9 Months + 2 Marathons (Chicago Marathon & Richmond Marathon)

Well, it's been a while!

Since February, life has been full (I refuse to say busy, because who isn't busy?)! I finished my final semester of classes in May, took my qualifying exam and passed, and took my comprehensive exam and passed (with an oral defense, too). Two big hurdles done with my PhD!

I spent the summer mostly at home, with a wedding in June and a trip to the beach in July, and wishing I had more travels coming up! This summer was less busy travel-wise due to writing my dissertation and lack of money due to my new house:) I hated it, but I definitely learned that I need to make sure I find ways to get out of town when the summer heat and humidity arrives and work becomes very slow. I'm convinced I have summer SAD, if that can be a thing!

In the fall, everything picked up. I started teaching two classes at VCU in August-> Techniques in Counseling and Practicum (which is a supervision class). Both have been very fun to teach and have been manageable while writing my dissertation. I went to a conference in Chicago in October and officially defending my prospectus in November, which means I am a doctoral CANDIDATE! My study is currently waiting on IRB, so fingers crossed it won't take too long.

I did a lot of weekend trips in September and October and have quite a few coming up through the end of November and beginning of December. I LOVE getting out of town for a few days on the weekend, but I also love being home in my new house...so balance is key. My big events were running the Chicago Marathon on October 8th and the Richmond Marathon on November 11. Marathon training this year was really great. I met an awesome new group of runners and genuinely enjoyed the training season. I still hate running in the heat, and the long weekday runs get hard with work, but I am more used to it all now. After not making it to the starting line last year due to the flu, I am so thankful to get through 26 weeks of training and 2 marathons HEALTHY!

The Chicago marathon was not great (but Chicago IS great and I had the best time at my conference and exploring the city!). It was 60 degrees at the start and about 75+ at the end, and the entire 2nd half of the course was in direct sunlight. I had a gut feeling pretty early that I would not be able to maintain a sub-4 pace, but I kept it through the first 14 miles and then it was downhill pretty fast. I walked a lot, had to drink a lot of water, and generally hated life for a few hours. The course and crowds were AMAZING, but it was a tough day. I also never got the hang of how crowded it was (especially at the water stops). I finished in 4:10:01.

Ready to go at 6 AM!

Catching my mom and brother at mile 13!

After Chicago, I was not feeling my love of running for a while. I took 5 days off, and then got back into training. I continued with my training team and did another 20 miler before a three week taper. This taper was a lifesaver. By really resting up, my motivation came back the week of the race, and I felt my running "pep" come back. I also knew it would be better than Chicago because the weather was COLD, and I was running with so many friends and on a course I know so well.

Richmond did not disappoint. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, with temperatures in the upper 20's at the start and no higher than upper 30's at the finish. I started in layers and kept taking things off until mile 15. Pure sunshine the entire race.

I was so thankful to be healthy for this race. Last year was such a disappointment-> getting the flu the day before when I had had such a great training season. I got emotional the night before just thinking about what I felt like last year. I read a quote that someone had saying "don't forget to hear the birds." This was exactly how I was feeling-> I wanted to take it all in and really appreciate it. And I did. I didn't listen to any music and ran pretty much solo for 25 of the 26.2 miles. And it went by so fast. It was an incredible day, and I did not take a single part of it for granted. Even when I was struggling in miles 19-23 before my second wind kicked in (which I attribute to an awesome course ending), I was happy.

Look what I saw at the expo! I am on the 10k poster! Haha.

Finish chute! I was taking it all in. Thanks for the photo, Karen :)

Happy :)

My cheering squad!

Happier still:)

Tawny!

I know I have talked before how running is so much more than just running, but what the last 6 months have reiterated to me is how the journey of running is really what running is about. The races are just days, but running is a lifestyle. It brings me new friends, keeps my sanity through some emotional stressors, and makes me feel my best self. Our bodies are so amazing and there is nothing that celebrates the human spirit more than a marathon (even a bad one). I learn something about myself at every race. Yesterday reinvigorated my love for the city I call home.

