Why Did I Stop?

So, it has been awhile. A good long while. Almost a year or so?

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I bet you're wondering (if any readers are still out there) where I have been? 

Or why I stopped blogging and interacting with the running community here in the blogosphere?

Those are valid questions, my friends. 

The long answer is this: I got engaged at Disney in February of last year and have been devoting a lot of time to wedding planning. I also got accepted into graduate school and so most of my free time is spent reading and doing homework assignments. I also was promoted at work to a position where I work a lot of crazy hours. On top of that, I was in a car accident in November and then ended up having emergency gallbladder surgery right before the holidays in December. 

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The short answer to your questions: I stopped running. After the Disney Princess Half, I did a few 5k fun runs, but I didn't have anything serious lined up and so I stopped running. Looking back on it, it makes me sad because running made me so happy. I don't know why I stopped, but I did and it stinks. 

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I want to get back into running, but I know it is going to be tough - almost like starting over from the beginning again. My body is still in the recovery/healing stages from my surgery. The doctor said I can only do some light jogging and weight lifting for now. Maybe in a few weeks I will be able to do more, but I have to go slow. I don't generally like to share this fact about myself, but I can be a rather impatient person (shocker, I know) and going slow is going to be incredibly difficult for me. I expect major results right away and get discouraged when they don't happen.

Does anyone have any advice for a "re-beginner" runner?

What are some exercises or routines you did after a major injury/recovery period?

Starting Over...Reinvention

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

~ Maria Robinson



Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking about starting over. Planning for an upcoming wedding, and trying to work out my future, has my mind locked in on long-term goals. Where do I want to be working 5 years from now? Where do I want to be living? If we want to travel, we are going to need flexible schedules and money and time, or at least a job where I can go from place to place. All of these thoughts have just been circling and circling in my head (especially late at night, when I'm trying to fall asleep!). My late night revelations have me considering a few things: Starting over my blog, starting over my career, starting over with school, and starting over with working out.

I miss blogging. I really do. I often find myself composing posts in my head while driving around for work, it's just that by the time I am able to sit down at my computer and type, I've either forgotten what I was going to say or fall asleep. I miss keeping up on what everyone else is doing! I miss the support- both giving and receiving. My friend advised me to start scheduling blogging time into my life- to make it an actual appointment in my phone so I stay on top of it. I'm going to try this and see how it goes. (I've been doing the same thing with my workouts and it's been working, soI'm fairly confident I can do this!) Sometimes, as I'm sure we all can attest to, it is difficult to keep on top of social life happenings when work is so demanding.
Speaking of work, I love my job. It's hectic and chaotic and time-consuming, but oh, so worth it! When I'm out running programs with the girls and they are laughing and smiling and telling me how much fun they're having; or when I see them randomnly out and about and they run upto give me a hug, it just makes me feel like I'm on top of the world! The only down side to my job is that it is non-profit and we don't always have it in the budget to get raises. This is such a year (and I know a lot of people are in similar place, especially in today's economy). I love my job,but the pay is not a livable wage. For the most part, I end up living paycheck to paycheck every month, with only a few dollars I can tuck away into savings. It's hard to think about leaving my job, but knowing that I have a wedding to plan ($$$$$), which means that we have to find our own place to live (and pay rent and utlities, etc), makes me realize that I have to do something to bring in more money.

My only concern is that, while I do have a Bachelor's degree, it is in music and theatre, and without a teaching certificate that degree won't get me very far. I started researching areas of work that I am interested in learning more about and could see myself doing as a career. The one that interested me the most - Communications and Social Media Management. So, I've been researching a few online graduate programs to apply to and hopefully, will get accepted to one where I can start in the fall. It's going to be interesting trying to balance course work and a full time job and wedding planning, but if I'm determined enough, I know I can do it.

All of this retrospection has been euphoric. I'm very excited to go back to school and possibly expand my marketability and steer my life in a more solid and confirmed direction. To keep with my theme of bettering myself, I contacted my friend, Coach Kurt from Becomming an Ironman, and hired him to be my personal trainer. We had a 3 hour meeting where we discussed what I wanted to do (tone and strengthen and continue with fat burning), as well as completed some assessments to see where I am physically with upper body strength (FAIL) and cardio (WIN). Kurt came up with a very do-able workout routine for me to follow for the next 6 weeks. In the mornings, I do my Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD, and in the afternoons I do strength training at the gym (chest press, shoulder press, bicep curl, tricep extension, and row machine). We are starting off slow so I can build up muscle and not hurt myself. Plus, I gave him a time-frame of about a year and a half where I would like to get to the point where I solely have to maintain from there on out. It's been going very well- I haven't missed a workout yet! I'm pretty proud of myself. For example, yesterday I was incredibly tired after work but knew I had to do my strength training. I made myself go to the gym and felt SO much better for it. It's only been a week and a half, but I'm well on my way to making this a routine- afterall, don't they say it takes 21 days to make something a habit?



