ING... B-I-N-G-O!

It's Official- I am registered for my 2nd Half Marathon in October.

HOORAY!!

I just sent in my payment and have 66 days to finish my training before I tackle the ING Hartford Half again. I'm actually very excited! I had a blast running the course last year and am very much looking forward to doing so again. I only hope the day will be as gorgeous out as last year.

Today is another long day at work. However, I intend on going to bed as soon as I get home so I can get up and put in some miles tomorrow. My back up plan is to run after work (in case I hit snooze sleep through my alarm clock again). I'm currently about 2 weeks behind on my training, which is okay because I had originally added in 3 extra weeks, just in case. However, I've decided I'm going to increase my short runs to be 3 miles, instead of 2 for twice a week, on top of my long runs. The only thing I'm worried about, with this upcoming race, is that I won't be ready. And, I know, I need to push those thoughts right out of my head otherwise I'm going to self-sabotage.

To keep myself sane, I'm carrying Kara Goucher's book around with me. That way, when I feel the negative thoughts creeping in, I can crack the book open and get some motivation! (It works, I swear!)

On another note, I'm not sure how many of you read my last blog post, but I am doing a "Mystery Loot Give Away". My boyfriend and I are raising money for the Muscular Distrophy Association, and I'm turning to all you lovely people to help us out. For every $10 you donate, you will get an entry into the give away!

Now, you may be asking yourself, "But, Cupcake, why would I donate if I don't know what I might win?"
And to that I would kindly answer, "Because you're such a wonderful, amazing person that it doesn't matter what you might win. You just know that your donation is going on to help millions of people who suffer because of MD." Then, knowing you would probably want a little bit more information, I would continue, "I can't tell you exactly what your prize is- just know it's going to be pretty awesome! There's some pampering stuff, something worth money, and maybe even something for your feet!"

So, once again, I get down on my knees and humbly ask all of you lovely blog followers to please reach down into your pocket/purse/wallet/manbag/backpack/fannypack/Spibelt/piggy bank and please DONATE to a GREAT cause!

I promise, it will be worth your while! 



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.

Rain, Rain, Run Anyway

And I'm back! I know you missed me- it's okay. I missed y'all too. :)
Today was my long run day and I had to do 50 minutes. I was a bit nervous, but determined to complete this run. However, when I woke up this morning, it was a gray and rainy day out. There was a thick fog rolling around but it wasn't too chilly, and when I left to go running, it wasn't raining too hard either. That changed rather quickly.

I had mapped out a decent run the night before. I planned on running outside because trying to run 50 minutes on the treadmill is boring: All I do is watch the clock countdown how much time I have left to go. So, I went to the nearby park and decided to do a few mile laps. It was only slightly misting as I warmed up and then started my run- a light sprinkling of rain that was actually rather refreshing. Then all of a sudden, in the middle of my first lap, the sky opened up and POURED down upon me. It didn't deter me though, I continued running. The rain fell hard through all the rest of mile 1 and mile 2, as I reached the half way point of mile 3, it shifted back to a light sprinkle again.

In the meantime, I was completely and utterly soaked through- but the odd thing was, I LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT! Honest! I was so energized about my run, I probably could have done another 2 miles, but I didn't. I stopped solely because I didn't want to overdo myself and then end up falling a step behind in my training. I am celebrating today because when I ran the 5k in December, it was pouring rain then as well, and those were the longest 3 miles of my life. I was exhausted and winded when I crossed the finish line and all I wanted to do was fall over. But today, I ran almost the exact same distance and felt perfectly fine afterward. I mean, I wanted to RUN MORE! I know I've said it before, but I'm pretty sure I've crossed over into the dark side and there is no turning back.

Also, Chelsea was telling me about the Diva Half-Marathon in Long Island. It's on Oct 2nd, which is 2 weeks before the ING Half I'm planning on running. She said at the last mile marker, they hand out tiaras and feather boas, and when you cross the finish line you are handed your medal (also in the shape of a tiara) by a shirtless fireman. Ummm... I think I may have to do this race as well. This first one will be for fun and the one on Oct 15th will be for charity. Good plan, right?