Disney Princess

Well, my friends.... it has certainly been awhile, hasn't it?

So much has happened in the past few months- I did a lot of training and feel I am becoming a MUCH stronger runner. Multiple times I managed to run 3 miles without having to stop and walk- that's a major achievement!

As you may or may not have known- a few weeks ago, I took an 11 day vacation to Orlando. My boyfriend and I spent two days at Disney's All Star Music resort, then hopped on the Disney Dream cruise ship for 5 days! It was amazing! I was still in training for the Disny Princess Half marathon so the first thing I did was check out the spa area where the fitness center was. I was super excited to do a run on the treadmills overlooking the ocean. But, when I went the next day all the treadmills were taken! So, I went to my back up plan which was the out door running deck on level 4 of the ship. It's 2.5 laps for one mile- so I did 5 quick laps and called it a day. I enjoyed the rest of the cruise- the relaxation, the Aqua duck water coaster, Castaway Cay island, Pirate night and fireworks! If you ever get the chance, I definitely recommend a Disney cruise- they're phenomenal (even if you don't have kids)!

After we returned from the cruise, we headed to Disney's Caribbean Beach resort. Absolutely stunning resort (plus a pirate themed pool)! I did my last run before the race at the resort. The humidity knocked me for a loop and slowed me down, but I powered through it. I have to say, that was my only issue with my training for this race. I did my runs in the New England winter, mostly cold days and lots of trips to the gym to go on the treadmill because of the 3.5 feet of snow and ice outside. My body wasn't truly ready for the Florida humidity. Live and learn though, right?

On race day, we got up at 2:30am to catch the shuttle to the race area. I made my boyfriend go with me even though he wasn't running- he did cheer me on throughout the course though. The race officially started at 5:30am and my corral took off at 6:27am. By mile 1, I was already a disgusting sweaty mess, but I kept up with my 3 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking ratios. Soon, the miles were flying by and I was having fun looking at everyone's costumes (some pieces of which littered the race course).

I have to say, Disney definitely is the best race I have ever done. They had water and Powerade at every mile marker. And every few miles they had medic tents with gallon pump bottles of BioFreeze. My legs held up pretty well, I only stopped around mile 10 to slather some BioFreeze onto my calves. I managed to keep trotting along, all the way across the finish line! My official time was 3:34:45. Not as good as I had hoped, but I finished and that was my main goal. If I do do another Disney race, I will try and start one corral up from where I was. I was having difficulty doing my jogging portions every now and again because I had to continuously weave in and out of all the walkers. Don't get me wrong, I definitely had many times when I walked, but I made sure I went to one edge or the other of the course. I was slightly disappointed about being able to run through the castle. I was really looking forward to doing that but once I hit the back of the castle, I came to a dead stop because there were SO many people going through the castle at the same time (a total of 26,000 runners!). We kind of herded our way through and then once we got past the castle a bit I was able to run again.

All in all, it was the BEST race ever! The 13.1 miles went by pretty fast compared to my last half marathon. Perhaps I was in a better mindset because I stuck with my training and felt stronger overall? Maybe it was just being swept up in the Disney magic? I don't know but I loved it!

My boyfriend and I after the race with some pretty sweet Disney bling!

There is another part to this story though! It turns out that my Princess medal is not the only shiny and sparkly thing I came home with! While on the cruise, my boyfriend proposed to me (on the grand staircase, in front of tons of people!) and I, happily, said yes!

 February 18, 2013

We haven't set a date yet. In fact, we are planning on at least a 2 year engagement in order to save up money. In lieu of all of this amazingness, I have decided to step up my healthy eating and living. I have come SO far in my weight loss, but I still have a ways to go in order to be where I want to be. I am challenging myself to lose another 50 pounds in the next two years so I am ready for my wedding and honeymoon (I would really like to be able to wear a bikini and not feel self conscious on my honeymoon). My goal is to get back into blogging. I am starting off slow, because it is the most hectic time of the year at work, and aiming to post twice a week. I still plan on running 2 times a week, and am going to add in 3 times a week of 30 Day Shred. I am begging you to please keep me honest with this. I often get overwhelmed by work and life in general, but this is a totally do-able weekly goal! I may just need a kick in the pants every now and again!