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?

For the First Time...

I felt like a real runner today.

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I was at the gym doing a 10k run for my current training. I ran the first 1.3 miles straight through, then walked for 3 minutes/ran 7 minutes for 90 minutes. I was pouring sweat, settling into a nice pace, pumping my arms when I needed an extra boost, and running through every excuse I had to stop or cut my run periods short. This chick managed to do 6.22 miles in those 90 minutes! Woohoo!!

I NEVER would have thought I could do that. EVER. And for the granted it's only about half of what I need to run for my half marathon, but the pacing felt good and I felt strong. It's the first time I've done a run and not been panicked about the possiblity of being swept off of the Disney Princess course.

I was, at one point, a week behind on my training, but now I am only 2 days behind. Thursday I am doing a short run of 3.1 miles and then over the weekend I am doing an 8 mile run. Once those are done, I will be back on track.

How is everyone else's training going? I stop by and read blogs when I have a free moment, I just don't always have enough time to actually sit down and write out a blog post of my own. Maybe once the holidays are done? Who knows, right?

Anyway, in other awesome news, I bought a pair of size 16 jeans at Marshall's the other day and I didn't muffin top over them! Plus, the size 16 jeans I bought at Old Navy on Black Friday are too big on me. I'm excited because while the number on the scale isn't going down, it is staying steady but my clothes are getting a little bit bigger on me. It makes me feel good. It makes me want to stick with my training because if I do, I might be able to squeeze into a 14 by the time I go down to Disney in February.

Here's a comparison just for fun, so you can see what I sometimes have a hard time seeing:

Myself and my friend Joe in fall of 2010 before I started running. Size 22

My boyfriend and I this past fall- after 2 years of running for me. Size 16

Here's hoping I can keep whittling myself away!

It Begins Again

This week marks the start of my new training program for the Disney Princess Half in February.

I took the training program straight from the runDisney site, so it is designed by Jeff Galloway and has my goal set as "finishing in the upright position". That's a pretty good goal, right? I'm aiming to do 13min/miles for the race, but I know I need to work up to that. I'm going to do my first run tomorrow of 30-45minutes. I plan on running the first 5 minutes straight through, then alternating walking and running every 1 minute thereafter. Considering I am meeting my friend at the gym in the morning for this run, it's going to be interesting to do on the treadmill. We will see how it goes, I suppose.

I feel so out of sorts after taking the week off from the race. Maybe it's the excitement of starting a new training plan, but I felt anxious to run all week long last week. Which is kind of funny considering during my last training there were times you couldn't have paid me to go out and do my runs because I was so exhausted. But, this IS a brand new start for a brand new race and I intend to do my very best, if not for myself, then at least so I don't get swept off the track! Seriously, I'm terrified of being swept! I think if I did, it would break my heart!

But, I'm not going to focus on that- I'm going to focus on my training plan and taking it one day at a time.
Here is a snap shot of the first few weeks:

Doesn't seem too bad, does it? I don't think so!

Well, that is it for now- I hope everyone has a great week!

I Survived

I ran my second ever half marathon on Saturday- and I'm proud to say I survived.

As you all know, I've been disgustingly absent from the blog world due to work, family issues, etc. Well, my training was significantly absent for this race as well. I managed to get in a 10 mile run/walk before the race, so I at least knew I wasn't going to die (always a plus). I managed to finish in 3:29:34, 16min/miles exactly. I felt good up until mile 10 and then charlie hrses started to threaten me every time I did more than walk- so i slowed WAY down for the last 3.1 miles.

The weather was freezing in the morning for the start of the race- a chipper 34 degrees at gun shot. I have never run by SO many clothes as I did those first 3 miles. People were stripping like crazy! Anyway, I had gloves on to protect my hands and a light, wicking jacket over my tech shirt. I also had on capri pants so I was comfortable the entire run- temperature wise.

