All Things Marathon: Game Time

In less than 9 hours (going to keep this short since I do need some sleep), I will begin a run I have trained long and hard to accomplish. There have been ups and downs over the last 17 weeks. From knee pains, to fantastic long runs (some even alone), to my planned marathon race being canceled, to pain free runs: it has been a roller coaster for sure. Knowing that I survived all of that and more, I know, without a doubt in my mind (despite my words), that I CAN and WILL dominate 26.2 miles tomorrow morning.

Thanks, in advance, to all my friends and family that are planning to be there tomorrow to support me. Waking up early, hanging out in the cold, giving a Sunday morning to support and cheer me on, y'all are so great. Thanks to all the friends and family who will be "running:" with me tomorrow. My writing on my shoes thing back fired a little in that I am a wee bit OCD and didn't think I could make it perfect. But I have written all the names for my fellow "runners" and the encouraging scripture and phrases on wrist bands that I will wear around my ankle tomorrow. If anyone else would like to "run" with me or has a special verse to share with me it is not too late. Comment/text/fb message and I will add you in the morning! I am so blessed by all the love and support I have received through out this entire process.

Race details are this... I still don't know much but this is what I got!
Location: Bachman Lake....2832 Shorecrest Drive, Dallas, Texas 75220
Start time: 7am
Course: 8 loops around Bachman Lake (boring I know) and a 9/10 miles out and back. Not really sure what that means but I'll soon find out.
My parents and some friends will be camped out at the start line, address above, in my car. They plan to cheer when I pass and then hibernate in my car while I keep running. I plan to finish between 5 hours and 6 hours. Without having run a whole lot in the last couple of weeks, I am unsure what pace I will have throughout the race. This is a much smaller race than I was anticipating, smaller than anything I have run. Little crazy seeing as it will be the longest I have ever run yet smallest.

Okay, bed time. Big day tomorrow! :)

All Things Marathon: Spontaneous Registration

I have officially processed and come to terms with the fact that the MetroPCS Marathon was cancelled and I did not have the chance to run my very first marathon this last Sunday like planned. When I decided that I was going to run a marathon, the goal was to run it before 2014. Around 7 o'clock tonight, after completing day 1 of insanity (yuck), I decided I want to keep to my original goal. Determined, I rushed to google and searched Marathons in Texas 2013. I found a couple different races but the only race that still had space is this coming Sunday. FIVE days from today! So, I did it! I took a very spontaneous plunge and registered for a FULL MARATHON without knowing anything about it!

Here are the details I have so far, I'll post more once I research this race and learn more!
Whine Not Another Marathon
Sunday, December 15
7am Start time
Located at Bachman Lake

All Things Marathon: Disappointment

Words can not describe the disappointment that came rushing over me as I read the official cancellation of the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon. It is hard to process that after sixteen plus weeks of training for one race (one huge, massive giant race) that it won't be happening. Like that, in one blink of an eye, the race day I have been anxiously anticipating is gone. Let's add to it the fact that it is totally and completely out of my control (I might have trouble with needing to control many things in life). I will be honest, I am deeply disappointed. I have shed many tears (currently crying as I type this) and will shed many more I believe. I know that it is for the safety of myself and all the other runners but that doesn't ease the disappointment. I am totally blessed for being surrounded by supportive and comforting friends (thank goodness for our snow day slumber party). I cannot get my emotions under control for few minutes at a time right now before I lose it again. Therefore, if ignore your call/text I am so sorry I just can't handle it yet. Yes, I will still run a marathon, when that will happen I am not sure.  I don't believe they will postpone the MetroPCS Marathon. I will begin looking into other marathons in the near near future to register for and run. With that being said, training will then drag out longer than just sixteen weeks (makes me want to cry more). 

Thankful for Ashley, Katie and Celina for sitting by me while I cry and try to process what just happened. So much thanks to everyone for the support and kind words during this very disappointing time.  I appreciate all the care and concern. I hate that I am unable to respond right away to the sweet messages. I will slowly start responding to messages and calls as time passes. 

