managed to trip and fall backwards over, onto and into the coffee table. Have no fear- the table itself is fine; I only broke one half of the glass (and luckily did not get it embedded in myself). I'm going to have a nice bruise on my left leg, where my bum and leg connect, but otherwise I came away unscathed (so did the table really). 

Anyway, in other news..... 

I've reached 25 followers! HOORAY!

It is indeed time to celebrate!

YUMMY!

I remember one day, as we drove to work, mentioning to Kurt @ Becoming An Ironman that I was slightly down because it didn't seem like people were interested in my blog. I hadn't gotten a new follower in a while and no one was leaving comments. I wondered if my blog was too boring, too random, too amateur, or just plain silly for people to want to read and follow. He reminded me, in his Yoda like way that he has, that I originally started my blog for myself, and to keep writing for myself. When I said that, that is pretty much how I function, he advised me to perhaps go back through my blog and see what posts people commented on the most- then I could work from there. You have to understand, I truly do enjoy writing for my own benefit, it's nice to sometimes go back through and read about my experiences because perspectives shift over time. Something that might have been disappointing to me 2 months ago could seem insignificant now. However, I do love my followers: my followers and their comments are the cherries on my blog sunday. I have to be honest when I say it thrills me to know that people can relate to and appreciate what I'm writing about. It helps, especially on the "down" days, to have people leave comments showing that they support you and either have gone through or are going through the same sort of things. (Remember: Everyone has an "off" running day every now and again.)

So here is to all of my followers.... 

A super HUGE Thank You directly from me for taking the time to read  my blog where I bare it all and where you often share parts of yourself in return. It makes my day! 

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter! or a Happy Passover!

Excitement Abounding

Remember on my last post how I was discussing the various types of hydration I was researching? I wasn't sure what method I wanted to use in the upcoming months (I start my official half-marathon training in 2 weeks). Well, it seems fate made the choice for me- I won (Just) Trying is For Little Girls' Nathan Sports Hydration Belt give away! Soon, I will be the very excited owner of a Speed 2 Hydration belt and I cannot wait to strap it on and run!

Also, I was out shopping with my mother the other day and I came across a fantastic pink, short sleeve, Reebok tech shirt. So, I bought it. I intend to wear it this Saturday for my 5k run, depending upon the weather of course. I'm going to be a runner full of awesomeness with my blue shoes, pink socks, gray/green shorts, pink shirt and pink bandana. Yea, be jealous. I will put a picture up of my outfit later because it's going to be just that awesome!

In other, even MORE exciting news (yes, it just keeps getting better) I had to go out to a birthday party Friday night and forgot to bring a change of clothes with me to work. At 8:30, Chelsea, Kurt and I pulled up into a school parking lot to attend a PTA meeting to help promote our latest program. Lo and behold, we were the only ones who showed up for said meeting. We waited for over 30minutes, in a haunted parking lot no less! (The school was built on the same location at the infamous Hartford Circus Fire of 1944). While we were waiting, we heard some strange calliope sounding music playing! We think it might have been a nearby ice cream truck, but the music did play for almost 20 minutes.... FREAKY!

Anyway, after our failed PTA meeting, Chelsea and I dropped Kurt off at home and headed out to our friends birthday dinner. As I said, I had forgotten a change of clothes, so Chelsea said I could borrow some of hers. (Isn't she adorable?!) Let me explain, Chelsea is like a size 6.. I am a size 16. Bit of a difference in clothing, wouldn't you say? But, for some odd reason, Chelsea had some old size 14 things laying around and she threw them at me to try on. I ended up trying on this cute little black dress and it fit! And, IT LOOKED GOOD! It wasn't too tight or anything,  it fit so nicely, so she gave it to me to keep! A SIZE 14 DRESS!! I never thought I would live to see this day! BEYOND EXCITED!!!!! YAY ME!!! WOOT WOOT!!

....Ok, my celebration has died done some... on to the rest of my weekend recap....

I feel bad that I only did a 1 mile run this weekend as I had wanted to run at least 3miles but time constraints and exhaustion overcame me. I suppose it's alright though because I'm supposed to be tapering this week for the 5k. But it's so nice out today, I'm hoping to get in a short 2-2.5 miles. My plan for this week is:

Monday: 2- 2.5 miles

Tuesday: Cross Training

Wednesday: 1.5 mile Tempo

Thursday and Friday: Rest

Saturday: 5k run!