I tried very hard to jsut relax into a rhythym and enjoy the course- I made some new friends with a few people as we chatted while we jogged. The only time I really felt down on myself was when my legs began to hurt- but as I jogged across the finish line, I reminded myself that if you finish a race and you're not worn out- then you didn't push yourself hard enough. So, at least I know I gave it my all.

Yesterday, I downloaded my new training plan for the Disney Princess Half. I'm using Jeff Galloway's plan from the rundisney site- with a goal of "finishing in the upright position". It paces out the run/walk breaks I would need to strive for for different min/mile sets. I'm shooting for a 13min/mile, but will definitely settle for 14min/miles. I just don't want to get swept!! I'm actually now terrified of being swept off of the Disney course. In any case, my new training starts next week and runs for 19weeks. I have already gotten my family and my boyfriend copies of the training schedule so they can stay on top of me and make sure I do what I need to do.

I can't promise I will be blogging much but I'm going to try and get on here every once in awhile to give an update. If you really want to keep in contact with me, like my page on Facebook- it's easier to do a status update there when I'm on the go. I miss all of my fellow bloggers! I hope everyone is doing well in their own training- if anyone is headed to Disney in February, give me a shout out and maybe we can meet up!

Getting In My Own Way

I had a revelation while running this morning.

I've heard that happens sometimes, but I usualy have such a hard time focusing on just one thought in my head as I run, that I've never experienced it before today. I was struggling through a short 3 mile run- pounding headache, upset stomach, tired legs and back- it was awful. And all I kept thinking to myself was, "I suck at this.", "I can't keep a pace and I can't run more than a mile before I have to stop.", "Why am I trying to run a half marathon? I'm never going to be ready." It was like this the ENTIRE run. Just one negative, berating thought after the other. I finished my run and moped back up the hill to my house, kicking myself all the way for not having done better.

And, that's when I realized why my training has been SO horrible this year. I've lost the joy of running. I am the reason I haven't been running- not work, or family, or weather- just me. I've been so critical and harsh on myself that I just can't enjoy my runs anymore. I mean, Wowsers! Talk about a negative rainstorm on my running parade!

If we look back at my runs this year; the ones where I went out with no mile or time goal were my best runs. Why? Because I just let myself run and enjoy it. I wasn't focusing on time, or pace, or ratios, or anything else. I just popped in my Yurbuds and ran for the sole purpose of running. On my shorter runs, where I was trying to make myself go faster or farther, I self-sabotaged. I became so focused on making myself run and run and run, all while being negative about it, that I got in my own way and created a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I have to try and break myself of this habit. (Especially before my half marathon in 30+ days.) I need to relax and find my joy factor again, otherwise I'm going to self-sabotage myself during the big race and I definitely don't want that! How can I do this though? How can I go out and just enjoy my runs again when all I can think about is how unprepared I feel for the upcoming race? It sucks. On one hand, I know that my finishing time doesn't matter, just the fact that I finish. But, on the other hand, I'm so competitive with myself that I'm going to be so distraught if I don't meet or beat my finish time from last year.

If I can just get myself to stop obsessing and stressing, I might be able to meet my finish time from last year. But, honestly, I just want to be able to go out there and run and have fun and enjoy the race. I don't want to have to worry about time and pace and all that stuff. So, the big question is- how do I make all the noise in my head stop? (Besides turning my music up louder.) I wasn't planning on running tomorrow morning, but I think I may go out for a short run, with no watch on, and just run. It's finally started to get cool out in the morning, I even had to run with a jacket on this morning, and I love this kind of weather, so why not go out and enjoy it, right? However, I'm still open to suggestions on how to combat that big-mouthed, negative voice in my head.

I'm Going to be a Princess and Give Away Winner

As of last Friday night, I am officially registered for the

2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon.

My boyfriend and I are making it a huge birthday/vacation/running extravaganza! I will be in Florida from February 16th through February 26th (the race itself is on the 24th). I'm so excited I can hardly see straight!
We booked our hotel, dining reservations, airfare, and race registration. This is REALLY happening! AHHHHHHH!!!! Any other bloggers out there going to do the same race? It would be awesome to get to meet up with some of you amazing people! Looking at our dining reservations, I just have to be very careful that I don't overeat the days leading up into the race (which is going to be so hard to do while we are on the Disney cruise!). I'm going to need all the strength I can muster... or I'm just going to have to utilize the fitness center and pools as much as possible- that sounds like a better plan.