I ran Richmond at a PR of 3:55:53 and enjoyed every second of it (well, maybe not some of those seconds between 19-23...). And I will bask in this glow for a while.

2016 in Running and Books

Once again, I read a lot of books this year! Not my best year, but work and school caused me to read some academic related books as opposed to my fun, fiction reads! The starred (*) books are the ones I recommend.

1. Anybody Out There? by Marian Keys
2. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari*
3. Cold Cold Heart by Tami Hoag
4. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
5. New York by Edward Rutherford*
6. Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keys
7. Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keys
8. The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes
9. A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman*
10. Hatteras Girl by Leslie Wisler
11. Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand*
12. The Assistants by Camille Perri*
13. The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand*
14. Summer People by Elin Hilderbrand*
15. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand*
16. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson*
17. I Still Dream of You by Fannie Flagg*
18. Babyville by Jane Green*
19. Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves*
20. The Housewife and the Actor by Shannon Hale
21. Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand
22. No Kidding: Women Writers on Bypassing Parenthood by Henriette Mantel
23. Gray Mountain by John Grisham
24. Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson*
25. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
26. Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes
27. Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead
28. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult*
29. Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty
30. Deadline by Sandra Brown*
31. Turning Tables by Heather and Rose McDowall
32. Boys on the Boat by James Brown*
33. Drowning Ruth by Christina Swartz*

I also ran a lot this year! I set personal records (PR) in the 15k, 10k, 5k and half marathon (I PRed twice!). Sadly, no full marathon PR due to getting the flu, but overall, it was a great running year! Click here to see all my records and races! My total miles for the year are about 1382, which is lower than my 1414 from 2015 BUT I blame that on my un-run marathon and the week of non-running due to illness:)

My running goals for next year actually includes running FEWER races (trying to save more $) and doing two marathons in the fall- Chicago and Richmond! I am excited to run more for fun and less for time...thankfully, setting so many PR's this last year takes the pressure off and let's me enjoy my miles for my mental, physical and emotional health rather than the clock time. 2017 will be the year of LESS pressure on myself and MORE enjoyment of my hobby!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy NEW YEAR! GOODBYE 2016!

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:)

2015 in Miles

This was a pretty incredible year, running-wise, for me. I completed my new year's resolution to run a marathon, but that was just the beginning. I hit my highest mileage total ever (~1380 miles as of December 22nd...I will probably hit 1400 by the 31st), ran my first AND second marathon, and PR'ed during six of the seven races I ran (Frostbite 15k, Monument 10k, Shamrock Marathon, Flying Pirate Half, Richmond Marathon and Blue & Gray Half-> links to all are on my races page). I couldn't have asked for a better year between me and the pavement.

I have also been lucky to have no major injuries, and only some aches and pains that are normal with excessive mileage. Running has continued to be a great release for me, where I get physical and mental exercise. I have given up the notion of trying to find another type of exercise to "balance out" the muscles I use, because the fact of the matter is, all I ever want to do is run. I don't want to do yoga, pilates or go to the gym. I can barely do the elliptical anymore on a rainy day. I only ever want to lace up my shoes, put on some music or a podcast, and experience the outdoors. Being outside and running around my city is one of my favorite things to do. I fully agree that you have to find the exercise that you will do consistently and enjoy, or else you won't exercise, and running is that for me. It is part of my life.

Here is a great post about my feelings on running from last year. I still echo all the same sentiments! As for this year, I honestly don't have any running goals. I want to focus on shorter races, but I won't rule out a fall marathon just yet. We will see how the winter and spring goes! No mileage goals either- I have a hard time thinking I will top out my total from this year, but you never know:).

Now, where is this winter weather I have been looking forward to?! I love running in gloves/hats and hate how warm it has been! 

What are your running goals for 2016? How was 2015 for you?

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?

Thinking Out Loud

Here I am 5 days out from my the marathon. I can successfully walk without pain, had my first short run back today (2.5 miles on the treadmill, thank you rain), have rehashed the race with all my running buddies, and feel like my appetite and energy levels have gotten back to normal. I think my recovery this time around was faster than last March, but it is still a surprise to me how long it takes me to feel normal again after a race like this (aka bathroom habits, sleep schedule, body fatigue, ect). These marathons sure do put a toll on your body! How ANYONE can do a recovery run the day after a marathon is beyond me. 