What do you say? Who has their kicking boots on?

Plateau Busted!

It's time to CELEBRATE!!

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I have FINALLY broken through my weight-loss plateau! That's right ladies and gents, I'm officially back to 205. This is the weight I was when I ran my half marathon last year! Woohoo! I still have 2 months until my next half marathon, so I'm hoping that as I continue with my training, I will drop those last remaining 5lbs (plus one or two more). That will put me under 200lbs for the first time in about 10 years. Crazy!!! I'm so excited and proud! As you all know, I had just about given up because I had been stuck at 210 for so long- but thanks to everyone's support and motivation, I managed to keep muddling through and it paid off. So, THANK YOU!

On another celebratory note, I decide to follow some of Kara's advice the other day and went out for a run. There was no mileage goal in mind, no set time limit- I just went out to run and see how far I managed to go. I did set my watch timer, but only so I could log my run. I started the stop watch and then put it in my SpiBelt so I wouldn't be tempted to check it. I maintained a steady pace for most of my run, extending or shortening my route as I felt. When I finally hit my street again (I did and out and back loop), I stopped my watch to see that I had been going for 1:20:07. Not too bad for "just going for a run"! I went inside and logged into my DailyMile account to put in my route. Turns out I did 6miles! 6 miles in 1:20:07?! Holy crap crackers, Batman!! Apparently, I need to run without my watch more often. I think I get so stuck in trying to beat my time and speed up my pace that I actually slow myself down by psyching myself out. Anyone else ever feel like this?

Anyway, it's a great feeling knowing that I'm back on track with losing weight and that I had such an awesome long run. Gives me motivation to keep going! Did anyone else have any amazing achievements this past week?!

6 Miles and a Happy 4th!

First off- Happy belated 4th of July everyone!

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I hope y'all had a safe and fantastic Independence day- I know I did! I got to spend my day at Mohegan Sun Casino. They have an amazing fireworks show at the end of the night, and wouldn't you know it but my boyfriend was on the pyro team! Woot! Anywho, we got to the casino around 1:30 and the fireworks didn't go off until a little after 9pm, so while he was working away and playing with explosives, I did laps around the casino, gambled a little, did some shopping, and then headed to the garage roof party to wait for the show. I walked around for about 6 hours! Holy crap crackers!

In other news, I've been keeping up with my training as much as humanly possible with my new summer hours. Today I was hoping to do a 6.5mile run, but I only managed 6 miles before I had to shower and head out for work. On the up side, I did those 6 miles in 1:29:50! Just under one and a half hours! HOORAY!! I'm kind of proud of myself, if I'm going to be honest. I was really feeling tired during mile three, but I managed to continue to push myself. I played around alot with my intervals. I mostly stuck to run 3, walk 1.5. But sometimes I would switch to sprint 2, walk 3 just to give it a little extra oompf.

My legs and back are already starting to feel a little sore, but I'm planning on going in my pool today after I get out of work at 12:30. Hopefully, the weightlessness and the refreshing coolness of the water will help relax my muscles while keeping them active. My next run I'm moving to Monday morning because Tuesday I will be very busy with work. It's only a 2 mile run so it shouldn't be too bad at all.

One thing I'm trying to do for myself this summer is to make sure that I have at least 5 out of the 7 days where I have done some sort of exercise- Whether it's a short swim, a run, a walk, Just Dance on the Wii, or even cleaning- I'm trying to fit something in. I've been stuck at 209-210lbs for the past 3 weeks and it is killing me! So, not only am I trying to increase my calorie burns, I've decreased my daily caloric intake. normally I stick around the 1770 range, I've dropped myself down to 1600 calories a day (this is not taking exercise into considerationg- with more calories burned, I can add on more calories to replenish my system). I'm also trying to more diligent about increasing my daily water intake. I keep a water bottle with me wherever I go, I just have to remember to keep drinking it throughout the day. Ugh!