I've decided (as was my previous plan) that I'm going to try and dress like Ariel for the run (it is a tie between her and rapunzel, but I would look horrible as a blonde!). Purple top, green sparkle skirt, green compression socks, and green shoes. I may or may not also dye my hair bright red the week before the trip (so it doesn't bleed everywhere when I'm actually running).

This means I really need to be serious about my training. I keep saying it over and over again, but life continues to get in the way. What happened to the discipline I had last year?! I miss it. Tonight I'm going to do some cross-training to get myself back into the swing of things. Then, Thursday morning I'm doing a 3 mile run. Saturday or Sunday (depending upon weather) I'm going to do an 8mile run. I should be doing a 10 mile, but since I haven't run at all this past week and a half, I don't want to jump back in too soon and hurt myself. I'm going to listen to my body and take it slow. That's really all I can do! I need y'all to help keep me on track- if you don't see me updating, please shoot me an email and make me feel guilty!

I think part of the reason I keep slacking on my training is because I'm scared of hitting double digit runs. I shouldn't be, considering I did them last year, but I think I'm psyching myself out because sometimes I have really great long runs and sometimes my body is so tired that my long run is horrible and it depresses me.. Any advice on how to stop that? I could use it.

In other news, the MDA Lock-Up fundraiser was a great success! A HUGE thanks to everyone who donated as $600 was raised. The page is still up for another month or so if anyone else would like to contribute. However, the winner of the Mystery Loot Give Away is Jessica Hill! She wins a gift certificate to Lululemon and an array of goodies that will pamper and delight!

Again, a huge thank you to everyone who particpated!

Happy last week of summer!!

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! 



I'm Going to Jail and Mystery Loot Give Away

Yes, you read that title correctly- I'm going to jail.

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I'm so angry! I look horrid in orange!

Really, it's all my boyfriend's fault. If he hadn't flipped on me, he would've been the only one in prison, and I could've helped bail him out. But, no, he broke. And now we are both going to jail. It's a shame too, because all that awesome loot is hidden away, and only I know where to find it.

In all seriousness. we will only be in jail for about an hour on August 23rd. My boyfriend got chosen by the MDA (Muscular Distrophy Association) to participate in their annual Lock-Up fundraiser. He has to raise as much money as possible for his "bail". Best part, he gets to have a partner in crime (yours truly), and we will be locked up in front of Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in New Haven (best prison food EVER!). He's managed to raise $100 so far, but I know we can do more! So, I figured I would share the information with all of you wonderful bloggers out there and see if anyone would be charitable enough to help us out. In case you weren't aware, all funds raised by the MDA Lock-Up assist the Association in providing lifesaving research, a nationwide network of medical clinics, and accessible summer camp experiences to individuals and families affected by neuromuscular diseases. It really is a wonderful cause, so I hope all of my readers will consider giving at least $10 to help out.

To sweeten the deal a little bit,

decided I will share my hidden loot with you.

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Therefore, for every $10 donated, you will get an entry into the

 "Mystery Loot Give Away".

I can't tell you what you will win just yet because I don't want the 5-0 sniffing around more than they already will be. However, suffice it to say, it's pretty awesome. I promise. I mean, if it wasn't, why would anyone care if I had taken it, right? ;)

Anywho, here's the link to DONATE.

Make sure that once you have donated, you come back and comment on my blog how much you gave. This way, I know how many entries to give each person. Also, if you share this blog post on your own blog/facebook/twitter/social media, leave me a comment with a link and I will give you an extra entry. I am going to send out a super huge thanks in advance to everyone who helps us out. I know people are strapped for money nowadays, myself included, but every little bit helps and it truly does wonders for those who suffer, or a family members of someone suffering from, muscular distrophy.

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?!

Thank You, Kara Goucher

I ran yesterday. And, boy, did it feel nice. I went out and did a nice, easy run of 2 miles. Took a slow pace for most of it. The only exceptions were when I pushed my pace up the two hills on my route, and then when I sprinted the ends of each mile. I was pouring sweat when I was done, but it felt great! And, I finished under 30minutes. Woohoo!

I've been lacking motivation again lately (surprised? I didn't think so.) It's so hard for me to get back into a routine when work is killing all of my energy. I work with kids all day, every day. I love it, but it is EXHAUSTING. Being high-energy all the time is great- it's almost like a workout in itself, but by the time I get home, I want to curl up in bed and just sleep. It's also hard to wake myself up early to try and run, but this is nothing new. I'm just not a morning person and I'm okay with that.