All Things Marathon: Anxiety

So I might be suffering a little anxiety right now. So much has happened in the last 24 hours and I am struggling with how I feel about everything.
Yesterday morning I woke up to run 3 miles with Marley. It was very chilly but it was a good, pain free (PTL) 3 mile run. Very encouraging. By the afternoon, the encouragement started to wear off. My throat started to get scratchy and it was getting colder every hour. I wanted so strongly to believe that the bad weather was a media hoax. Texas weather is always so unpredictable, so how could they really know that it was going to be so cold and icy three days from then. However, Texas pulled through and proved the weather people right. In anticipation that the rain/sleet/ice nonsense was going to freeze, I trekked to Fairview to get iced in with friends. So thankful for friends to help distract from the depressing weather outside.
This morning (Friday) I woke up with a sore throat, boo. Rumors of the marathon start time delaying started spreading from the news people (see why I thought the weather was a hoax). Turns out that the Friday expo (packet pick up) is delayed till 2. They will not decide anything about race day till tomorrow evening or Sunday morning. When I first heard the rumor of the race delaying till 2pm, I no joke wanted to cry.
Over time I have gotten to a point where 5k, 10k and half marathons don't stress me out. I am stressing out about this marathon, very much so. The weather is heightening the stress level. I am praying the sun will come out a little to help warm up the ground and melt the slush. I pray the precipitation is done and gone for a couple days. I am closely watching email and the Marathon home page for updates on race day. In an attempt to prevent rising stress level and anxiety,  I am attempting to steer clear from social media, well really media of any kind (silly media hoax nonsense) to help prevent the anxiety. I am staying in and loading up on vitamin C and sleep to help kick the sore throat. Hopefully this afternoon, I'll go over to the apartment gym and get in a quick 15 minute run. It will be my last run before the race.  Trying to stay positive and mind over matter on this whole marathon thing.


p.s.- Thanks to everyone who has text/facebooked/called giving encouragement and prayer. Words can not express how thankful I am for everyone and their kind words. The offer is still on the table for anyone who wants to "run" with me. Feel free to call/text/facebook/comment and I'll write your name on my shoes and carry any and all sweet encouraging words you are willing to share with me. I am so blessed.

All Things Marathons: Prayer Requests

Pray for my LEFT knee. Since I ran 20 miles about 2 weeks ago, I have been having a terrible pain in my left knee. It is not a pain I have felt before. I have forced myself to run through it during long training runs but that is not idea for actual marathon day. I do not know what I have done to it. It is not a constant pain. I mainly feel it when I bend my knee. Pain does subside with rest, ice/heat and ibuprofen until I run again, usually kicks in around mile 3.

Pray for my friend Michelle. Over the last several weeks, her family has been fighting a nasty stomach bug and can't seem to get rid of it. Pray it leaves her house quickly and that she doesn't get it. After 16 weeks of training, getting sick the week of a marathon is just awful!

Pray for my FULL marathon running friends: Bethany, Michelle, Sarah and Stephanie.  These girls are fantastic! Just about every Saturday for the last 4 months we have met up at the butt crack of dawn to get in our long runs together. For most of us, we are running our first full marathon and will be our longest run yet!

Pray for my Relay girls: Marley, Katie, Kelsey, Ashley, and Jill. These wonderful girls have agreed to give up a Sunday morning to run and support me as I reach this HUGE goal. Jill and Marley helped me train for my very first half marathon and have continued to invest weekly in me and my running. Kelsey and Katie have been wrangled into running half marathons with me. Some of the best and most encouraging roommate I could have asked for. And last but not least a new friend Ashley, we have not had the chance to run together but once but her encouragement and kind words are superb.

Pray for decent weather. While many would assume warm weather is ideal for running, I would rather have 50 to 60 degree weather and no precipitation of any kind. I can really deal with any temperature, however, I can't deal with rain or sleet.

All Things Marathon: "Run" with me!

My relay team is actually running with me for my marathon but I invite YOU to "run" with me as well.  No running is involved and you don't even have to come cheer me on (but I would love it if you  did actually come). Just let me know that you want to "run" with me and I will write your name on my shoelaces.   I also invite you to send me a verse or passage of scripture to go along with your name on my shoes, it would truly mean so much to me!

THANKS so much to Shannon Schiefer for the idea! :)

All Things Marathon: Exchange Points

As many of you already know, the Dallas Marathon has a 5 person relay that runs along the full marathon course.  Back when I dreamed up this dream to run a full marathon, I had the brilliant idea to get together a relay team to run along side me. I have some superb friends who thought I my idea was brilliant as well and were totally down for running my marathon with me.  Thanks so much to Marley, Katie, Kelsey, Ashley and Jill for your support and love. They are rockstar and will all do a fantastic job distracting me and keeping my mind off of the fact that I am running 26.2 miles. 

On race day, I only plan to stop long enough to switch relay runners, take a quick picture, and maybe take a GU or drink some water at each other the exchange points. If anyone is wanting to come and cheer along the course I suggest coming to the exchange points. Below I have listed out all the different relay legs, location of exchange point, my estimated time of arriving at each exchange point and how to drive from location to location with avoiding road closures. 

I had to tweak things a little from last year, a couple of the exchange points have changed since last year but a super big THANKS to Amanda Redding for the original driving directions. I don't think I would have been able to wrap my mush brain around typing it all out from scratch. 