I would like to be under 200lbs by the time October hits. Not only because that is when I have my half marathon, but also because I will be going on vacation to Las Vegas! I feel that this is a very do-able goal- I just need to stay motivated. Sometimes I get into these funks where I practically convince myself that I will never get through this plateau and under 200. Any advice on how to break that habit?

http://pumpkintoprincess.blogspot.com/2012/07/firecracker-5k-to-benefit-leukemia-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PumpkinToPrincess+%28Pumpkin+to+Princess%29 posted an awesome motivational status on facebook the other day and it really applied to me:  "The BEST muscle to work for weight loss?? Your brain. Change the way you think about food and exercise and it's affect on your health & you WILL change your body." I love that! Also, while I'm talking about Amy- check out her blog and register for her Firecracker 5k Virtual Race to benefit the LLS. You get an awesome engraved finisher medal too! Great stuff!

Anyone have any fun and exciting plans coming up for the summer?

Back In the Saddle

Seeing the title I just chose, I kind of wish I could go horseback riding. I love horses and I've always wanted to know how to ride one. Maybe it's my inner cow-girl coming out.

Anyway, it's been a very long week... and it's only Wednesday! Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
Last weekend was the 100th year Anniversary Jubilee celebration for the Girl Scouts (the organization I work for). I spent part of Friday helping set up, all day Saturday working it, and then Sunday I went back to help take down (though there wasn't much to do). Saturday was a blast! Hectic, but fun! We had around 9,000 people show up to the event. I got up bright and early and was at the fairgrounds by 8am. Around 10:30am I helped lead the opening parade. By 11:30 I was tossed into the food booth to help field orders because the lines were over an hour long! Ahhh!!! After a few hours of that, I made it to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) stage to help load and unload the performers. I also got to MC and introduce the acts as they came out. Rock on! By 6:45pm, we started breaking down everything in the STEM area as the day was finally over. I left the fairgrounds a little after 7pm, got home, had dinner, and went to bed.

Sunday they didn't have much of anything to do as far as clean up, so I headed home. Later that evening, we had to rush my father to the hospital. he had been having severe abdominal pain and couldn't move. At first, they thought it was his appendix. Turns out, it was his gallbladder. They ended up having to do emergency surgery on him Monday morning to remove it. He is still currently in the hospital (he developed a fever yesterday and is still in a lot of pain, but he's doing better), and we hope he is going to come home tomorrow.

I did manage to get in a very nice run Monday morning before I went back to the hospital. I did 2 miles in 28:02. I ran the first 6 minutes straight, then maintained a 2 run: 1 walk ratio the rest of the time. I chose that method for multiple reasons; 1. I haven't been running like I was last year, so my muscles and everything need to be re-conditioned before I start upping the ante, and 2. I chose to run faster for those two minute spurts and try and push myself more than if I tried to run 5-7minutes straight. I plan on doing the same thing tomorrow for my second run of the week.

I've also been trying very, very hard to keep track of what I eat every day and have been keeping up pretty well with MyFitnessPal (again, feel free to add me biggergirlsrun2). I've made a couple of new friends on there and hope to make even more! I'm a firm believer in the more support, the better. Since I first reported that I had gained a good portion of weight back, I'm happy to say that I have lost about 4lbs. Hooray! I'm sure once I really get into my training schedule, I will lose more. And I'm super psyched about that!

One of the forums on MyFitnessPal.com asked people to list what their summer fitness goals were. I thought that was pretty nifty, so I decided to share mine here and see what goals y'all might have as well.

My summer fitness goals are:

to train (intelligently) for my 2nd half marathon,

to run at least 50 miles,

to go rock-wall climbing (inside),

to go ziplining,

 to go for at least 3 really nice hikes,

and to try a new Zumba place.

What do you think of my goals? What are YOUR summer goals?

My Fitness Pal

                 Have no fear, fellow bloggers, my training plan is here.

I had a few requests to post up my new training plan, so I did. I even put it on it's own page. Feel free to check it out, follow along with me, etc. I have to say, I like the fact that the traiing plan incudes easy walks in them. Sometimes it's nice to go out and just take a short, relaxing walk to keep the muscles warm and stretched. If I hadn't mentioned before, the plan is actually one designed by Jeff Galloway (though I think I tweaked one or two things). I was doing some research about different training plans online and came across this one. I really liked it, so decided to go with it.