I posted some race photos that my friends and family took of me, but let's check out the attractive official race photos... (notice I am not posting them all)

Mile 20...about a mile before I started to die.

Down the finish chute!

Salty goodness!

I went to dinner last night with a group of people I trained with during the weekday morning runs (and who also did the Saturday training teams). It was awesome to hear everyone's feelings about the marathon and how awesome/hard it was. I kept thinking how runners are really amazing people and I am so glad I have found a community that share this passion with. We were talking about how we were sad the training program was over because it leaves such a void in our week. As exhausting and time-consuming as it is, I really enjoy how even though running is such an individual sport, you really become part of a group while doing it. We all understand the aches and pains and how many of our days revolve around running (whether they should or shouldn't)-> Going to bet at 8 PM? Totally normal! Who has time to date when you are training for a marathon? -> I won't miss having to run 8-10 miles before work, but I will miss the people and having a goal. After all, isn't that what it is all about?

So it's been a good week, albeit a slight letdown from the anticipation of race week! On the plus side, I AM adopting a new kitty from work though. I need name ideas! 

Tony Romo's new baby sister.

I get to bring her home on Wednesday! I am excited to spend Thanksgiving with her and her aunts and uncles!

As for me this weekend, I have Friendsgiving (I am hosting) on Saturday afternoon and a quick trip to Charlottesville to see my friend's new baby boys! Other than that I am going to try to not spend money, as November has ended up being an expensive month between socializing and my new car. I gotta save up for the holidays and hopefully a trip during my two weeks off from work. 

How did everyone else's recovery go this week? Anyone running races in the next few weeks?

2015 Richmond Marathon

I was thinking yesterday after the marathon how hard it was to put into words how I was feeling, because I was feeling so many different things: tired, sore, thankful, blessed, accomplished, proud...it was an incredible day of love, support, and the strength of the human spirit.

I finished the marathon under my top goal of under 4 hours at a new 11 minute PR of 3:57:49.

This marathon was special to me because it ran in my city. I ran by my condo, my friends' houses, where I used to work, where I used to babysit, where I go to school (VCU), where I met for training team every Saturday for the last 5 months, and it ended in the heart of this city I have called home since I was 7 years old. I saw so many friends and family along the way, those I knew would be there and those I didn't, and I even had a friend run me in from miles 21-25...it was a very special day.

Thumbs up when I saw my parents right before mile 13.

That is not to say this race was easy by any means:) The weather WAS perfect (low-40's at the start and low-50's at the finish-> both my races have had the best weather). But I kept thinking along the route how HARD running is, even when you do all the training for it. I did two 20 milers this time around which I think helped me, but my pace the whole way was a solid 20 seconds faster than any of my longest training runs, so that was hard to keep. I went through many ups and downs in terms of how I was feeling during the race-> miles 10-12 were tough due to hills and running directly into the sun, miles 17-19 were another tough group due to an incline and fatigue, and then after mile 21 I was mentally not in a great place and felt I could not run any faster or my legs would fall off. I had to keep reminding myself that it SHOULDN'T feel good at this point, but to not let me not accomplish my goal when I was so close to the finish. Pain is temporary. The last 5-6 miles really are when you have to accept the discomfort and tough it up. All the training in the world can't make those miles easy. I was lucky in that I didn't have any serious pains- my hips were tight but everything else felt good (even my feet remained unscathed- no blisters or any shoe pain)!

All that being said, this race was FUN and went by SO FAST. I thought multiple times along the route how quickly it was all going by. I blinked and we were at mile 7...and then 17! That could be because I knew the route so well, but I also think because I was more relaxed and thankful this time. I knew I would finish (I just didn't know if I would get my top goal) and with everything happening in the world on Friday night, running a marathon really took perspective. I GET to do this. I don't HAVE to do it. It is a privilege to have the time and energy to train and run races. That mindset made me really enjoy the time even when it was hard.