Relay Exchange #	Relay Exchange Location	Approx. Position on Course
1	Reverchon Park on Maple	Mile 5.7
2	Anita between Bremen and DelMar	Mile 10.7
3	Bath House on E. Lawther	Mile 15.3
4	Open Field on West Lawther and Tokalon	Mile 19.7

Leg 1 – Marley – 5.7 miles – 12:00 pace - 68:00 – 9:08

Leg 2 – Katie – 5 miles – 12:00 pace - 60:00 – 10:08

Leg 3 – Kelsey – 4.6 miles – 12:00 pace -  57:00 – 11:13

Leg 4 – Ashley – 4.4 miles – 11:00 pace - 48:00 – 12:01

Leg 5 – Jill – 6.5 miles – 11:00 pace - 71:00 – 1:22

Total time on course: 5 hours, 22 minutes

Estimated finish time (based on 8 am start time): 1:22pm

To Exchange 1 – Take I-30 W, exit 44B for I-35 Denton, exit 430B-430C for Market Center Blvd/Wycliff Ave. Turn RIGHT onto Market Center Blvd. Turn RIGHT onton Harry Hines. Turn LEFT onto Wycliff Ave. Turn RIGHT onto Maple. Park anywhere past Reagan.

Google Map: Maple and Oak Lawn

We will exchange at Maple and Oak Lawn, before the technical exchange point to avoid larger crowds. 

To Exchange 2 – Take Maple back to Dallas North Toll Way, Get on DNTW North. Exit Mockingbird. Take a RIGHT onto Mockingbird. Turn RIGHT onto Matilda. Parking is a battle here. Stonewall Jackson is the best place to park if you can find a spot.

Google Map: Anita Street and Del Mar

We will exchange on Anita between Matilda and Delmar, Team will find an open spot (closer to Delmar) to use for the exchange.

To Exchange 3 – Get back out onto Mockingbird toward Abrams. Turn LEFT onto Abrams. RIGHT onto Northwest Highway. RIGHT onto N Buckner Blvd. RIGHT onto Tarleton. LEFT onto Erie, LEFT onto Luna Pla. Park anywhere in the neighborhood. 

Google Map: Bath House Cultural Center

We will exchange close to the actual exchange point.

To Exchange 4 – Get back to Buckner. Turn LEFT onto Buckner. Take the Mockingbird/Peavy Rd exit. Keep LEFT at fork, follow signs for Mockingbird. Once on Mockingbird you till turn LEFT onto Williamson. Drive all the way down Williamson, it will take you straight to the course. Park as close as you to the crowd/course.

Google Map: W Lawther and Tokalon

We will exchange at the actual exchange point.

To Finish Line – Take Williamson back towards Mockingbird. Turn LEFT onto Mockingbird. Go South/LEFT onto 75. Exit 284A for I-30, take a RIGHT at the fork, follow signs for I-30. Exit 45 for Ervay Street. Merge onto Griffin St. Parking will be crazy.

Half Marathon #6

Who-  Anyone who wants to cheer!! 

When- November 9th. Start time is 7:30an, It won't take me more than 2 and a half hours. Will be done by10am.

Where- The Beach at Craig Ranch

6145 Alma Rd, McKinney, TX 75070

http://goo.gl/maps/N1EyA

How- You wake up, bundle up, and scream shouts of encouragement as I pass the finish line. 

Why- Cause it's fun to see people cross the finish line, especially me! 

13.1 Dallas- October 26th

This Saturday I will be running half marathon #5! This is the most excited and confident I have been going into a half marathon. Marathon training will do that to you, so thankful for that! So super excited to have my dear friend Katie running with me. This is her very first half marathon and I couldn't be prouder of her! Several people have mentioned wanting to come out and support us so here are all the details on the race.

13.1 Dallas-

Race start time- 7:00AM (yikes, so early!!) at Dallas Performing Arts Center.
Cheering locations- Looking at the Course Map I have listed some good spots to cheer and an estimated time to get there before us according to a 7am start time and 10 min pace. If you get there before the time listed you should not miss us. If you are worried you have missed us, feel free to call and check where we are. It is super easy for us to answer our phone while running, just be prepared for a short, out of breath chat :)

• 7:15am: Cole Park- 4000 Cole Ave, Dallas, TX 75204...Just past mile 2, the course loops around the park so it is easy to see runners twice if you stand on the park side of the street. Stand on east side first and then cross over to west side after runners pass. 
• 8:00am: Exit hwy75 at Mockingbird, go west on Mockinbird toward SMU. Take a left into the neighborhood south SMU. Park as close as possible to race course to prevent having to walk far. Race will be south of Princeton Ave, along Byron Ave and Abbott Ave. The course map doesn't specifically show the cross road from Byron and Abbott. I am sure it will be easy to see, there should be police cars/volunteer cars blocking off the race streets.
• 8:30am: Map of Katy Trail... I would suggest trying the Fitzhugh access point. Feel free to reference the Katy Trail map to look for parking and entrances. 
• 9:30am: Finish Line! For parking I would suggest 7-11- 1722 Routh St #100, Dallas, TX ... it will be a little bit of a walk to the finish line, but it is free parking. You will only be able to enter from the Woodall Rogers side of Routh. Ross Ave will be closed for the race course. Finish line is at Dallas Performing Arts Center. You will be able to hear and see where all the commotion is coming from.