He does include a few runs that have "MM" next to them. "MM" stands for Magic Mile. Basically, the Magic Mile is a one mile timed trial run that you do at a good, but hard pace for yourself. You take that mile and multiply it by 1.2 (for half-marathon training pace). This gives you a pace time for your training runs. There's a whole explanation HERE, along with a handy calculator that lets you see different paces/times for different races. It also gives you a walk/run ratio that seems easy to follow (depending upon your MM).
For me, my fastest mile when I push myself is about 13minutes. Therefore, my training pace will be 17:54/mile. When I do "MM" runs, my goal will be 15:36/miles. Make sense? It took me a bit to wrap my head around as well. ut, I think it's a pretty nifty guide.

Another thing I wanted to discuss today was this app I have on my phone called My Fitness Pal. Does anyone else have it? I love it. I was tossing around the idea of doing Weight Watchers online, but I'm cheap and didn't want to pay $20 a month for it decided I liked My Fitness Pal app better (plus, it's free!). I plug in my current height, weight, daily activity level, and how much I would like to lose per week. It then calculates how many calories I should be eating per day. From there, I input what I eat and drink either by searching food, or using my camera to take a photo of the barcode where it auto-searches the product for me. I can also input my cardio and strength training. Just like with Weight Watchers online, if I exercise, I get more calories to eat back. So, if I know I want to have a small bowl of ice cream tonight, I know I will want to burn some extra calories at the gym beforehand. It's pretty sweet.

My favorite part though? You can connect with friends who have the app as well and leave comments for each other. I can see exercises that friends have done and send them supportive reminders when I see they haven't logged in for a few days. It also has a corresponding website http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ that's user-friendly and has some great user forums.

I've been using it for awhile now to try and get myself back on track. So far, it's been a huge help! I suggest checking it out, and feel free to friend me on there (biggergirlsrun2). We can help each other out! YAY!



Every New Beginning

First off, let me say thank you to everyone who left me a comment on my last post. You don't know how much I appreciated hearing all of your supportive and kind words. Truly, thank you!

I had a moment of clarity in between bouts of craziness yesterday.
I've decided that instead of trying to continuously revamp and re-do my plans to reach my goals for this year, I'm just going to start over.

Simple as that.

Today is a new beginning. I'm starting fresh and excited. And, I have new goals!

Turns out I won't be able to do the Diva Long Island Half this year. So, instead, I'm going to do the ING Hartford half again. Why not? I had a blast last year! I'm also in the works of making sure I can get to the Disney Princess Half in February next year (but more to come on that later).

I have been doing some research and I think I found a great training program (designed by Jeff Galloway nonetheless). It's 19 weeks and the runs seems pretty doable. 3 runs a week, plus one easy walk. I realized this past weekend, just how out of shape my body is again. I haven't really run in awhile (though I have gotten to the gym and done arc trainer and elliptical machines- not the same though).When I finished my Race in the Park 5k this past Saturday, I was SORE. I mean, felt like those 3.1 miles were actually 13.1 miles, sore. Today is the first day that I can walk without wincing. That, to me, is unacceptable! I used to have no problem running 3.1 miles and being only slightly sore the next day and I want to get back to that.

I've even started setting up a support system to help me stay on track. I've asked family members, my boyfriend, and coworkers to help me make sure I do my runs and stay disciplined on my training. I'm printing out my training schedule so that everyone has a copy so I have no excuse like, "I can't remember what I have to do today". I WANT to be held accountable for my training. I've even come up with some back-up plans in case a morning run is missed (keeping an extra pair of running gear in my car so on my lunch break, I can sneak in a short run). I feel confident that I can do this.

I'm hoping that you all will hold me accountable as well. I truly feel that a huge part of my success last year at the half marathon was because I was blogging so often and you all were amazing enough to leave comments, supportive notes, tips, tricks, advice, etc. I want to do that again. I'm going to start off slow and work my way up (just like with my training). My goal is to blog 2 times a week, then 3, then 4, etc, etc. Even if I didn't run or train on a particular day, I still want to blog. I may even give my blog a face-lift (if I can figure out how to work this new blogger layout. ugh.).

Sound like a plan to yall? Seems like a good start to me!
Cheers to a new beginning!!

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!

Gluten Free 3

Happy Weekend Everyone!