The marathon training team coaches that I had worked with all training season were all over the course and would always cheer me on or give me worlds of encouragement when I needed it (shout out to a coach that motivated me at mile 18 and another at mile 25). I also had ZERO stomach issues which is always something that concerns me (I sometimes had to go during training runs), and my fueling went great- I took water or gatorade at every stop (mostly water) and took gatorade chews at miles 6 and 11 and gu that was available on the course at miles 16 and 21. I didn't walk through the water stops until after the halfway point, but if I did it again that is one thing I would start during the first half because I don't think I was getting enough water by running through, which may be why I had rough few miles before the halfway point.

My pace was very consistent- I averaged 9:02-9:05 the entire time via the various splits they gave me (10k, half, 20 miles and finish). I could see the 4 hour pace group the entire marathon- sometimes I was behind them and sometimes ahead of them, but they were always close. I also never used music because of the great crowd support and music along the course. I also met some great people that stayed with me for a big part of the race (it was cool to meet out-of-towners and hear their comments on how beautiful the course was!). My group thinned out closer to the end, though. The last mile was downhill, which was a very welcome situation. It was like you didn't have to try to run anymore (ha)! My quads did not like HOW downhill the last .3 was, but it made for one of the best finishes because you can see the river and Brown's Island as you come down from the city. I knew I had PRed and beat my goal, so I enjoyed it!

This was me seeing my dad right before I crossed the finish line telling him I PRed!

I felt surprisingly good after the race at the post-race party and got to reunite with friends and family. Hunger didn't kick in until a few hours later and all I wanted was SALTY FOOD. I was done with sugar due to all the gatorade and gu:)

Literally 1 minute after I finished!!!

Friends at the finish!

My parents!

We celebrated with dinner later Saturday night at Mellow Mushroom (pizza!) and I had a slightly rough night of sleep due to the soreness kicking in but I went to be early so I got a decent amount of sleep:). I know I will be sore for a few days and I am looking forward to training for shorter races! I have a Turkey Trot 10k coming up on Thanksgiving that my whole family is doing and then a half marathon on December 6th in Fredericksburg (I have never run a half there before). I do not have a strong desire to do another marathon any time soon, but I loved this course and training experience, so I may think about doing Richmond next year...we'll see how I feel once all the soreness has worn off:). I honestly don't think I can go much faster, and I am spoiled that my first 2 races were both under my goals for each and the weather was perfect...I know I can't keep that up! Maybe running a race with a friend who needs support would be fun, or in a new city...we'll see:) I am also so lucky not to have been injured either of these training seasons. Our bodies are incredible things!

Thank you again to friends and family for all your support and listening to be talk about training for so long:) And a big shout out to all my friends that ran the full and those that did the half!!! Runners are AWESOME!

Richmond Marathon Training Part 4 (aka TAPER CRAZIES)

Ya'll...it's race week! I am 5 days away from Marathon #2!!! I am PUMPED.

The last few weeks (of taper) have been a great and awful part of training...you are excited about lower mileage and more rest/sleep, but you begin to doubt that you can actually hit the higher mileage again. I have had a lot of good runs during taper that were at marathon goal pace (9:10), but the doubt is still very much present. Can I hold that after 20 miles?!

To make myself feel pumped/capable/emotional, I have been reading blogs of people's Richmond Race Recaps and looking at various other training plans to not feel so crazy about my taper:) This good news is I FEEL good. I just want Saturday to be here!

That being said I have three goals for race day:

1. Finish (-> obviously a marathon is no joke any time you run it)

2. PR (4:08:52 was my Shamrock finish time)

3. Sub-4:00 (!!!)

(^I think if the stars align this is very doable based on my training runs as long as I can hold my pace for the last 6.2 miles)

Good quote to keep in mind:)

Anyways, here is my running during the taper!

October 26- November 1 (Week 16)
Mon- Rest
Tues- 5 miles
Wed- 8 miles
Thurs- 4.1 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 12 miles -> this run was exactly at marathon goal pace and I had negtive splits
Sun- Elliptical
Total: 29.1 miles

November 2- 9 (Week 17)
Mon- 4.05 miles
Tues- 6.1 miles
Wed- Elliptical
Thurs- 3.85 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 8 miles
Sun- 4.2 miles
Total: 26.2 miles (see what I did here?)