After the race we will be STARVING and ready for food!! We would love any and all of our supporters to join us for brunch/lunch. We will decide where to eat after finishing, I'm sure we will be craving some fatty high calorie meal, yum! 

Thanks in advance to all of our supports and cheerleaders! We couldn't do it without y'all! 

Full Marathon Training: Week 9

Well as always, I can make it through the first half of train with such ease. It is the second half of the training that is challenging. Not only does the mileage step it up but I get exhausted.  5am wake ups 3 to 4 times a week can get exhausting. My body was physically exhausted and incapable this last week to actually get myself out of bed. I have learned in the past that wearing myself too thin and running on top of that will only hinder me more in the long run. Listened to my body and took the time to get more sleep. Here is a recap of the few runs I managed to wake up for.

Thursday- 5 mile run with Jill. 57:31 overall time. Paced out at 11:32. IT band has been giving me more trouble that I would like. I do realize that it is totally preventable if I was to stretch and foam roll like I am suppose to.
Friday- .82 miles. Knee was bothering me the whole time. Couldn't take the pain, so I stopped and walked back home.
Sunday- 9.14 miles with Katie. 1:38:54. Paced out at 12:06. Good cool sunny afternoon run. Cut our run a little short to make it to a meeting. So excited to run with Katie for her first half marathon next Saturday!!

Full Marathon Training: Week 7 and Week 8

Week 7:
Monday- 5 mile run followed by sprints. 5.69 miles total. Little nervous getting started since Saturday's run was a little tricky. The run felt good and seemed to pass fast. Despite that, my pace was a lot slower than i thought I was actually going. Did a new 5 mile route and enjoyed it. I had forget how nice it is to switch up the routes!
Tuesday- Lazy day :(
Wednesday- 6 miles. Walked first and last mile. Ran mile 2 and 3 straight (11:34 pace), 3 minute recovery walk, ran 4 and 5 straight (10:36 pace). Crazy how there was a good min difference in pace.
Thursday- 4 mile run with Jill. 11:10 pace. Skipped some of our walks. Felt good to have a fast run.
Friday- Lazy day :(

Thankful for running friends.

Saturday- 14 miles. Furthest distance to date. Ran White Rock Lake. Overall paced 11:25. Finished in 2:39:55. 5-1 intervals for first 9 miles. Got a little off on the last 5 miles, did a lot more walking than I would have liked, but I made myself keep going. The weather all morning had been Texas weather to say the least. It was suppose to have been a beautiful, cool morning, which it was not. Until my last 0.2 miles, then the cold front blew in, literally. Never seen or felt anything like it. I thought I was going to blow away! The cold wind came in from across the lake, the sky got dark and it started to mist, just what I needed to help me push through and finish. Since it was raining and extremely cold, I jumped in the car immediately after finishing my run. Not a smart move! Walking it off is very important and stretching even more so! As I was driving home I could feel the muscles in my legs tightening up, not a very pleasant feeling. After getting home and stretching there weren't many aches. Only ache I had was in my right shoulder, a odd pain for having ran 14 miles, but I'll take it.

Week 8:

Monday- 5 miles plus sprints with Jill. Paced at 11:37 including all the walks in between my sprints. 5 miles paced out at 11:08. Love running with Jill and I hate that I am almost always running late to get to our runs. Let me just tell you, waking up at 4:20am sucks. But the feeling after the run always fantastic and well worth it.

Waking up sucks.

Tuesday- Lazy day :(
Wednesday- 6 miles. Walked first and last, ran middle 4 miles. Run paced out at 11:43. Really good pace for an afternoon run in the sun. After thinking about it, despite how much I hate running when it is hot and sunny, I need to do it. When I run the full the majority of the run will be in the sun, better get use to it now, otherwise it might kill me on race day.

Post run feels so good.

