Grey and Rainy..

It seems like every time I want to start holding myself accountable on my blog, I get distracted and don't do it as often as I'd like. I'm already 3 weeks behind, and I really want to be able to see where I came from at the end of this marathon training. It's always hard for me to remember how far I've come, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

As far as life is concerned, things have been crazy in those 3 weeks. First, I celebrated my 33rd birthday this past weekend (yay!) which kept me from updating, and actually getting in a good run. I also just went to my LAST grad class of my PhD program. I still have my dissertation to go, so I'm far from done, but this is a milestone. Its the type of milestone I was looking for in order to sign up and commit to training for a marathon in the first place :) No more hour long commutes each way to grad classes after long days at work! I'm totally stoked about this.

So all of this "personal" stuff that has gotten in the way (not to mention just crazy work hours last week), I've been doing my best to get moving.

Here's the recap of the last 3 weeks.

Tuesday, April 12th: 1.57 miles at the local park! 21:44 ~ pace = 13:49 min/mi
This particular run was okay. I ran with a friend who is considering a fall marathon and is essentially doing the same training plan that I am. She was hurting after a half marathon the prior Sunday (her first!) and so we kept it quite slow. It was just good to get outside and move something!

Thursday, April 14th: Road Runner Sports Adventure run! I have friends that love these things, but I just couldn't get into it. I couldn't open the map, I am not familiar with the surrounding area, and I just didn't know where to go. I was hoping for much more of a run, but I failed miserably at that. I might give them another shot, maybe, but overall I wasn't completely impressed.

Tuesday, April 19th: 1.50 mile hood run! 18:17 ~ pace = 12:11 min/mi
This particular run felt fantastic. It reminded me what I am capable of. I doubt myself and my ability to have any sort of speed or consistency, but this run felt great. It helped that the first half of the run was slightly downhill and I was able to keep a good pace as I turned around. I want to make all my runs more consistently at this pace rather than where I regularly am right now.

Wednesday, April 20th: 3.00 miles at the local park! 42:28 ~ pace = 14:09
This run was tough. I pushed hard for the first mile and held about a 12:35 pace. I was running with a speedy friend from BGR! and she kept me moving. It felt great, until my brain told me I was going to fast. Plus it was the furthest I had run in a LONG time. I know, 3 miles. I'll be laughing at that distance in a month or so, but this particular run was tough. I ended up walking quit a bit of the last mile and a half when my friend split off to do even more miles.

Sunday, April 24th: 3.01 miles! 40:23 ~ pace = 13:26 min/mi
I went back to an old favorite park! This run felt great. It was like going back home. Its an even better 3 mile route because its a figure eight path, so there's no out and back. I hate out and back. This run felt so good that I decided most of my 3 mile runs should be done there. It reminded me that my pace is very inconsistent but that I am capable of more than I've been doing.

Tuesday, May 3rd: 2.00 miles in my neighborhood! 27:02 ~ pace = 13:29 min/mi
This run was on a chilly, cloudy and damp afternoon. I did not want to get out and run and after the first mile my legs were cramping. I walked the next 0.25 miles to try to feel better and they started to. I ran most of the last 0.75 and by the time my run was over, I was thought I could keep going. This run also helped me see where my more consistent pace is right now.

How do you keep yourself accountable to your blog?

MCM...

So I haven't posted on here in a while, well really since I started pursuing my PhD. Something about working full time and part time and working on a doctorate didn't leave much time to post on here. So what's been going on other than those things. Well I'm a bit frustrated because I haven't put my health and fitness at the forefront of my priorities, so I've put on more weight than I care to admit and have fallen out of shape. I dabble with a run every few months and try to get to the pool about 3 times a month, but that doesn't do much when your diet is completely out of what.

With all that out on the table, I decided to sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon lottery with 35 minutes left for it to be open. The next day, I find out that I got chosen. Now I know what some of you might be thinking...what is this woman thinking signing up for a full marathon when she's been on hiatus for the past few years because she's been "too busy".

