Long Time No Talk!

Well helllllo!

It's been 6 months since my last post, and I have been recently getting the urge to post again! I really enjoyed the break and my step back from blogging, but I did miss posting some days. I won't be a regular poster, but I do think I am ready to get back into the blogging game for a little bit!

So what have I been doing? Well, much of the same! I started a new job in July, so I have been adjusting to my new school and my new role and it has been wonderful! I was definitely a good decision! I work at my alma mater (high school) as the Counseling Director, which is fun, but also feels very different than when I went here, so that separation has been great.

I also am almost done with this semester of school! I took two classes this semester- an Educational Measurement class on creating test and survey instruments and a Qualitative Research class. I have enjoyed the content of both classes very much, and I finish completely for the semester on December 14th! I have some presentations between now and then, but I am pretty much done. It is hard to believe next semester is my LAST of classes! BUT I have a lot to do- taking two courses, teaching a course (same one I did last spring) and then my qualifying exam and comprehensive exam....THEN I get to start writing! I have my topic and chair, though, so I am feeling good and excited to get started! This program has flown by and overall been really great. I still don't know for sure what I will do with it, but I am looking forward to having options (like not paying tuition and making more $$$)!

As for racing- oh, what a fall! I was all trained for the Richmond Marathon, feeling great and having completed THREE 20 miler runs, and I woke up the day of the race with a 102 degree fever and the FLU. It was awful, but there was no way I could race. It took me about 10 days to get over the flu (please get flu shot)! I was able to run a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 10k, and instead of finding another marathon, I ran a half marathon this past weekend the Blue and Gray in Fredericksburg) and ended up setting a personal record! SO that was exciting and at least made me feel like the marathon training was for SOMETHING. It was a hard pill to swallow to miss it, but feeling as bad as I did made it a little better. There will always be another race!

Besides all that, I became an aunt in October (!), attended a lot of baby showers, and traveled to New Orleans this fall for a conference. It has been a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to the holidays!

I will check in again soon!

Race Updates

I have run a few races this year, so I figured it was time to do a quick recap of all of them!

January-> Frostbite 15K: 1:17:17 (PR)

I was in pain at this point, but I think I look pretty cool, right?

This was the 2nd time I have run the Frostbite 15k and it is a great, small race that starts only about 2 miles from my house. It begins at a local elementary school, so it is really easy to park, and they have a place to hang out, keep warm and use the bathrooms! This race was cold, in the 30's and it was snowing, but it was better conditions than last year when it POURED. It runs around a neighborhood and a few lakes, and I always enjoy it. A PR is also nice:)

March-> Huguenot 3 Miler: 24:44 (5k time- 25:37, PR?)

This race was not my favorite. I ran my last half marathon peak run the day before (12 miles) and had done it fast, so my legs were not rested. I wanted to use this run as some speed work, and while my first mile was 7:40-something, my last two were 8:30. I just couldn't keep the pace on my tired legs. The course was a few loops along a wooded path, so not my favorite scenery and it was not easy to run the tangents. I also think it was short of 3 miles... I may/may not do it again. At least it was cheap!

March-> Shamrock Half Marathon: 1:52:24

This is a good depiction of the race- head down avoiding wind/rain!

This race was probably the worst conditions I have ever run in! There were 30-40 mile/hour winds, it was POURING rain and it was cold (upper 30's). I debated running it once I got to the race (I commiserated with some other runners as we all decided if it was worth it), but since I had driven down to Virginia Beach AND paid for it (it was expensive), I decided to try. It also is a half I have run many times, so I knew the course well. I ended up only missing a PR by 13 seconds, and once the rain ended the race wasn't so bad. I may be done with this race for a while, though!

April-> Monument 10k: 49:04 (PR)

Smiles of a PR finish!