November 10- 15 (Week 18/RACE WEEK!)

Mon- 3.5 miles
Tues- Rest
Wed- 3 miles (planned)
Thurs- 3 miles (planned-> I may rest again and do a shake out on Friday instead)
Fri- Rest
Sat- RICHMOND MARATHON!!!!!!!!!!!
Sun-  Rest...like a boss

Total: 35.7 if I run my tangents well:)

Good luck to all the Richmond Marathon/Half Marathon runners!!!

Richmond Marathon Training Part 3

I am officially in taper time! I am actually looking forward to a few weeks of more sleep and rest, but I am very excited for race day. My 20 miler on Saturday was on pace for a marathon PR and I felt great when we ended (still running negative mile splits). I also wasn't very sore on Sunday, so I think this bodes well for race day if I can stay healthy:) I think running two 20's actually was good for me because I noticed big gains between the two. I wouldn't recommend that for a first time marathon training cycle, but I see the benefits for people who have done a marathon before and have better muscle memory. My paces between the two were 9:25 versus 9:18 just two weeks later and my recovery was much faster after the second 20 miler. Our bodies are amazing things:)

September 28- October 4 (Week 12)
Mon- 4 miles
Tues-  Elliptical
Wed- 8 miles
Thurs- 5.15 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 12 miles
Sun- Elliptical
Total: 29.15 miles

October 5- 11 (Week 13)
Mon- 4 miles
Tues- 3.5 miles
Wed- 9 miles
Thurs- Rest
Fri- 5.15 miles
Sat- Rest
Sun- 20 miles
Total: 41.65 miles

October 12- 18 (Week 14)
Mon- Elliptical
Tues- Elliptical (extra sore this week from the 20 miler)
Wed- 9 miles
Thurs- 5.05 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 12 miles
Sun- 5 miles
Total: 31.05 miles

October 19- 25 (Week 15)

Mon- Rest
Tues- 10 miles
Wed- 5 miles
Thurs- 5 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 20 miles
Sun-  3 miles

Total: 43 miles (This is about as high as I can go without getting aches and pains)!

All smiles right after a 9:18 mile pace 20 miler!!!

Three weeks to go!

Richmond Marathon Training Part 2

Here is another cluster of weeks of training! I had 1.5 weeks of no running due to a nagging hip/IT band pain developing. I figured I would take it as a sign to rest and make sure it doesn't develop into anything worse. This is what happens with long training seasons!

August 23- 30 (Week 7)
Mon- Elliptical
Tues- 4.1 miles
Wed- 6 miles speed work
Thurs- Rest
Fri- 13.1 miles
Sat- Rest
Sun- 6 miles speed work
Total: 29.1 miles

August 31- Sept 6 (Week 8)
Mon- 4 miles
Tues- Rest
Wed- 8 miles
Thurs- 4.15 miles (am) + 3 miles (pm)
Fri- Rest
Sat- 16 miles (hip pain developing)
Sun- 3 miles
Total: 38.15 miles

September 7- 13 (Week 9)
Mon- 8 miles (hip pain recurring)
Tues- Elliptical
Wed- 4 miles (ankle pain- decided to take some time off)
Thurs- 3 mile walk
Fri- 3 mile walk
Sat- Elliptical
Sun- 5 mile walk
Total: 12 mile running + 11 miles walking

September 14- 20 (Week 10)

Mon- 3 mile walk
Tues- Elliptical
Wed- 3.75 mile walk
Thurs- Rest
Fri- 4 mile walk
Sat- Elliptical
Sun- 3.5 mile run:) Injury feels good!