Thursday- 4.5 miles. Suppose to be a 5 mile run, but my run keeper paused unexpectedly and then didn't un-pause when I thought I had. That is one of the most frustrating things when running. Not knowing where the turn around point was, I just picked a place to turn around. Sadly, it wasn't the correct half way point but I let it be.
Friday- Lazy day :(
Saturday- 15 mile run. Paced out at 12:05. Did 5-1 splits pretty much the whole way. Started at Heights and ran up to Chisholm trail, looped around a neighborhood and then meet up with Jill at Jack Carter pool for the last 5 miles. Those last 5 were challenging. IT band started bothering me and wouldn't let up. Walked a couple times when it wasn't a walk. But ran the last most of my run intervals. Very thankful for Jill meeting me to finish my run. So nice to have someone talking to me and running with when all I wanted to do was stop. Foam rolled and took an ice bath when I got home. Holy moly, it was COLD. Getting in was the hardest part, felt like I was hyperventilating. So good for me though, thinking I might make it a habit after my long runs.

Full Marathon Training: Week 6

Week 6 of training is done and in the books. I reached my goal of 1 core strength training this week. I even got 2 core training in! Started this week with new shoes. Not 100% sure they are the shoes for me. I am going to give it a couple more runs before taking them back. This week started strong and had a couple bumps a long the way. Very blessed that, out of 6 weeks of training, I have only only missed one run.


Monday- 4 mile run plus sprints with Jill. 6min-30 sec splits. 4 miles running paced out at 10:53, super fast! Sprints weren't as fast as the last couple weeks but still got well into an 8mpm sprint. Nervous going into this run since having ran 13 miles just a couple days before. Also, first run with my new shoes!! Stuck with Mizuno but the style changed a little.
Tuesday- Lazy day
Wednesday- 6 miles. Walked the first mile alone, middle 4 miles I ran with Katie, and walked the last mile. Did 6-1's for the 4 miles. We ran at 6pm. It was HOT. Paced out at 11:32/mile. Pushed super hard to finish faster. Challenging run but I am always thankful for those runs. I still got out there, kept going even when it was hard. Endurance training.
Thursday- Boot camp a la Jill. I thought she was going to kill me, but I desperately needed the cardio/strength training. We would run a lap at the church then stop for different strength exercises. We did push-ups, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, abs, arms with weights, planks, and more arms. Such a great work out!
Friday- 5 mile run in the morning. Slow run, walked a lot more than I would have liked. Paced out at 11:50. It was a warmer morning than it had been earlier in the week. And because that 5 mile run wasn't enough exercise for the day, made it in for round 2 of Boot camp a la Jill. Did a little bit harder on day 2, we would run 2 laps instead of 1. Very tired and physically exhausted after a crazy intense morning. Thankful for a friend who will push me and help reach my training goals.
Saturday- 8 mile run. Challenging. Paced out at 11:49. Missed my some of my normal Saturday running buddies. However, I loved getting to run with my new running friend, Sara, and also, enjoyed getting to chat with Amanda before her turn around point. Saturdays run was hard. After several days of challenging runs, my body was tired. Felt like I had a strong start to my run but maybe it was too strong and I wore myself out too soon. Mile 5 was my wall. My legs were done, my feet hurt and walking was about all I could do. There were times I wanted to push and force myself to run and I stopped myself. I decided listening to my body was a smarter decision. Still got the full 8 miles I needed, I just listened to my body and took it easy, rather than over doing it and being miserable for the rest of the day and possibly the days to follow. Also, take it easy. Not worth risking an injury to finish one run.
Sunday- Rest day!

Full Marathon Training: Week 4 and 5

The last couple of weeks have been very full and busy between work, school and running. Since I have been so busy, sleep has been cut back. Sadly, in an attempt to catch up on some sleep, I have slacked and haven't done any core or strength training in the last two weeks. That is my goal for next week, at least one day of core or strength training. Still not drinking enough water through out the day but not feeling as dehydrated as I use to. Diet has been better, eating smaller portions, healthier food and not as many sweets. Sweets are my weakness. Last couple of weeks have been a mental roller coaster. Running is a mental thing. During challenging runs I sometimes allow my negative thoughts to take over, I doubt being able to run a full or even a half. And other days runs seem easy and positive thought make me feel like I can totally dominate this full. Such a mental game. Here is a little recap of the week 4 and 5 of training:

Week 4:
Monday- 4 miles run followed by 20sec/2min sprints. Totaled 4.7 miles. Felt very slow. Legs were still a little jelloish from Saturdays long run. Ran an old Woodbridge course and missed Cara and Jen running with me. Miles go by a lot slower when you are running alone. 4 miles paced out at 12:17, I did 10 minutes splits, didn't time my walks but didn't walk more than a minute each. Sprints where much slower than in the past but still helps to train my body that I can physically go faster when I set my mind to it! Running is such a mental thing.

Tuesday- Lazy day :( 

Wednesday- Alarm set for 5:30am wake up and 5:50am run...  ended up not running till 7pm. Hated sleeping in and missing a morning run but had to listen to my body! There is a drastic difference in outside temperature from morning to evening! Did 6 total miles. Walked the first mile in 16:13. Ran the next 4 miles straight paced out at 10:46. So great! Can't remember the last time I ran 4 miles with out walking. It was challenging but it was a great accomplishment! Walked the last mile in 16:39, I was tired! 