Update: I did complete a 2.55 mile run today. I decided to run to rehearsal again for multiple reasons: it saves me on gas, and it gets my mileage in for the day. Two birds, One stone, Awesomeness abounding! I ran kind of slow, did 2.55 in 46minutes. Blah! Oh well, I will cross train tomorrow, do some ab work, and then run again on Wednesday.

Questions of the Day:

1. Have you ever won a Give Away? If so, what was it?

I just won my first one and I'm thrilled! Can't wait to try it out! 

2. What is your all-time favorite race outfit?

As this will be my first "official" race, I have to say I do like this outfit. Though, the reindeer outfits we wore for the December 5k were rather spectacular, if I do say so myself. Check it out: 

 

It's the antlers, they totally make the look :)

3. Did you watch the Boston Marathon? Were you rooting for anyone in particular?

I did watch it. I was rooting for Ryan Hall for the men, and multiple women! All in all, a fantastic race!

Edit: I'm also super psyched because over the weekend, I surpassed 20 followers! Yay! And a big thank you to everyone who takes time out to read my blog :)

I LOVE PINK...and I Don't Mean Victoria Secret

All through my childhood and up until about a few months ago, I DESPISED the color pink.
I thought it was gross and girly and just way too bright for my tastes. I much preferred dark blue, dark purple and (most especially) black. Maybe it was because I was a tomboy kind of girl. Maybe it's because I was "a dark person" as a teacher once said. Who knows why really?

But lately, I've discovered my love for the color pink. At first, it was just a pastel pink that I liked- cute little things that I picked up for my niece such as, stuffed animals, blankets, clothes, etc. Over the past couple of months it has expanded across the whole of the pink portion of the color wheel. Fuschia, rose, magenta, baby pink, cherry blossom, salmon, neon, shocking, etc etc. (Oh how I wish I could find more colors for my fonts.) Now, I have realized (through the help of some friends) that I LOVE PINK!

Which is actually rather perfect because the new running shoes I want are a neon pink (see HERE). And, also, the 5k I am running in May is the Race Through the Park for the American Cancer Society. One of the things they encourage is to wear pink sunglasses and then post a picture from race day on their Facebook page to share your enthusiasm. I do not own any pink sunglasses... well, I didn't own any pink sunglasses, but NOW I DO!!

Not one, not two, but THREE pairs of PINK Sunglasses for my race!

I make them look so hardcore! HA!

As my mother said "Very Marilyn".

All in all, I love them (have I mentioned that yet?) And I have one pair for each mile in the race! WOOT!

Who's excited? THIS KID!

Life Happens

Today was a pretty good day. I didn't get to the gym like I had hoped because I forgot I was working two o my three jobs today (I have an aversion to free time), but I did manage to get some cross training cardio and some weight-lifting in at my retail job (more on that later though).

Firstly, Kurt @ Becoming An Ironman and I met up to go to work. Today we were having an ice cream social for 6-8th graders at school who were going to be coming to our new program (we work for the Girl Scouts, and no, sadly, we do NOT get a discount on cookies). We had the girls play some fun games where they had to work together to get in order by first name, then by last name and then by birthdate. Next, we fed them all ice cream cake, got them all sugared up, and played a hula hoop circle. For those who have never done a hula-hoop circle, it's entertaining to watch. Everyone stands in a circle holding hands, a hula hoop has to be passed around the circle, which means you have to step through it, put it over your head and slide it down your arm to be able to pass it to the next person. This is somewhat difficult for those of us with bad hand-eye coordination as I tend to always manage to somehow trip over the hula hoop and then smack myself in the face with it. Fun times. No, really, fun times. The girls managed to pass the hula hoop all the way around the circle (of about 18 people) in 1:29. Not bad for a first time! We are having them come up with ways to get it around faster for Monday when we try again. I may sit that round out so they will shave off about 30 second of me struggling through the hula hoop.

After our program was over, we realized we had one ice cream cake left, so Kurt and I went back to his place, sat down and promptly devoured it. Kurt put up this handy picture to show everyone just how much damage we did (in about 5 minutes no less).


I do have to say that Kurt ate the end where the smiley face is haha.