The Monument 10k is a BIG race (30k runners) and is the race that got me hooked on running. This was my 6th year running it, and it is always one that I look forward to. I live close to the start, know the route very well (I run it on a regular basis), and I get to party after the race is finished at my friend's house- what more could you want? It also has starting waves (and a good starting time- 8:30!), so it is well organized and you are always with people who run at your pace. My goal this year was to break 50 minutes, and I did it! I actually had to walk part of mile 2 due to a stomach cramp, but all my other miles were in the 7:40's, so I was able to make up a lot of time. The conditions were cold and it was even a little snowy, so it was perfect for a PR! I also parked near my friend's house for the after-party and jogged a 1.5 mile warm up on the empty streets before the start, so that was great:)

April-> Flying Pirate Half Marathon: 1:51:00 (PR)

This race is fun because it means a weekend at my friend's house in the Outer Banks! The temperature was perfect- upper 40's and sunny and we did not have much wind on the sound except for during mile 8. The course is challenging as the last 3 miles are on a trail and the rocks hurt your legs at that point AND the last .5 mile is practically straight uphill. I always run the last 3 miles about 10-20 seconds slower than the rest of the race, but I still PRed! My legs tightened up early (around mile 6) probably due to my fast 10k the week before, but I held on and was very pleased. Now I will have to aim for under 1:50 :) I do love half marathons!

 I have felt really good running and have kept my mileage around 20 per week, which seems to be my sweet spot, so I will have to keep all this in mind when deciding if I want to start training for the Richmond Marathon again:)

Impromptu Half Marathon

I had been debating running the Blue & Gray Half Marathon in Fredericksburg since I ran the Richmond Marathon. I was a little hesitant based on my knees being a little iffy and not knowing if I would injure them more. However, all last week my runs progressively felt better, so after an awesome and beautiful Saturday morning run,I decided I would do it!

It was too late to sign up online, so I called the organizers to confirm that I could sign up morning of, and I could. It was a small race run by a local Fredericksburg running group (VA Runners). My friend was running it, too, so I was able to ride up with her at 5:50 AM on Sunday morning (talk about a fun weekend wake-up)! We made it to the race by 6:50 AM and it was nice because the VA Runner store was in a big strip mall where there was tons of parking. We were able to park about 25 feet from the start, and my registration was very easy and quick. We went to the bathroom twice before the race and even hung out in our cars a little bit to stay warm.

This course was beautiful- it goes from main roads around the Mary Washington Hospital, down to the Rappahanock River running/walking pathway and back. We ran along the river and through some neighborhoods. I don't know much about the area, so it was neat to see a different part. My friend and I were running together and our goal was to break 2 hours (that would be a PR for her). We started out VERY fast through the big downhill, but felt good enough to maintain that pace the whole race. We were averaging about an 8:29/pace through most of the race. The end was very tough as it was essentially two miles straight uphill. We split up around mile 11.5 when I had to walk a bit. I caught back up to her around mile 12 but had to walk up a part of another hill around 12.5 (she was stronger than I on those hills). She finished with a 9 minute (!) PR at 1:51:35, and I finished with a 3.5 minute PR at 1:52:12! Needless to say we were both very pleased.

My legs felt good the whole race and while the pace was challenging, it was attainable until those ending hills. 

My coworker, Karen, also ran the race and I saw her at the end! She is the one who told me about this race a few weeks ago.

Rachel and I enjoyed the food at the food tent and watched the finishers for a bit before heading back to Richmond (and an obligatory Starbucks run). It was so nice to run a smaller race (about 600 runners) and the course was beautiful and challenging. The weather was great- crisp but not freezing (in the 30's) with abundant sunshine and no humidity. It was a great morning. We both plan to do it again next year!

I think my goal for 2016 may be to break 1:50, because if the course is flatter,  I think I could have picked up my speed slightly and cut off 2 minutes. Considering I have done no run longer than a 10k since the marathon and no speedwork and did not even rest for this race (I ran Tuesday-Saturday since I didn't know if I was running the half), this race left me optimistic for that. We'll see! Rachel and I commented about how much nicer half distances are on our bodies, so this race makes it very tempting for me to stick with 13.1 as opposed to 26.2 miles!

Anyone else ever run an impromptu race?

#Thankful

I am so sad the long Thanksgiving weekend is over! It was full of family, food, drinks, games, running and fun! Here is a snapshot of some of the events...