Thursday- Back to early morning running despite my bodies desire to sleep another hour or so! 4 miles. Wanted to run 10-1s but couldn't do it. First mile I drug my feet a lot. Long 4 miles. Finished in 49:36, paced out at 12:23/mile. Might have been slow mileage but it was mileage. Nearly stepped on an armadillo, I didn't see it till it scurried away since I was too close for comfort. I've seen more living armadillos in this training than I have ever seen in my entire life. Running 10 miles (6 Wednesday night + 4 Thursday morning) in less than 12 hours was not wise. I need to no do that again. No armadillo sightings but I did see a skunk! Thanks to Marley, I learned to run super faster past those bad boys. Apparently, you smell awful for a while after getting sprayed. Yuck! 

Friday- Lazy day :(

Saturday- Due to working all weekend, I was unable to get in my long run, 12 miles. Little worried that missing it would effect the following weeks run. I was hoping to get up at 4:30am again to squeeze it in but thought I better now. I've learned a very important lesson: sleep is important. Runs wont be successful if you're well rested.

Week 5:
Monday- 4 miles plus sprints. Ended at 4.7 miles. Ran 4 miles, with an 11:50 pace, ran 6-1's with Katie. Changing up our route was nice. Also running with someone was nice. I usually run in the mornings so I don't get to run with Katie during the week. Fastest sprint was 6:27. Crazy how my sprints are getting faster. Slowly able to see the effects of training.
Tuesday- Lazy  day :(
Wednesday- 6.88 miles with Jill. Walked the first mile, ran 6min-30sec (challenging!) for 4.8 miles, finished with a mile walk. Overall pace was slow due to the walking. But with walking a full 2 miles out if 6.8 miles, a 13:00mpm pace isn't bad at all! Our running portion paced out close to 11:14. Despite the speedy pace, I was hard on my self. Doubt was setting in. I was struggling.  It was a hot morning and a challenge to get use to new interval but it proved to be well worth it come Saturday's run!
Thursday- 4 miles with Jill. 10:34 pace. Ran 6min-30sec splits. Still challenging but it was a little cooler than the day before. Finished with a mile cool down walk around the neighborhood.
Friday- Lazy day :(
Saturday- 13 miles. Paced out at 11:00. Ran the first 4.5 straight and alone. Then, met Katie to run her 7 miles with 6-1 intervals (feeling spoiled after 6-30's). Caught up to Bethany, Michelle and Sarah about a mile before the turn around point. Used a hammer around mile 6 and a guu at mile 11. Ran the last mile straight with more strength than I was anticipating on having. Slowest mile was mile 7 with an 11:36pace, walked a little more during that mile to take the hammer. Fastest mile was mile 13 with a 9:33 pace. Good two minute difference between my fastest and slowest miles. So blessed by this run. Just a .10 miles short of half marathon distance. In the past, after running halves I am exhausted and don't want to walk any more. That was not the case today. Had no plain, no discomfort. I was tired but that could be from not getting a tons of sleep the night before. My body is going to have to get use to longer long runs over the next couple of months. Feeling great after today's run!


It's been a full two weeks.Only 11 weeks left of training till the Dallas Marathon. Registered this week for 2 half marathons and my full. I'll finish this year with 6 half marathons and 1 full under my belt. Some days I still can't believe how far I've come. One of the greatest feelings is the realization that I just ran X amount of miles. It is an overwhelming and breath taking feeling. 2 and a half years ago I struggled to run 20 minutes with walks built in. Feeling so accomplished and blessed. 

Full Marathon Training: Week 3

Feeling much more confident finishing out this week. Didn't have any bad runs this week. So thankful for that. Still feeling a little tightness in my IT band but I know it is from not stretching enough. I need to start waking up even earlier so I have enough time to stretch for a good 20 minutes after my runs before having to rush off to work. Also, need to start making bed a priority again. Too many late nights and early mornings. Thankfully exhaustion didn't hinder my runs this last week and hoping it doesn't catch up with me next. Glad I stuck to all 4 of my run days despite not wanting to wake up early many mornings. I know it will pay off in the end. Training is challenging but I know it will be well worth it in the end. Only 90 days to go! 3 months exactly!

Monday: 4 miles with Katie, followed by 5 set of 20 sec sprints with two minute recovery in between. 56:34. What a great way to star off a holiday! Ran Katy Trail before the sun came up. A wonderful rain shower kept us cool and soaking wet by the end. Ran 4 miles with 5-1 intervals, paced out at 11:42. Sprints were not as fast this week as last, even though I felt like I was going so much faster. The rain made the ground slippery so getting traction was a little harder than normal. I didn't really noticed till I was sprinting down a slight hill. Great run to start the morning and week 3 of running. 