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Is anyone else glad the work week has finally come to a close? I know I am!
The only small down side is that my long run outside tomorrow will have to be postponed because we are supposed to be getting 6-8inches of snow throughout the day. Yeesh!

Anyway, work has been crazy as usual, but I love it. I got to meet 4 new groups of girls this week and so far, they all seemed to like the activities I had planned out. (Did I mention I work for a non-profit group?) It's been keeping me busy busy busy! But, I still managed to get in 1 night of Zumba and 2 nights of Wii Just Dance 3. Hooray! Sadly, no real running this week, unless you count all of the running around I did for work... *insert drum hit here*. Corny, I know. I can't help myself sometimes.

In other news, week 3 of gluten free is going pretty well. I went out to hibachi/sushi with a group of friends the other night for a birthday dinner and managed to make some very good, gluten-free choices. For those who may not know, I LOVE SUSHI/HIBACHI!! However, going gluten-free means I cannot enjoy terriyaki or soy sauce.. so I had to be smart with my choices. No hibachi for this kid. I did, however, enjoy two very yummy rolls- spicy salmon and an ocean roll that had practically every type of sushi in it rolled in white seaweed with cucumber and avocado.

 SO YUMMY!!

I also passed on the fried ice cream (seriously, I'm SO proud of myself for that- I should get a medal or something).

The other day, I stocked up on some more gluten free foods at Ocean State- some more pasta and crackers, along with some ginger snap cookies and gluten free granola! Holler! Even though I do have some cracker/cookies/granola... most of my snacking has actually been fruits and vegetables/hummus. I've had salad for lunch 3 of the 5 days this week and, overall, I just am feeling healthier. I may extend my gluten-free expirement another 30 days, just to see if there continues to be improvement in energy/digestion/etc.

How is everyone else doing with their goals so far?

First Run of the New Year

I got in a run today!

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SO EXCITED!!

My friend Tina and I got together and went to the gym today (probably not the best idea because it was jam packed with people working on their own New Year's resolutions- but I managed to snag a free treadmill). I was only going to do a short 1.5 mile run, but I hit 1 mile by 12:40 and I felt good, so I decided to keep going. Considering how out of shape my lungs are from this stupid cold-thing that won't leave, I'm actually pretty proud that I made it to 3 miles in 44:32. Not as fast as I would like, but not bad considering I am sick and I haven't really run in a loooooooooooooooooong time.

After my run, I cleaned my machine and headed to the weights. I focused on my back and shoulders today doing back extensions, lat raises and a few others. I decided to up my weights from what I had been doing so I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow. It's all good though- it was nice getting back into my old routine. Tina and I are going to the gym again tomorrow morning. I'm planning on another 3 mile run and then some bicep/tricep work. I'm trying to take advantage of as much running time as I possibly can right now, while at the same time trying to make sure I don't overdo my runs and wear myself down before I can really get started again. I'm still kind of disappointed in myself that I slacked off after I finished the half marathon. Especially because having had so much time off, my endurance (the little I had built up) has suffered. Grrr!

Here is my ideal workout schedule or this month (we will see if I can stick with it):

I am planning it for just one month to see if I need to update/change anything as I progress in it. My goal is also to do my workouts in the morning... which means I'm going to have to start getting up earlier. Boo!! Oh well, if I want to accomplish my fitness goals for this year, it needs to be done, right? Right.

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year everyone!

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I hope y'all had a fun, exciting and safe New Years!

Now, in keeping with the time honored tradition of making resolutions for the upcoming year, I have some goals that I would like to accomplish this year. (And, yes, I am going to share them with you! Aren't you lucky?!)