After a leisurely morning/afternoon on Wednesday (I love how we get the day off work), I picked up my new kitten! And ,no, she still does not have a name. I am simply calling her "baby cat."

Still no name!!! She got so much love from her family over Thanksgiving!

Then on Thanksgiving morning, my siblings and I ran our annual Turkey Trot 10k! It was hilly, but I did a course PR and the course is beautiful. However, every year I do this race I am always surprised at how hilly it actually is...I need to remember this better.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out, eating and playing cards/doing tequila shots:)

Friday was gorgeous, so we did a walk along the river and into Belle Isle. We also went to Triple Crossing Brewery and an awesome dinner place called Family Meal before going home and playing more cards and taking more tequila shots...

Saturday was full of football and small business Saturday, and we even got started on our 2nd puzzle of the week. I think we are obsessed.

On Sunday I introduced my kitten to her big brother, Tony Romo, with limited luck and got to see my friend Emily's new baby!

High school friends!

As least Romo is staying in the room instead of running away...

The next few days will sure be an adventure in new kitten adjustment at my place (any tips?)! And the next few weeks are full of fun holiday events, and I am excited about being done with classes for the semester in a short 9 days (December 8th!) :) Hopefully work will go quickly this week, and I am entering it feeling very thankful for the wonderful people in my life! Too bad I did not sleep as much as I intended to...why does that always happen?

How was your Thanksgiving?

Upcoming

Life has been very exciting so far this year! From marathon training to school to various travels...I have had a great few months! I am excited to see more fun continuing as I head into summer, too. Here are some of my "upcoming's":

1. School ends...and starts again! My last class date of this semester is next Wednesday, April 29th! This semester has felt longer than the fall, not necessarily because of more work, but I think the winter tends to make everything feel longer. My classes went great (I only have a presentation separating me from being totally done), and I am still loving being in school. Working with the master's level students this semester has been SO great. It has reaffirmed that this is the right path for me.

I don't get much of a break, though, because on May 18th I start TWO summer school classes...

I am co-teaching a 5 week course (Secondary Counseling Seminar) for my teaching internship experience that runs Tuesday and Thursday's from 4-8:15. I will also be planning, grading and getting supervised for this course. I have already begun planning, though, and I a super-excited about teaching it! I think it will be a lot of fun and up my area. The class ends June 18th, though I will need to log hours and work on updating the course for next year until I get to 300 hours. Hopefully the slow summer days at my job will allow me time to do that!

My name isn't listed yet...but for a course next fall it will be!

During this time, I also am taking a statistic course (the first of many) Monday and Wednesday's from 4-6:40. This course should be easy, but taking it means that for 5 weeks I am at VCU Monday- Thursday. UGH. Those will be long weeks, but I am hopeful it will be over before I know it! The statistics course runs until July 9th. That is when I reward myself with a nice trip!

2. Traveling.  I have been traveling a lot the last month or so and more is coming! I am headed to Chicago May 1-4 with my brother, sister-in-law, and her twin sister. My whole family is going to Cincinnati to celebrate my grandmother's 95th birthday over Memorial Day weekend, and then my mom and I (along with some college friends and their families) are headed to Vancouver, Seattle, and a cruise to Alaska (!) in July. I am SO PUMPED about that trip- it'll be a full two weeks! To cap it all off, I am going to the Outer Banks again for a full week in August. Mixed in will be weekend/day trips to/from D.C. and Virginia Beach visiting friends for weddings and bridal showers, but those are the big ones! I am looking forward to them all.

The dunes of OBX!

3. Running. There is always something in the works with my running plans! I am not racing anymore this spring, but I am going to join the training team program we have in Richmond for the Richmond Marathon in November. Training officially starts the first weekend in June, but I will only go as it fits in my schedule throughout the summer. Once September hits I will start going weekly and really up my training. I also may do a local half marathon in August to kick-start my training. I am looking forward to being a part of a big training program and running a marathon that literally goes by my backdoor! :)

The last .1 of a hilly end to a half marathon...

Those are the main three things coming up for me! I will be busy, but it's all in a good way! 

What are your upcoming plans this summer?