Total: 10.75 miles walking + 3.5 running

September 21- 27 (Week 11)

Mon- 4.25 miles
Tues- Elliptical
Wed- 8 miles
Thurs- 4 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 18 miles
Sun- 3 miles
Total: 37. 25 miles

I have 7 weeks to go! Two more long runs (I may do two 20's this cycle) and the rest of the longer runs are drop backs of 12 miles. Weekday runs are heading into high gear, though, with some 9 and 10- milers coming up and the shorter runs jumping to 5 miles. It's nice to have the end in sight, and I am enjoying the cooler weather but am even more excited for it to cool off even more!

Richmond Marathon Training

I officially started marathon training at the end of May, but the long weekend runs didn't amp up until mid- July (before the weeks I list below, we had gotten up to 11 miles for our long weekend run and the longest weekday run was 6 miles). I have enjoyed the training team on Saturday mornings when I am in town, and I am excited to run with them more from here on out! I did a great job following the runs during my travels, though they were not as fun.

Here are my stats up to now (I start with week 8 technically, but I will call it week 1 on here since the mileage was about what it was when I started training in December for the Shamrock Marathon).

July 13- 19 (Week 1- Vancouver!)
Mon- 3.1 miles
Tues- 4.1 miles
Wed- 6 miles (left for Vancouver)
Thurs- Rest
Fri- 8.5 miles
Sat- 5 miles
Sun- Rest
Total: 26.7 miles

July 20- 26 (Week 2- Alaska Cruise!)
Mon- 4 miles
Tues- Elliptical
Wed- 6 miles
Thurs- 4 miles
Fri- 12 miles
Sat- Elliptical
Sun- Rest
Total: 28 miles

July 27- August 2 (Week 3)
Mon- 4 miles
Tues- Rest
Wed- 7 miles
Thurs- 3.5 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 14 miles
Sun- 5 miles
Total: 33.5 miles

August 3- 9 (Week 4- went to NYC for the weekend so long run was early)

Mon- Rest
Tues- 3.5 miles
Wed- 14.1 miles
Thurs- 3 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 5 miles
Sun- 3.1 miles

Total: 28.7 miles

August 10- 16 (Week 5- spent the week at the beach, so long run was earlier due to guests coming)

Mon- Elliptical
Tues- 10 miles
Wed- 3.1 miles
Thurs- 16 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 5 miles
Sun- 3.5 miles
Total: 37.6 miles

August 17- 23 (Week 6)

Mon- Rest
Tues- 4 miles
Wed- 8.3 miles
Thurs- 4 miles
Fri- Rest
Sat- 14.25 miles
Sun- 3.2 miles
Total: 33.75 miles

I haven't been paying attention to my pace too closely, but I will as the temperatures start falling. It is amazing the differences that heat and humidity make! The race is in 12 weeks.

If you are training for races, I hope your runs are going well:)

Running is *not* hot & other random things

Each week during Saturday morning marathon, training a gentleman takes pictures of the 1,000 + runners. I don't know if this is supposed to be motivating or embarrassing, but this is what I look like at the end of a 9 mile, 80 degree and humid run:

I need to work on my posture!

I never think I look awesome while I run, but I really need to stand up straighter! I think as I get tired I start to slouch (and I have always blamed my scoliosis for hunching forward). On another note, I love my new running top that I got for my birthday! It is thin and doesn't feel super wet when I get sweaty:).

Also, I volunteered at Massey Cancer Center's Moonlight Magic event in early June and recently was sent a picture of me and my former coworker there! It was a fun night, and I loved visiting James River Cellars. So many awesome wineries in Central Virginia!

And, with all the summer driving (last Saturday I drove to and from D.C. within an afternoon), I think this is especially true. It seems the hotter it gets outside the more uncomfortable and impatient I am in my car...

Anyone else feel this way?

I am loving my four, 10-hour days at work, only because I get three day weekends! The days are LONG, but I try to incorporate walks and fun meetings to break up the days. Come Friday morning, though, I am more than ready to sleep in and not rush out the door at 5:30 AM. I also am feeling invigorated in certain areas of planning for next year, which is always good! The summer does help the heart grow fonder in education.

Finally- I have started watching "True Detective" (season 1) and "Girls" due to my friend's HBOGO account. Anyone else love like those shows? I don't love "True Detective," but I see the draw of it from how gritty and well-done it is. "Girls" is great and caters more to my TV mood at the moment- so many truthful experiences of young twentysomethings. I am almost at the end of season 2!