1. I am, sadly, not going to be able to do the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I'm incredibly upset over this but finance and logistics wise, it wasn't working out. Add onto that the fact that I've been sick for a month now and have fallen so far behind on my training, it would be virtually impossible for me to get on track- it just seems better for my sanity (and stress level) to forego that race this year and save up money for next year.
I am not completely down and out though! Never! Instead of racing that weekend, I will be participating in the Jim Calhoun Cardioraiser! I have joined Kurt's "A-Team" group (which I helped him name), and in keeping with the show, have aptly dubbed myself "HMM" (points if you know which character that is!). It's going to be a great day- the fundraiser is for Autism and I have set a goal of $100 for myself. I feel that is completely easy to reach and hope to go above and beyond. For this $100, I will be doing Zumba! That's right the cardioraiser entails doing your choice of spinning, zumba, or a cardio machine of your choice. I love dancing, so I figured Zumba might be a fun choice. I signed up for only one hour so far but hope to raise enough money to add onto that (I'd really like to be able to do at least 3 hours if not more). So, I need everyone's help! Please go to my donation page HERE and help me start the year off by helping those who need it!

2. According to my DailyMile, last year I ran a total of 251.64 miles. Not too shabby for my first full year of running!! This year, I plan on increasing that total number and hitting 350 miles! Can she do it?! Yes, she can! But, how? Well, that leads me to my next goal....

3. Last year I participated in 4 5k races and 1 half marathon. For 2012, my goal is to do 8 5k races and at least 2 half marathons (with the possibility of some 10k's in there as well, if time and finances allow). Doubling my race schedule means more training miles and overall run miles. I should be able to tack on that additional 100 miles easy!!

4. I plan on saving up money!! Even though I intend on running more races, my goal is to be smart about which races I do and how they affect my finances. I also have to factor in new running shoes, clothes, etc. My new job means better pay so I have to work hard and not blow all of my money on race stuff. I need to save up for Disney and NJ marathons next year (yea, I'm already planning for 2013 too haha).

5. Get healthy. Stay healthy. I'm sooooooo over being sick. It's the first real cold I've had in a long time and it's just lingering in my lungs. It needs to be done. I'm hoping that with more runs and more strength and cross training I can boost my immune system so I won't have to suffer through this sort of thing again. Or, if I do, my immune system will be strong enough to kick it out of me ASAP. I also want to focus on eating healthier again. I'm actually considering going gluten free because lately, whenever I eat pasta or bread, it makes me incredibly bloated and makes me feel sick to my stomach. (Too much info?) Part of this will also include increasing my water and electrolyte intake (especially since I'm going to be running more).

6. Having more "ME" time in my life. One thing I noticed over the past two months was that the busier I got, the more I stopped having my "ME" time nights. I found that I was more stressed because I wasn't allowing myself time to decompress and relax before bed (probably a large reason as to why I got sick). My goal for 2012 is to dedicate one night a week to being by myself- no boyfriend, no work, no running around... just a nice, quiet time to myself. Whether it's a night run, some kettle bell circuits in my room, a self-done mani, etc. It doesn't matter, as long as it's for me.

So, those are my 6 big goals for the year. I think they are incredibly do-able. 

What do you think? What are some of your new year resolutions?

Anticipation

Today's emotion of the day is Antici.....

...........pation!

(See what I did there? Made you anticipate the end of the word. Genius, right? Bonus points if you can catch the musical movie reference I stole that from)

Source

*Ahem*  Moving right along....

Anticipation [an-tis-uh-pey-shuhn]: Noun.  

1. Realization in advance; foretaste, 2. expectation or hope.

I am FULL of anticipation about this race. I keep wondering about weather conditions, the race course, the fans on the side, what the medal is going to look like, if I can keep up with one of the pace coaches or if I should just go my own, how my stomach is going to do, if I can make it up the hills, will I need a medic, will I be the last one to finish, can I actually DO this? Ahhh! So many things to think about! But, despite any negative thoughts that sometimes pop into my head, I also anticipate crossing the finish line and having an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. My finish goal is 4 hours. I know a lot of people who finish in 3 hours or so... I don't care. I'm aiming for 4 hours. If it takes less time, power to me, but I want to set a reachable goal for myself. 

I'm also trying to decide if I should run with or without a watch on. Sometimes I feel like having the watch on is helpful because I can work a pace and time how long my walk/run breaks are, but then other times I feel like I'm utterly chained to my watch and timing myself. Double -edged sword I guess. Any thoughts on that? I know you're not supposed to change anything up for race day, but it's a thought I'm playing around with for right now. 

Going back to my emotion of the day- my feeling of anticipation seems to be a positive emotion as well. I picture myself crossing the finish line, and beating my 4 hour goal. I just have to hold onto this feeling and not let fear/doubt/anxiety creep in come race day.