Tuesday: Biggest Loser Cardio Max video. Being exhausted does not give a whole lot of energy to go into a cardio workout but I made myself do something. 

Wednesday: 3 mile straight run sandwiched by a mile walk. Totalling 5 miles, 1:05:38, 13:09 pace. 3 miles running paced out at 10:38 per miles. Little bit slower than my training plan called for but this was a huge success for me. I haven't run 3 miles straight in maybe over a month. Felt like cooler weather this morning. It was 70 when I ended my workout at 7am. 

Thursday: 4 miles run with Jill. 46:18. Paced out at 11:33/mile. Felt like we were running slow but we paced the same as the week before. 

Friday: Rest day before Saturdays long run. 

Saturday: 11 miles long run. 2:10:33. Paced out at 11:52. So thrilled with my run. First long run that I wasn't hurting by the end of it. I was very nervous going into it this run after only doing 7.6 of my 10 mile run last week. Also, I hadn't set myself up for success by staying up till 12 the night before. I woke up at 4:15am (yes, only 4 hours after going to bed) and ran 5 miles by myself. In case anyone was wondering, most sprinkling systems are set to water around 4:30/5am. Around 1.5 miles I ran past a HUGE spider and his web, had to take a picture. He looks small in the picture but he was HUGE and orange. That is NOT okay! First 5 miles were good! Last 6 miles I relocated to run with Katie, Jill, Jessica, Bethany and Michelle. We looked like a gang of runner about to take over the neighborhood at 6am! Love getting to run with them. I would not be able to do this without them! Getting started after a 30 minute break was a little challenging. Took a while to get back into the groove of things. My body was very confused as to why it was running again so soon. Running a course that I hadn't ever run before was fantastic. I didn't know what was next or dreading seeing the same ol' scenery. Used one hammer around mile 3 of the last 6 miles. Didn't use any on the first 5 miles. Ran 5-1's for all 11 miles. Last mile and a half I got a burst of energy. Mile 11 paced out at 9:51. It was the only mile under 11 minutes. Having a strong finish is very encouraging!

Only got in one cross training/ strength training day this week. Getting ready to start a super busy week with a busy weekend tacked on to it. Not too entirely sure when I will run my 12 miles long run next weekend but I will do it. Can't skip those long runs! They are far too important!

Running with Bunnies

Jill once told me that if you see a bunny while running you will have a great run. I like having good runs and I see bunnies often so I've stuck with the saying! While I am often hard on myself for not running as fast or far as I plan, I am running. That alone is great! Having a great run doesn't mean having the fastest pace or reaching a new goal. Having a great run means I took the time and energy to actually do it.  That alone is great, everything else is icing on the cake.

Full Marathon Training: Week 2

Such a fun week running with many friends. Some runs were encouraging and on the, dare I say it, easier side. Others I wanted to throw in the towel and never run again. Time doesn't matter. Speed doesn't matter. What the person next to me is doing doesn't matter. Doing something is all that matters. 

Monday- 4.5 mile run with Jill. 53:55. Ran the first 4miles 4min/45sec run/walks. The last half mile I did 4 set of 20 second sprints with 2 minutes to recover. My sprints got increasingly faster. 8:51, 7:56, 7:54 7:25. I know I only spent 20 seconds sprinting but holy moly that is fast! :) It was a challenging run- very hot and humid but it was a good run with great company :) 

Tuesday- Slacked and couldn't bring myself to get out of bed early to workout and by the time I got home it was late and didn't want to be too exhausted for my Wednesday morning run. 

Wednesday- 5 mile run. 58:34. Over all pace averaged out at 11:14. Long Interval workouts. Mile 1 slow run/walk. Mile 2 ran straight with a 9:57 pace. 2 minute recovery before mile 3. Ran mile 3 straight as well, felt I had pushed too hard on the second mile so I allowed myself to slow down. Paced mile 3 at 10:16. 2 minute recovery followed by a killer mile 4. 9:16 pace. woah dang, I was booking it!! FYI- running past 50+ construction workers walking to work will make you run fast, clearly. Mile 5 was slow, allowed some walking since I was beat after mile 4, paced out at 12:52.

Thursday- 4 mile run with Lauren. 47:29. Paced out at 11:37. 5-1 splits. Super humid. Mile 3 felt like we were running but not actually going anywhere, our pace reflected it too. Lauren instagramed our stats (picture to the right)
Friday- Rest day.... suppose to be a gym day but sleep dominated at 5:30am.