I was talking with my boyfriend the other night about how I feel I have been slacking WAY too much for my upcoming race in October and how I'm considering not doing it and just using the extra time to prep for the Disney Princess race in February. I hate that I even thought that- it makes me feel like such a quitter. Ugh! Anyway, my boyfriend told me not to give up just yet. He said to wipe the slate clean, get back on the wagon, and see how I do over the next few weeks. If, by the time I hit September, I'm not feeling ready, then to wait till February. But, if I work through my road blocks and get back in the game, he would be there to cheer me on (for both races).

So, I pulled out a book I had almost forgotten I'd bought- Kara Goucher's Book: Running for Women.

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I cracked it open and started reading. I eventually got to the pages where she talks about her set backs and how she sometimes has periods where she has a hard time doing her trainings. Then, she put in a great list of suggestions to help make training a little less cumbersome. One thing she suggested was to change wording- instead of saying "I'm going to do 4 run days this week,", change it to "I'm giving myself 3 rest days this week,". She said it's almost like reverse psychology. I'm going to start trying that possibly. If not aloud, then at least in my own head.

Another thing she suggested was mixing up your training a bit (especially when you find it hard to stick to a particular schedule). For instance, I know I have to do 3 runs and a cross training/walking day. However, instead of making it every Tuesday is a short run, every Thursday is a tempo, etc, to try and mix it up as it fits into my week. That way you don't stress as much or get so down on yourself if something unexpected happens on Tuesday and you can't make a run.

One last thing she advises is to give yourself a break! (Seriously!) If you are scheduled to do an 8 mile run, but you feel you can't do it- just go out for a one mile run. First off, one mile is better than no miles, and , secondly, once you are out and running the chances are you will start to feel better and extend your run a bit on your own.

I've only read like 5 chapters in the book, but it made me feel so much better about my training road blocks. Just knowing that Kara Goucher hits some hurdles herself makes me feel that what I'm going through is perfectly normal. And that's comforting. It makes me think that maybe I can get back on the bandwagon and do ING Hartford in October afterall. 

Pride and Running

I am kind of proud of me, if I do say so myself. 

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And I do.

I had a very long day running programs with all ages of kids today and it was gross outside. I mean, sticky, hot, walking through a wet blanket, gross. I got home and sat down on the couch, knowing that that was the wrong thing to do because I had to get in a run today. I sat there for an hour, talking with my mom while my brother made dinner, then I got off my butt and went to the gym. (Considering how hot it was, I decided a treadmill run would be best for my sanity.) I didn't want to go, but I made myself do it anyway. Hooray for NOT giving into temptation and getting my butt in gear.

The gym was pretty packed, but I managed to snag a treadmill and started my 3.1 mile run. Instead of doing just 30min. like I have scheduled on my training plan, I decided to sneak in the Firecracker Virtual 5k I had to do. Needless to say, I finished in 46:03. Not too bad. I was hoping to stay with a 15min/mile, but considering how tired I was, anything under 47min was okay by me.

My plan of action for this week is a 30min run on Wednesday and then doing my 8miles on Friday before work or Saturday early morning (depending upon weather and such). That will put me at about 13.1 miles total for this week. I gave myself a goal of 50 miles and then I would treat myself to a massage. As of right now, I am 19miles away from that. By the end of this week, I will be 9miles away!

Also, I haven't officially registered yet (I will when I get my next paycheck), however-  

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I will be doing the Princess Half in Feb 2013!!. 

My boyfriend and I put deposits down on a Disney cruise for Feb. 17-21st and the race is on Feb. 24th, so we are going to stay at the Disney Caribbean resort after we get off the ship until it's time for me to race. I'm SUPER excited! I can't wait! Only about 214 days until I get to sail away! WOOHOO!!

 Anyone have any fun runs coming up?

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?

If The Running Shoe Fits....

I did it again!

It was a struggle this morning, but I made it out to run.

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(So maybe I didn't run 22 miles, but this is still about the same train of thought I had going on- except I focused more on wanting banana peanut butter frozen greek yogurt tonight)

Today was another fantastic run for me. 2 miles in 28:06. Not too shabby.

I'm beginning to see that my short runs are getting a little faster, as I'm able to maintain around a 14:00-14:30min/mile pace more often than not. I'm hoping this means my endurance for longer runs will get better also. I will find out on Sunday when I do my 4 mile run. Wish me luck!

Alas, there were no horn honks or random strangers cheering me on this time out, but it's okay. I still feel it was a very good run. I always feel so accomplished after I run- love it!