Oh! And in answer to Kurt's question on my last post, yes, I will be running with music on. I will only have one headphone bud in, but I want to have my own music because I've learned what songs pump me up the most. Maybe in another year or so I can learn to run sans music, but for right now, I feel it's a good option for me.

11 Miles Later

Ok, so remember that 10 mile run from hell I had? 

I just blew it out of the water!

KABOOM!!

I, literally, just got home from the gym where I did my 11 mile run. So many amazing things to report!!

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? (After all, it's a very good place to start. And extra points if you get the musical reference!) When I woke up, I was having a hard time motivating myself to get to the gym for my run. My body is just exhausted from everything I have going on and it didn't want to do 11 miles. With some helpful motivation from my friends, I finally got my butt out of bed and headed to the gym.

I hopped on the treadmill, started my Pandora radio station and went to town. Before I knew it, I had 2.1 miles under my belt... in less than 30 minutes... and I hadn't stopped to walk yet!! WHAT!? That's insane for me- but also a banging achievement. Woot!  

But, wait, it gets better! 

I continued on with my miles, trucking along with some awesome music being played. Seriously, I was super impressed with my Pandora today, it was like reading my mind and knew exactly what songs would keep me moving. The treadmill stopped at 60minutes, as I was at about 4.1 miles. Over 4 miles in an hour?! Another super achievement!

I restarted the treadmill and continued trekking along. Around mile 7 my legs started feeling tired (I had forgotten my compression sleeves at home- damnit!) but I pushed through and managed to do 8.1 miles in 2 hours and 2 minutes. That's the longest I've EVER held a decent pace for..Holy crap crackers Batman! I ended up getting off the treadmill at 8.1 miles to refill my waterbottle and get a Powerade as I was sweating monster buckets (seriously, you should have seen the treadmill floor.... gross!!). I hopped back on and finished up my last 2.9 miles. Those last miles were a killer- my legs were cramping, my body was tired of holding itself upright, but I pushed through and managed to hit 11 miles at 2:48:50!! That's faster than my 10mile run by like 15-20minutes! Granted, I know it is easier to wrack up miles on a treadmill, but I'm still rather impressed with myself. I just hope I can get my legs to recover in time for rehearsal tonight.

Oh! And don't forget to donate to my fundraiser for the upcoming Half Marathon and get an entry into my give away HERE!!! Thanks in advance y'all!

A Good Way to Start the Day

Today was a very productive day. I woke up early and went running (of my own free will haha) at the gym. I ran a short mile and a half run, but it was so much better than expected. I finished it in 22 and a half minutes flat, so I'm running about a 15min/mile. The exciting part, however, is not only did I run over a mile of the 1.5 miles (I managed to run 1.1 miles in total) but I also ran for 12 minutes straight without having to stop to walk!! I'm so proud of myself! And considering I haven't run since the 5k, this is awesome!

Kurt also helped me map out a 5k run on the streets around my house so I can do some outside training as well. I've given myself a goal of running 5 miles a week. So, however I feel like breaking it down is up to me and how I am feeling that week, but I am going to meet or exceed 5 miles every week, for the next 6 weeks. Once I've completed 6 weeks worth of this goal, I'm going to increase it to 8miles a week, then 10 miles and so on and so forth. I've decided that, not only do I want to run in a few more 5ks, but I also would like to possibly attempt a half-marathon. I'm hoping to be able to run in the ING half-marathon in Hartford this fall.

Anywho, now on to today's stat updates-

Exercise:

1.5 miles run in 22 and a half minutes- 181 calories
Dance (for the show) for about 30 minutes- around 300 calories
Acting on stage for 2 hours- about 500 calories

Total calories burned- 981 calories!!

Food:

Soy Protein shake with 1% milk- 220 calories
Can of tuna fish with light mayo- around 100 calories
Soy Protein shake with 1% milk- 220 calories
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry (homemade)- around 350
Hummus and Rice Crackers (90 calorie pack)- 170 calories

Grand Total- 1060 calories!!

All in all, not too bad of a day though I am under in calories. Tomorrow's plan is to do some toning and/or strength training. Hooray!