Well let me explain my spur of the moment thinking on Wednesday -- you see, I'm currently taking my last class for my PhD and am going into the dissertation portion. I am going to need a stress reliever and I'll be able to spend more time on me (yes I know this might be my wildest dreams, but please hear me out). I decided that since I was training for the 2012 MCM and got sick and couldn't run, that if I was going to do a full, it was gong to be MCM and I can't think of a better year to get myself back on track than this one.

For my training, I've decided to follow Hal Higdon's Novice Supreme Marathon training plan as his half marathon plan has never failed me. It gives me a reasonable number of days a week to train and it works with my schedule. So yes, I have a long way to go (30 weeks to be exact!) but I will get there. I want to track my progress through this journey for me, and I'm going to use this blog to get that done! I am by no means an expert, but I need this for me. :)

Walt Disney World Half Marathon Recap

Last weekend I made the trip down to Florida with my boyfriend to run the Walt Disney World Half Marathon.

The race was a blast, but it was even more special because it was Russell's first half. He's been my spectator many times, but as he likes to say, I tricked him into signing up for a half with me. I'm not quite sure how you "trick" someone into running a half marathon, but we did it together and he did great! His PR is 2:55:25! Not too bad for the first time.

Now to recap:

The expo: The expo was a bit overwhelming. It had everything you could think of, but honestly I felt that it was overly cramped, and waiting in line outside for 45 minutes just to get in seemed poorly planned. Don't get me wrong, there were TONS of people there on Friday getting bibs, shirts, and other swag, but I guess I expected different from Disney. We got great yellow long-sleeved tech shirts, but the women's shirts were all cut VERY large. The transportation to and from the expo was fantastic which made life much easier. We finished expo day off at Epcot, because why waste a day in the park.

The race: Because we didn't know what to expect in the morning, we took the first bus from our hotel (All-Star Sports) at 3am to the starting line. This was a bit too early. We got to the race and got ourselves organized. Took pictures together, stretched, warmed up and checked our bags. As we went to the waiting area, we chatted and got ourselves prepped. At 4:45am we were able to walk to the starting corrals. If you weren't aware ahead of time, please note, you walk about 10-20 minutes from the finish line (where the buses drop you) to the starting corrals. We got to our corral (Corral F) and waited. And waited some more. I ran to the bathroom one last time while waiting. Then we sat on the ground. I actually fell asleep waiting for the start of the race. Finally, at 6:10 our corral was able to start. Russell got to shake hands with Drew Carey and he was stoked!

Then we ran. The course was fantastic. We love running by all the characters. We personally didn't stop for pictures with characters because Russell was afraid he wouldn't finish, and the lines were a bit long (and I didn't want to wait). The course was lined with local high school marching bands which were all great. Spectators cheered us on and Russell made great time through mile 7. Somewhere between mile 7 and mile 8, he died though. We got to the Castle and the lights were beautiful. We stopped there for a photo and had a fantastic time.

Russell and I kept on plowing through, even though he wanted to walk the whole end. I kept encouraging him to keep moving forward because the faster you move, the sooner you're done. By now, the sun was up and it was hot. Much hotter than anyone expected for January.

We finished and I'm glad we ran it together. We have some great finish line photos that were taken of us crossing the finish line hand in hand. Lets not forget the fantastic Donald metals! Great addition to the collection!

Post Race: This was fantastic. Great food options, great photo options, plenty of self-care medical options for those that needed it. Signage to find the buses was lacking (or we didn't see it) but that's not the end of the world. I felt great and Russell was sore. We made sure we showered and hydrated and then we headed off to the Magic Kingdom for the afternoon.

Can't say more about this race and I'd definitely do another RunDisney event again in the future. I think I'd like to try a different race, just to experience the different races and atmospheres. My criticisms are just my opinion and weren't game killers for the race.

Until next time, keep on moving!

Good News, and New Resolutions!

Happy New Year! I know, I've been MIA lately, but life got crazy busy. I was eating horribly and the resulting feeling just didn't make me want to write. But its a new year, another busy one it looks like, so I decided I should get back on top of this.