After I woke up from my sugar coma, I hopped in my car and drove to my other job. As I was walking in, my manager stopped me to inform me that I would be spending a fair amount of time on a ladder tonight as we are getting ready to launch a new product and have to re-do the store. Yay! I, thankfully, don't have a fear of heights...  Awesome! My job was to get the "toppers" down, switch out the pictures, and then replace said "toppers". Toppers are basically plexi-glass displays that, besides being rather bulky and awkward to take down from the top shelf on the wall, simply sit near the ceiling and look pretty. Anyway, in order to switch out the toppers, I had to climb the ladder, stretch and rock the topper off the shelf (most have weights on them that hold them in place, but there isn't enough room to grab the toppers from the sides, so one has to push up from the bottom and then try and slide your fingers underneath it to pull it out), and carry it back down the ladder. Then, I would switch the picture, climb back up the ladder with the topper and maneuver it back into place. I did this 26 times. I counted.  I also managed to drop a topper on my head. Ouch. I'm pretty sure that this counts as stair-climbing and weights- I'm just saying. If I'm sweating, then I'm burning calories. Burning calories = exercise to me. Therefore, my cross-training and weights were done at work tonight. Hooray for multi-tasking!

I'm feeling kind of antsy because I didn't go for a run today, but my body needs to recover a bit. Tomorrow is supposed to be my rest day, but I may just do another 2 mile run just for the heck of it. And depending upon my work schedule for the weekend, I will decide if I'm doing my long run on Saturday or Sunday. I want to do 5+ miles this weekend. I would really like to do 5.5, but I will settle for 5.

My plan for next week is this:

• Monday- 3 mile run
• Tuesday- 3.5 mile run
• Wednesday- 4 mile run
• Thursday- Cross Training/Weights
• Friday- Rest
• Saturday- 3 mile run
• Sunday- 5+mile run

I figure I will keep it like that for next week. For the following week I have my 5k, on Saturday April 23rd, I won't do as many runs so I can make sure I'm rested properly. (I figure two 1-2 miles runs early in the week will be good.) I'm excited and nervous for the 5k. I want to do it in 40 minutes or less, which is a big deal for me, so I need to let my body rest. Here's hoping I can make my goal!

Inspiration

I know I'm posting this one a little early (before midnight...what?!) but my excitement from yesterday continues!
I woke up this morning and found this on the table....

My mother has committed herself to training to walk a 5k! 

You have to understand why this is exciting for me. Back when I was a senior in high school, many moons ago, my mother had a massive stroke. It left her without feeling on the entire right side of her body. She went through intense rehabilitation in order to be able to speak and walk again. Since that time, she has had another 3-4 minor strokes, each which have taken their toll on her body. Looking at her, you wouldn't be able to tell that she has difficulty with her right side, but if you go up and tap her on the right shoulder from behind, she will not respond because she can't feel anything.

Rather understandably, she's been depressed about not being able to do much of anything. She doesn't go to the gym because she has difficulty walk/running on the treadmill as the belt makes it onerous for her to keep one foot in front of the other. She also has a hard time using the elliptical or the bike or the same reason: her right leg just cannot keep up with her left leg. I've often told her she should go down to the track and walk but you can tell she's worried about what will happen to her legs. Even the doctor has told her that exercise will help strengthen her legs (and make her feel less depressed, healthier, lose weight, etc) but sometimes it's hard to convince someone to do something good for themselves. (You can lead a horse to water, right?)

Recently, a friend helped motivate her to do Weight Watcher's together and now they are going to train to walk a 5k together as well! They are planning on going down to the local track every day at 4pm and walking laps. (The track should be fine for her because the ground won't be moving underneath her feet like on a treadmill.) I like to believe that my recent running addiction and healthy lifestyle changes have played a part in my mother's choice to start walking, but even if they haven't I am SO proud of her. This is a big undertaking for someone who is, to put it bluntly, scared of working out because she doesn't want to hurt herself or embarrass herself and I, honestly, couldn't be happier for her!

In other news, I was feeling rather stiff/sore today but I decided to do a short 2 mile run just to keep my body warmed up. I set out at an easy pace, enjoying the slightly warmer weather, cursing that I forgot to grab my sunglasses as I had to squint the whole way, but I ran the first mile in 12:46. YAY ME! As I turned around to return home, however, my thigh muscle started tightening so I had to stop and stretch it out on the side of the road. (That's perfectly safe, right? Oy.)