Oh! I have a fun story for you and want to know y'alls thoughts on this-

 I was talking with one of my cast mates last night and he asked if I would ever run a full marathon. I chuckled and said, "Most likely not." When he questioned why, I replied, "I have difficulty with 13.1, I can't even begin to imagine doing 26.2." He gave me a small smile, mulling over my answer, before responding with, "Yea, but I bet you thought you could never do 13.1 either, and here you are planning to do at least 2 other half marathons." I was silent. I, honestly, had never thought about that. 26.2 miles just seems like such an intimidating number to me. But, then again, when I started training for my first 5k, so did 13.1miles. I swore up and down I would never run a half marathon- and now, not only have I already done 1, I'm planning to do 2 others. The more I thought about it, the more the idea of running a full marathon intrigued me. I think I may do it (which if anyone knows me, you know this is a HUGE thing for me to say). If I do decide to train and run a full marathon, it will not be this year as I'm already commited to my Hartford half training again, but I may do it next year. Perhaps in February 2013 I will run the Princess Half and then start training for the ING Full Marathon in October 2013.

I'm not fully committed to the idea yet, but it is something I'm keeping in the back of my mind.



Honk If You're a Runner!

Alright folks, today marks the start of Week 2 in my Half Marathon training.

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I was scheduled to do a 30minute run, and I did. I actually ran a little further than 30 minutes- mostly because when I started out on my run, I decide I was going to do a different route. Instead of just shooting for a 2 mile/30 minute run, I opted to do 2.3 miles. The whole run actually took 33:10, which is pretty awesome if you ask me. I hit the 2 mile mark exactly at 30minutes. Woot woot!

As I was running today, I had numerous vehicles honk and wave as they drove by. It was kind of flattering and super supportive! My favorite was the truck that drove past, just as I hit the end of my run and started to walk. The man slowed down a bit, stuck his head out the window and yelled, "Don't give up honey! You can do it!" I waved and smiled, and debated if I should respond, but I was too busy catching my breath.
If I do run into that guy another day, I will be sure to let him know that I didn't give up and I definitely don't intend on doing so. EVER.

My run was pretty nice- cool weather, new path, kept a faster pace for a longer amount of time, felt good for the first 20 minutes before I started to feel myself slowing down. The only concern I had was as I was around 25minutes, my abs on my left side started to feel like they were pinching. Maybe it was from trying to make sure I continued to hold myself upright? I don't know. It didn't hurt or anything, just felt weird.

Anyway, sorry it's such a short update! I've got a very busy week ahead of me- lots of work and rehearsals till late because I open a new show this weekend. YAY!!

Give It A Try

I ran today.

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I feel a sense of pride when I hear myself say that. Does anyone else?

I may not have gone fast- I definitely wouldn't stand a chance against Kara Goucher- but I still ran.
I woke up this morning and was starting to debate with myself if I was in the mood to run. Before that tiny, little, nay-saying voice could really start convincing me not to run, I threw on my clothes and sneakers and headed outside. I PUT myself in the mood to run- and it feels good.

That's the one thing that has me addicted to running- I battle and struggle and have to keep myself constantly motivated while running, but when I'm done, there's this huge sense of accomplishment that washes over me. I love that feeling.

Anyway, today was Day 2 of Week 1 of Half Marathon Training 2012. According to my plan (which you can find HERE), it was supposed to be a 30 minute run, but I finished it in 29:16. I ran the first 3 minutes, then started my run/walk alternation (I am keeping with my 2:1 run/walk ratio for the first 3 weeks of my training, then, depending upon how I am progressing, I may bump it to 3:1). It felt good. I really pushed myself for the first mile, finished it in 12:34, but I know I should slow my first mile down and start pushing myself more during mile 2 so I can get my body used to doing negative splits.

I am a little worried that, since I haven't done that much running in the past few months, I'm basically starting from scratch again. Last year, I was hoping that by the time I got to this point I would be able to run about 3 miles non-stop. Oh well. Life happens, right? I've just got to buckle down and really stay disciplined this year. I'm hoping that after a few weeks my currently non-existent muscle memory will kick in and my runs will improve. Here's to wishful thinking, right?!

Wordless Wednesday Motivation

Take that Inner Doubter!



Half Marathon Training 2012 has Officially BEGUN!

Started off on Sunday with a nice 25 minute run (since I knew beforehand that I wouldn't be able to do it today). Up next, a 30minute run tomorrow.

BRING IT ON!

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!