Right before Christmas (right when I disappeared from this scene) I found out that I was accepted into a doctoral program starting this Spring. I am super excited, but also know that even more of my limited time will be filled. I need to find a time in my schedule to fit in working out and eating right, but I'll talk about my strategies another time.

I started the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge after Thanksgiving, but right about the time I ran out of time for this, I stopped tracking. I tried to stay on top of things as much as possible, but it was hard. Really hard. I'm not sure how some people do this regularly. I know between working 3 jobs, and now studying in two grad programs, I sometimes feel I need to make the choice between working out and talking about working out/eating right.

I have just started the Best Body Bootcamp and its looking to help keep me on track. I really want to get back to Crossfit, but right now I know I won't have the time to do it. Between bootcamp, running, and eating right, I think I'll be okay.

Speaking of running -- I'm still running with my local chapter of Black Girls Run! and I love it. It really helps get me out the door on the weekend to get moving, especially when I just want to stay curled up in bed (and lets be honest -- bed is a much better thought at 6am on a brisk Saturday or Sunday morning). This past Sunday I ran 4.5 miles with them and the Saturday before Christmas I ran 7.25 with them.

With 2013, I have two main goals which I would love to make public on here so I can be held as accountable as possible.

1) Eat as cleanly (read: Paleo) as possible as often as possible: In order to keep myself accountable here, I am going to try to post a daily food log as often as possible. This is more so I can monitory my eating habits (which when left to their own accord are quite atrocious) than anything else, but feel free to keep me on track if you see me slipping. If I stop posting my food choices, remind me gently to get back on track!.

2) Run 13 HALF MARATHONS in 2013! Yes, I know this is crazy, but I want to run 13 in 2013. I will keep that updated as the year goes on. My first is the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Orlando this coming weekend. This will be my first RunDisney event and my boyfriends first half marathon. I'm planning on taking this one slowly to stay with the bf and to enjoy the time. A race recap will follow.

Until next time... Keep on moving!

Food for thought

So I saw this on my Facebook news feed and thought it was applicable to how I've been feeling lately.


I currently work more than 60 hours a week to pay off my student loans quicker than is expected. But sometimes I question why I do this week after week. I know in the long run it will pay off and I'll be happy I've been running myself ragged, but when will that time come.

This dilemma and this cycle of work, eat, sleep, repeat keep me from some of the things I love most: running, working out, camping, sleeping in on the weekends, etc. I wish I had the more hours each day to have time to get a run in daily, or to be confident that everything will be okay in the long run.

What would you do? Save thousands of dollars in interest working long hours for about 2 years to be debt free, or prolong the debt repayment in order to get a run in daily? If you have a crazy work week, what do you do to fit in your workouts daily?

My Pink is In!

Every since finding out I'm a Sweat Pint Ambassador, I've been looking forward to my pink shoelaces and tank!

Well here they are:

The only problem is, I can't seem to rotate the image (does anyone know how to do that in html? I'm thinking its not possible)

But I digress -- its pretty sweet stuff and I can't wait to show my pink gear with some group runs.

A weekly recap is on its way later today, but I'm sad to say it wasn't great...

I got in!

So yesterday, in the midst of an etrememly long day, I recieved this in my inbox:

I can't express how excited I am for this race! First off, every race in and around DC I've ever done is always great! Granted, I've only done two, but its a good place to start. Secondly, I have some sorority sisters that also got in, so it'll be like a mini-reunion weekend with some old friends, some of whom I haven't seen in years. Thirdly, its the day before I turn 30. I can't think of a better way to close out my twenty's (which have been fantastic) than receiving race bling from Tiffanys!

Super excited!

Did anyone else get in?

Things have been moving...a little more than I have

So the past week and a half have been crazy for me and my journey to my fittest self! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was chosen to be a Sweat Pink Ambassador which I'm totally excited about! I'm still waiting on my pink shoelaces, but I'll let you know when they get here. Yay!