I tried Chelsea's pigtail and bandana method on my run today. I'm actually kind of proud that I managed to match my bandana to my tech shirt- Thanks Walmart!

 (Don't I look kind of bad-ass? If only I had remembered my sunglasses, I would be totally BA!)

Running into the wind, I realized that I may have to pin my bandana on with a few bobby pins because it blew off my head again. When I stopped to stretch, I put my bandana back on and it was fine the rest of the way back, but the wind was at my back this time. I will keep working on it I suppose. Tomorrow is Thursday, which means it is my cross training day. I intend on doing my Turbo Jam DVD as well as hitting the gym for arm and ab work. We will see how it goes as it is my first time doing this DVD.

Questions of the Day:

1. What is something that you are proud to have inspired (fitness-wise) in your life?

Getting my mom to train to walk a 5k is probably my greatest moment yet.

2. What is your favorite running outfit and why?

I love my running legging capri's with my shorts over them, my pink tank top and white tech shirt. I enjoy layers sometimes. Haven't figured out a running outfit for the warmer weather yet though. 

Hitting A Wall

I'm excited! I had such a great run today! My friend Chris and I met up before we were to go see a show and decided to run. He lives across the street from a beautiful park called Walnut Hill Park. Absolutely gorgeous (and it is the same park where my May 5k is going to be held.)- it has a perfect 1 mile loop which means we could run and not have to worry about keeping track of mile markers. 


We ended up actually running about 2.5 miles in total, which is fantastic in my opinion, especially considering that both of us are novice runners. As we were starting our third mile I got a major cramp in my right thigh muscle. Well, more like my thigh/groin area. The same place that hurt when I ran to the library the other day. I ended up having to stop and do some stretches to work it out, but I was able to keep running. Yay fortitude! 


Anyway, I was going to wait to post my blog until tomorrow, but I saw an article on Active.com that caught my interest and I wanted to discuss it here. It was written by Jeff Galloway, "a 1972 Olympian who ran the 10,000 meters and was an alternate on the marathon team. He is the author of more than a dozen books on running, including Galloway's Book on Running". (Pretty impressive stuff, eh?) He wrote an article about how sometimes during races, or even training, you can "hit a wall" where your body loses energy and just cannot go any further. Galloway says that in order to prevent this from happening you should 1. reserve your energy while running by using a run-walk-run method and 2. while training, make your long runs longer than the race you are training for.


Let's tackle the first point: For myself, I use a run-walk-run method solely because I am a beginning runner and haven't yet worked up to being able to run more than 2 miles before my body needs a break. However, there are tons of people out there who can straight-run a marathon or half-marathon, etc. (And isn't that kind of the point anyway?) Galloway says that "Marathoners, for example, run an average of 13 minutes faster, in surveys, when they shift from running continuously to using the run-walk-run ™ method..." mainly because they start reserving their energy early on in the race. The earlier one stops to walk during a run, the better they will be able to perform because they are, essentially, stabilizing their energy levels and maintaing a consistent energy level throughout their entire run. This is as opposed to starting out fast and strong, exerting mounds of energy and then having none left for the later miles. 


Now, on to the second point: Most training schedules that I have seen have you run under the total miles you need to for whichever race you are training for, i.e. training for a full marathon and the longest run you have is 20 miles before tapering. I was told that the training is set up this way so that your body gets close to the mileage it has to run, but then you leave it wanting more. The tapering helps your body wind down so you are rested for the big day, but that the excitement of Race Day will help push you through those remaining miles. However, Galloway thinks that running over the amount of miles that you are training for, i.e. running 29 miles on a long run before starting to taper, is better for your body. I'm assuming it solely helps the body adjust to the distance it needs to endure before Race Day actually hits. 

Questions for Today:

1. What is your best 5k time?
Today's practice 5k which was 41 minutes (6 mins less than in December).


2. What do you think of Jeff Galloway's ideas on avoiding "hitting a wall"? (Most specifically, his longer long run theory?)