What are some random things from your week? Anyone reading anything good- I have been going through books really quickly and need ideas!

Coffee > Everything

Summer weekends seem to fly by, don't they?

This weekend I was able to catch up on life from the week and do some things that I have been wanting to for a while! The first of this was Friday Cheers on Brown's Island in downtown Richmond. This is a live concert series offered in May and June every year- and I haven't been to since high school! I think in high school it was the "cool" thing to do when you could drive-> downtown music is so hip!

My friend Nathalia and I along the river.

We got there early so it wasn't crowded. I love the views!

Chillin' and watchin' music

Gorgeous sunset that night- it was hot, though!

I like looking at the city buildings in the background with the island and canal in the forefront.

I stayed out until about 9 PM and had to get home to get to sleep for my early morning. Saturday morning I had marathon training team at 7 AM (no sleeping in even on weekends!). I am on team Merlot (there are a lot of sub teams due to the size), and they take weekly pictures. Here is my pre-first run picture (before the humidity hit).

I love hats in the summer because sunglasses give me weird tan lines and don't block the sweat!

After the hot run, I laid out for a bit, napped, and drove up to Maryland with my dad for a surprise retirement party for a family friend. We were there about 3 hours before coming back.

Sunday morning, I had a ridiculously hot run, and rewarded myself with iced coffee in a brewery glass. Because coffee > everything (as someone on my instagram feed so eloquently put it).

I LOVE ICED COFFEE,

Then, I went to my summer job where I work the front desk about once a week at Willow Oaks County Club. I literally roll towels and read for 8 hours. It is not very exciting, but I do get a free meal and it is nice to have a little extra spending cash for the summer.

For some reason I was SO TIRED when I got off (a week of less than ideal sleep hits me hard), so I went home and laid on the couch for the rest of the night. I started Orange is the New Black season 3 on Friday, so I saw an episode of that, and caught the end of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-> such a good movie! I cried. I love the scenes in Santorini because I know exactly where they were filmed!

What did you do this weekend? Anyone watching OITNB? What do you think?

Weekly Workouts (6/1- 6/14)

It was pretty hot and humid during this two week stretch, so my pace dropped significantly. I really can only stand one long run a week, so thankfully marathon training team is taking care of that, but they are sweaty runs! Thank you, Virginia summers.

6/1- 6/7:

Monday: 35 minute elliptical

Tuesday: 5 miles @ 9:13 + abs

Wednesday: 3.5 miles @ 9:15 + arms/legs

Thursday: 5 miles @ 9:13 + abs (progressive run-> 9:42, 9:22, 9:07, 8:59, 8:56)

Friday: Rest like a boss!

Saturday: 6.15 miles with MTT @ 9:21 + weights

Sunday: 4 miles @ 9:30 + abs

Total: 23.65 miles -> this is my sweet spot! I feel great, am not ravenous all the time, and have tons of energy.

6/8- 6/14:

Monday: 45 minutes elliptical

Tuesday: 4 miles @ 9:35 (weights)

Wednesday: 3.1 miles @ 9:40 (abs)

Thursday: 5.2 miles @ 9:17-> group morning run! (weights)

Friday: Rest:)

Saturday: 8 miles with MTT @ 9:40 + abs

Sunday: 4 miles @ 9:43 + arms/legs

Total: 24 miles

How were your runs this week? How do you deal with the heat?!

National Running Day

It's National Running Day! I obviously had to start my day off with a cool, drizzly run. And in honor of this great day, I want to steer you over to this post to read about why I run.

Bathroom selfie action before I PR'ed a 10k in the cold March weather sporting my marathon finisher hat!

I have run A LOT this year! Check out my stats:

I bet you can tell the months I was marathon training, huh?

In case you can't read it, this year I have run 589 miles! That is crazy! I may be insane, but it honestly is all about getting into a rhythm and then it becomes easy. Running is a part of my life. A GREAT part:) And even if you don't run and you get no joy from this day, I hope you find some sort of physical activity that fuels your life.