Last week I also joined my local group of Black Girls Run! for a Monday night 3-miler and it was fantastic. I have always run solo but was finding myself in a motivational slump. During a 10K with my not-so-enthusiastic-about-running boyfriend, I realized that there was a huge presence from these women. I reached out and they were more than accepting and happy to have me along for some runs. I think I'm going to keep this up (my schedule permitting!). My local group has official runs every Saturday and Sunday am (which lets be honest are sometimes hard to get to...I do love my sleep) and early AM runs 2-3 days a week. I would love to run with them ladies at 5am, but I tend to leave for work at 5:30am so the timing doesn't work out. A few of us have un-official group runs on Monday and Thursday nights at a local college that seem to be the perfect fit for me! Last night was a flop for me, as I hit traffic on the way home and just couldn't make it in time. From my experience, if you're looking for a group of fun, motivational women to run with, check out your local area! You'd be surprise how wide spread this group is!

 I've also been trying to get my blog out there and testing my luck with the numerous fitness giveaways out there. I've been unluckly lately, but check this one out! Who wouldn't put there name in for a new pair of shoes!?

Win a pair of @Reebok RealFlex Fusion TR’s from @blondeponytail http://bit.ly/RkYnMv #getafterit

Now for my weekly recap (which wasn't so fantastic this week, but I think its getting better!).

Monday December 3rd: 
3 mile run with BGR! This run was fantastic. I loved how everyone stuck together. The motivation was finishing and supporting one another, not cranking out PR's which felt good to me. The ladies worked hard and some held a faster pace than before. Love the MOTIVATION!

Tuesday December 4th:
I worked ALL DAY, and in turn, made this a rest day running-wise. When I say all day, I mean from 6am - 10pm. I was still feeling the high from the BGR! meetup that I didn't feel horrible about missing out. When I got home at 10pm, I did squeeze in 50 squats and 50 pushups which felt fantastic Wednesday morning! :)

Wednesday December 5th:
Another rest day -- the middle of the week for me is hard. I'm working 3 jobs and taking a grad class, so I don't mind a few days off. Plus I ended this day with a trip to see my parents for a short while!

Thursday December 6th:
I got in 1.5 miles with the boyfriend. I find it interesting that he complains throughout the run and tells me I have to do all the chores when we get home so he can sit on the couch, but then at the end of the day, he says thank you! (I believe he secretly enjoys it and loves me for kicking his butt!) We then finished off the evening with 50 situps.

Friday December 7th:
There's something about Fridays that make me think: lets get some errands done and sit on the couch -- so Fridays are regularly a rest day for me. But I did take care of myself at the salon and almost finished my holiday shopping! Progress and well-being are sometimes measured differently in my life! :)

Saturday December 8th:
I had to run to work Saturday morning (mostly against my will)  but I left something at school that I absolutely needed for a party on Saturday night. So, I made it a rest day but spoiled myself by going to my local RoadRunner Sports and buying a new pair of running socks (I was not-so-secretly eyeing some new running apparel too!)

Sunday December 9th:
The boyfriend and I were supposed to get in 7 miles for our half marathon training (which is going quite miserably). I drug him out the door, in the rain, to get the mileage in before he had to leave for work. We got 2 miles out and his knee started bothering him. He said he was having trouble breathing too, so we turned around and headed home. So that 7 miler, turned into a crappy day 4 miler. It was better than nothing, but we need to log those longer hours.

I'm not terribly upset with how this week turned out, but it could have been better. How was your week? Any tips for getting out there after 12-16 hour days?

Have a fantastic week!

Exciting News of the Week!

I'm going to cut right to the chase. This week I became a Sweat Pink Ambassador! I'm excited about the opportunity to be part of a supportive group of women who are passionate about fitness and health around the country! And let's be honest, its also about the pink shoelaces!

I'm honored to be have this title because developing a lifestyle of fitness has really shaped me in my young adult life. It has provided me with some good friends as has helped me become more in tune with myself and my needs. I also LOVE helping my friends make good decisions about diet and fitness and I feel that this honor really helps me continue to do what I've been trying to do.

Are you a SPA? How has it influenced your life?