Short Posted Apology

I know I always use the same excuse, but I truly have been BEYOND busy lately. Working in retail is a hectic schedule, as some people may know. I've been trying to snag as many hours as possible, then most of my other free time is devoted to show rehearsals and running.
But, here's a short update as to how things have been going:

I ran and COMPLETED a 5k run on Dec. 12th :) My friends and I ran it in 47min. (Well, they could have really run it twice over in that amount of time but they ran with me at my pace, so it was slow moving). We dressed up as reindeer, as it was a Christmas run. We even got interviewed on one of the local news shows, so I have legitimate proof that I was at the race and ran in freezing rain. The cold wasn't too too bad, but the being wet and weighed down by water part I could have done without haha. All in all, it was a good time though. And I can cross that off my bucket list. Now, I just need to find the free time to get back into the gym and continue running. Oy.

My nutrition has been better. I've tried to cut down on my car intake, which has definitely helped me. I added more vegetables and proteins to my daily foods, so I tend to stay fuller, longer. I also found that my body tends to not be able to digest carbs very well. From what I understand, carbs, when broken down, turn into glucose which are then absorbed by organs for energy, etc. My body has a glucose intolerance, meaning when my organs are supposed to be taking in all of the glucose for energy, etc, they don't and it just sits in body, floating around like excess waste. So, cutting down on carbs is helping me a lot. I still try to make sure I get at least 1-2 servings of whole wheat or something similar, a day so I'm not depriving myself of nutrients though. My eating schedule has shifted a bit as well. Ive found that, even though I eat something quick for breakfast before I go to work at 10, I don't tend to get hungry until around 4 or 5. And then once I get home from rehearsal at 1030, 1100, I'm ravenous.

On the exercise front, I've found (in fitness magazine) a few new toning and sculpting exercises I would like to try out. I just have to invest in a body band, so that is now officially on my Christmas list.

Oh! Exciting news for me! We were trying on costumes for the show tonight and the shirt I ended up getting is a size 1 from Torrid (which means it's a 14/16) and a Large size skirt from Target (the Xhileration brand, which is about a 14). I'm SOOO thrilled, I just had to share!

Ready...Set....GO!

I'm really getting into this running thing now (and I blame Kurt and Chelsea haha). I think I've decided what 5k I'm going to run as well. It's the Christopher Martin's Christmas Run for Children in New Haven. It's a flat trail as far as I can tell, which for me, being a beginner, is sweet. But the best part is if you donate an unwrapped gift for children, the entry fee is $5. I believe almost all of the proceeds go to charity to help get toys for less fortunate kids.
If anyone else wishes to join, let me know! The more the merrier!

Also, I came across this article, which I thought would be interesting to share. It's about Running in the Winter, which is what I will be doing. Basically, it advises not to overdress too much because the running will heat up your body naturally, no matter how cold out it is (which is good to know because my race is on December 12th, and considering it SNOWED here yesterday.... there's a good chance it's going to be freezing come December). So, I have to invest in some winter running clothes and gear. First on my list is an arm band to hold my ipod touch. (Considering how many times I've dropped it off the treadmill, this is a necessity for me.) I also have heard good things about arm warmers (kind of like leg warmers, but for your arms) and would like to invest in some. Or I will probably need a long-sleeve, moisture-wicking shirt like this one and running leggings.

I've gotten my body used to going the entire 5k distance, so when I actually do run, my body will be used to how far it needs to go. I just have to continue to work on my running endurance- being able to run longer periods of time without stopping. As it stands, I'm still able to run a 5k in 49minutes, which I've been told, isn't half bad for a beginning runner. I'm hoping to go out either next week or the week after and so some running outside to start getting my lungs used to the colder air and my body used to running on actual ground, as opposed to the treadmill.

I finished week 4 of my training on Sunday, and did an extra run last night, just for the hell of it. I'm not nearly as sore as I expected, especially after running over 6 miles in 2 days. My right knee was a little tight last night, and it audibly pops when I go up the stairs, but there's no actual pain associated with it. I've been using Icy Hot and that helped relieve the tight feeling, bu the popping still persists. I've done some looking up on runner's injuries, and haven't found anything that fits what I have. So long as my knee doesn't physically hurt, the popping noise should be ok.

I plan on starting Week 5 either tonight or tomorrow. This means, I'm half way done with my training- only 4 weeks to go after this. Holler!!