Have a great Wednesday!

If you are a runner...how far did you run today to celebrate?

Oops! I did it again...

It's official...I signed up for another marathon! I will run Richmond November 14, 2015!

I previously said I was planning on signing up for this race and the training team that is in the area, but I am going to be honest-> the closer the deadline came to sign up, the less and less I have wanted to do it. I think the humidity and time commitment hit me and it did not sound as fun as it did when I signed up for Shamrock this winter. However, I really want to run Richmond because it is in my backyard (literally), the training program is AWESOME, I will have so many friends and family that can cheer me on here, and the course is beautiful. The race itself is at a great time of year (November), it's just that a chunk of the training is in the heat and humidity of Virginia summers. However, I am going to shorten my training like I said I would after Shamrock and really focus on only intensely training for 12 weeks. The training program is 24 weeks and starts May 30th but doesn't ramp up in intensity until late August (until then it doesn't even get above 13 miles). SO, I am going to go on the Saturday runs when I am in town during the summer, but I won't begin the weekday training until late August. Instead, I will run my normal 3-5 miles a few days a week in the summer. I really dislike summer running, so I think a more casual approach will help me get motivated to work harder in the fall.

Right now I have no goals for the race and will see how I feel come fall until I set any. Ideally I would love to get a sub-4 hour marathon, but it is still 6 months away, and I honestly just want to get to the starting line healthy. I hope to do more speed work for this training season, run fewer days, and log less "junk" miles. The cool thing about this training team is I will have an entire plan already made for me, unlike this winter when I made my own plan. I am interested to see how it works differently and how I feel following a different approach and with one already under my belt.

Currently, I am almost done with my week running break, and I have enjoyed walking more. I think that I will incorporate more walks when the heat gets really bad throughout the summer, so I can still get mileage in but can give my body a break. I also have a long two week vacation in mid-July where not much running will happen:).

So here is to marathon #2! It is true what they say- marathoners are crazy! You hate yourself miles 20-26.2 and then you sign up to do it again:) I feel a little crazy for doing it right now, but I look forward to experiencing the training team!

Weekend Update

Hey there! Anyone else not into it being Monday?

I had a pretty good weekend. I decided to take a full week off from running (FINALLY) starting on Saturday. I should have done this after my marathon but the 10k race got the best of me, and then I had the half marathon, and then the temperatures were perfect...always a reason to keep going, right? But I noticed the aches that I have had for a while now aren't really getting any better even though they aren't getting worse. So when I looked ahead and saw the humidity would be high in Virginia for the majority of the week, I decided a week off would be good and I committed to it. So it is just walking and the elliptical for me! Surprisingly, I haven't missed running yet because I am still getting good miles in outside via my walks. Walking fast totally uses different muscle groups and allows me good views of my scenery, so I have been enjoying it. It just takes longer, which is my biggest complaint! If the humidity is awful this summer, though, I may try to do more miles walking than running anyways. That could be a better way for me to deal with the heat and still log miles for training. Honestly, as long as I am outside I get the same boost whether I am running or walking, which is good!

Anyways, as for my weekend happenings, on Friday night I went out to VMFA for their happy hour and then sat outside for dinner at Stuzzi's, which is a great Italian pizza place but they always take forever to make the food. I loved sitting outside, though!

Saturday I took my mom out to lunch for Mother's Day at Mosaic. It was delish. She requested a selfie.

After visiting with a friend in town, I went to the Flying Squirrel's Baseball game. The man standing up is our favorite local weatherman, Andrew Freiden! I totally geeked out over him being there.

Our group!

Since they won, we also got to see fireworks- it was actually impressive!

Sunday I food-prepped for the week and laid out at my friend's pool, which is down the road from me. Her chairs are much more comfortable than my pools' chairs! Also, as I get older I realize I only like to be out in the sun for 1-2 hours...I get hot and antsy after that!

I ended the weekend at my parent's house watching our diabetic cat-> they went out of town for the evening, so I spent the night so he could be fed and given his shots. I read and watched "This is Where I Leave You" on TV. The book was way better.

How was your weekend?