Flying Pirate Half Marathon

Good morning and Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend.

I went to one of my favorite places this weekend- the Outer Banks- to run the Flying Pirate Half Marathon! I stayed in my friend's parent's beach house in Corolla and enjoyed a day of relaxing and beach walking before the race!

My happy place.

After a glorious Saturday of sunny (albeit slightly cool) weather and a GREAT carb-loading dinner, we woke up at about 5:45 AM to get ready and head to the race for the 7 AM start time!

Selfie at the starting line!

Ready to go!

Well-organized start with about 3,000 runners.

The course was mainly flat and ran through neighborhoods, the sound side of the island (lots of pretty beach houses to look at), around the Wright Brothers Memorial/Air Field and into trails in the woods. The trails and wooded area definitely slowed me down because of the uneasiness of my footing on some of the rocks/gravel and the hills! The last .75 mile was up and down trails in a wooded area and it was HARD. I kept thinking the hills were done and more kept coming. It reminded me of the Richmond Turkey Trot, but at that point I knew the end was near. When you leave the wooded area you go into a .1 mile downhill to the finish line, so that was good!

I haven't done much long-distance running since the marathon besides a 10-miler two weeks ago, and I knew I had some lingering tendon issues in my lower right leg. I went into this race with no expectations, but I knew I could easily PR since my running has gotten faster. I started the race with an 8:35 pace and hit the 10k spot at a good time. I knew I was on pace to PR, but I wasn't feeling GREAT the whole race- I could tell my body was tired. After halfway, I was really starting to feel the aches in my hips, knees and lower right leg. It was nothing awful, just body soreness. I slowed down gradually from then on out and my aches never got worse and would flow in and out. In the end, I still managed a 3 minute PR on a hard course!

My results! This was while the race was still going on, so the total number of runners and females grew. The race had about 3,000 finishers and my age group ended up being about 250. Being ranked 18th in my age group was awesome!

After the race, we hit up the post race party for food, cider (!), and an awesome band! My friend's uncle and aunt lived right at the end of the race course, so we had even more food there, and I got to shower before taking the bus back to where we parked our cars.

Post-race FOOD and BOOZE!

Finishers!

Finish line from her uncle and aunt's house (a few hours later...)

Overall, the race was good! Not my favorite race ever (I could have used more water stops), but the weather was perfect- not too hot or cold and slightly overcast- and the finish line party was great! For now I think I am taking a break from racing until the late summer or fall. I have done 4 races since January and all have been PR's, so I think a little resting is in order before marathon training season begins!

This may be illegal, but...

I am attaching some recent race photos that I am way to cheap to actually purchase. These also may be illegal to put online, so if it is please let me know and this post will go away!

Right around the halfway point of the marathon!

Chatting with this guy around mile 15 who had run the 8k the day before, the half marathon that morning, and was now doing the full! He put it all into perspective. Crazy.

Marathon Mile 21ish...such a fake smile/wave. I was not feeling great here.

Almost at the finish line! Trying to look for my peeps!

Crossing the finish line!

Start of the Monument 10k...I promise I wear other shirts when I run but this was for a big Massey fundraiser!

This is one of my favorites. I look stealth. HA.

Finished! Pumped at my PR. I like that you can see my hat really clearly here.

Do you ever buy race photos? Am I going to jail with these?!

Monument 10k 2015

Hey there! I hope you are having a great weekend.

I am excited because the Monument 10k, aka my favorite race of the year and one in which is the reason I became a runner back in 2010, was yesterday! Over 35,000 people run this race and it has been named one of the best races in the country, and it seems like all of Richmond comes out for it. The course is up and back the historic Monument Avenue, which luckily is within walking distance of where I live! I also do a lot of volunteer work for Massey Cancer Center, which is the official fundraising partner for the race.

As I said previously, I did not know if I would run it since I was still healing from my marathon. I was able to run 3 miles on Friday morning, which felt ok, and then after work I headed to the expo for work at the Massey booth, and spent 3 hours on my feet getting people to donate and buy shirts for Massey! I knew that wasn't the best way to rest for the race, but I had a lot of fun and had no expectations for Saturday morning.

Race morning was cold! Since this race is so big, there are staggered time starts (waves) for an hour and a half (crazy)! My wave was a seeded wave that started at 8:43. I drove two miles from my condo and parked at about 8:15, and then walked over a mile to the start. I like the walk as my warm up and because after I finish I get to walk back on the race course and see the runners. The waves are very well organized and I had no problem getting in mine with about 5 minutes to spare.

It was about 35 degrees during the race, so the perfect temperature for me! I had on ear warmers, my marathon finishing hat, long sleeves and running pants (with gloves!). I also know this course VERY well, which helps, but it is crowded, so that can slow you down. I always try to go in the fastest wave I possibly can so I don't have to dodge people. 

My first mile was FAST at 8:15 and it felt fast. But once I realized how fast I was going, I definitely felt I could keep up with it since nothing will ever compare to the pain and difficulty of miles 20-26.2 of a marathon. My calf was tight, but as the miles went by and I was steadily at an 8 minute pace, I knew I could stick it out. I hit the 5k at 25:27...my fastest ever (though the back half ended up being even faster than that)! It was a hard pace for me to keep with my calf tightening up, but I did it and finished in 50:04- a FOUR minute PR!!! Isn't that crazy?! And we got medals this year for the first time! Yay!

This race really surprised me. I have run probably over 10 10k's and routinely have run 54-55 minute races. That pace always felt really fast and about as well as I could do (I am not a sprinter). I didn't do much speed work over my marathon training either, so the fact that I ran this so fast is crazy. I think resting from Monday-Thursday this week really helped my muscles heal, and the training and distance running has obviously built up muscles that have made me faster. I am excited, but now I don't want to do another 10k because I don't think I will ever be able to beat this time! There is another one at the end of April I normally do, but I will wait and see:) It is the week after my half marathon, so I should still be in good distance shape.

So the week after the marathon went well...only 9.2 miles were run, but a 10k PR has left me sore and feeling accomplished:) I will take it! I am excited to get back to more running next week- it was hard to take so much time off this week. I miss it!

Has anyone else had an unexpected awesome race so close to a half or full marathon?!

Visit my page to donate to VCU MASSEY CANCER CENTER!

Weekly Workouts (11/24-11/30) & Cincy Turkey Trot

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I enjoyed my time in Ohio with family and away from blogs and social media! It makes me want to step back a little on my blog reading and social media participating...life is great to be lived :)

This was my last week before marathon training begins (and included my first race since May)! I enjoyed all my runs and loved running in new areas in Ohio and with my brother(s).

Monday: 40 minute elliptical (abs)

Tuesday: 4.05 miles @ 9:52 before work (weights)

Wednesday: Off (travel day!)

Thursday: 6.2 miles @ 8:56 (Cincinnati Turkey Trot 10k) (abs)

This was a freezing race (upper 20's, windy and cloudy). We had to wait by the stadium for about 30 minutes in the cold for the start. That really sucked. Once the race started (over 17,000 people took a while to get going!) I felt fine, and it was a GREAT route, albeit hilly, and the whole family had fun. This also went across a bunch of bridges, which caused some of the hills (and we even went into Kentucky)!-> that was the first time I have crossed state lines during.This was a much different Turkey Trot than the small race I am used to, but was a great way to explore a city I don't know much about. It was super crowded, and I had to dodge walkers for the first two miles, so my time wasn't a PR, but not too shabby, either! Definitely earned my turkey this year!

Running up a hill on Vine Street at the start.

City in the distance.

Final time (per my watch).

First time seeing the Bengals stadium!

Warming up and all smiles back at the hotel after the race.

Friday: 3.1 miles @ 9:17 (arms)-> SORE today. Nice Cincinnati neighborhoods.

Saturday: 7 miles @ 9:11 (ran through OSU with the tailgaters for their big game vs. Michigan with my brother) (abs)

Sunday: 2.15 mile walk before car ride back from Columbus!

I felt pretty sore after the race on Thursday, but I do feel strong and am excited to start increasing my mileage! Have a great week easing back from the lovely break :)