Saturday- 7.6 miles. First 2.5 with Bethany, Stephanie and Michelle. Last 5.1 miles with Katie. 1:39:38. paced out at 13:08. First 2.5 miles went by fast. No splits but it was hot and challenging. Last 5 miles were brutal! 5-1 intervals with Katie. (Please note that Katie looks like such a killer runner with her hat, water bottle and fanny pack, love it!) Sun was beating down on us. Legs were tired. Body was dehydrated. Walked a full+ mile in the middle. Suppose to run another 2.5 miles after finishing with Katie but my body was screaming "NO, YOU ARE CRAZY!" Since I haven't been feeling any pain, I haven't been bothering to stretch after all of my runs. Bad decision! IT was tight. In the last several miles my right arch gave a weird pain when walking. Reminded me that it has been too long since I bought new shoes. Didn't take long after stretching and cooling off for all the pain to go away, thankfully. Bummed I was unable to finish the full 10 but know pushing it could have done more damage than good.

Sunday- Suppose to be rest day but since Friday was lazy (rest) day I needed I do something. So instead of napping the afternoon away to the gym I went. So thankful for The Blogger App, currently riding the stationary bike and finishing up the post for this week. I will do the same weights as last week 4 reps 10 at 20lbs at arms,  4 reps of 10 at 30lbs for legs.

Tomorrow starts week 3 of Full Marathon Training! And since it's a holiday, Katie and I are going to venture down to Katy Trail for a beautiful and, hopefully, cool morning run!  

FULL Marathon Training: Week 1

Starting this last week, I was planning on doing week 3 of training for the half marathon. Monday night, I was looking at my calendar and training program and realized I was a week off. Little panic set it. I needed to start full marathon training now (Aug 19) not next week. Thankfully Mondays run was on half of a mile shorter than what I needed to run for the full training plan. This was a very challenging week of training. Pushed myself hard several times. Constantly reminding myself to not worry about my pace or time but just getting out there and running. Doubt in myself and my ability to train and finish the full have set in several times this week. Focusing on staying motivated and disciplined to reach my end goal, TWENTY SIX POINT TWO miles. I can do this, I will do this!

Workouts from this week: 

Monday: Ran 3.5 miles. 5-1 splits. 42:29. paced out at 11:20/mile. Walked 1.5 miles with the boys.

Tuesday: Biggest Loser Cardio Max video. In 2009, I could not survive this video. 4 years later, I was able to finally complete the video. It was a lot easier now that I am a good 30lbs lighter. While I was able to complete the video there were still challenging parts. I was very very sore in my legs for the next two days. Lots of lunges, yuck. 

Wednesday: Ran 4 miles. Tried to stick with 5-1 splits but it wasn't set in my phone to tell me when to walk or not so I just best guessed it. 47:55. paced out at 11:57/mile. Pushed 7mpm sprint at the end to lower my average pace. 

Thursday: Ran 4 miles with Jill. 45:50. paced out at 11:26/mile. Ran late at night after the sun went down, yet it was still HOT. It was 91 degrees when we finished running at like 9:30PM. Crazy stupid Texas heat. After our run we walked a mile for a cool down. 

Friday: Weights at the gym with a little ab work out. Increased to 4 reps of 10 at 20lbs on all the arm machines. 4 reps of 10 at 20 lbs on the leg machines. Did 3 sets of 10 weighted (5lbs) in and outs, caterpillars (don't think that is the technical name but I like to call them caterpillars) and regular crunches for ab work. Very little abs but enough to make me sore two days later. 

Saturday: Oh boy, Ran 8 miles. 4-1 splits. 1:44:04. Paced out at 13:00/mile. Ran the first 5 miles with Katie. Challenging but good miles. Before even running one mile, we came across a LIVING armadillo. Had to stop and get a picture. How often do you find armadillos that aren't dead on the side of the road, like never!!   The last 3 miles I ran alone. Slow and alone. and there was more walking than running. It was awful, hot, exhausted and I was just burned out. Made myself suck it up and finish the full 8, even though I walked a lot I got out there and did 8 miles. It was a very challenging run(walk) but I have to remind myself challenging runs will make me stronger in the long run.

Sunday: Absolutely nothing. Rest day. So I did just that. Went to church, came home and ate lunch then slept till it was time to make dinner. Loved every minute of rest day! 

Tomorrow starts week two of marathon training. It will be another challenging week but I know if I pace myself and stay focused I will survive.

Back at it. For real.

I have lacked discipline over the last month. Life has been super fast and packed full with stuff happening all the time that getting sleep had taken over my running schedule. I have a little over a week till full marathon training starts so this week and next week are dedicated to creating a habit. I have put myself in bed no later than 10pm everynight this week, while I might not be asleep by then I am in bed and that is half the battle. My alarms start going off at 5:30. I allow myself a 20 minutes snooze window, out of bed by 5:50 and out the door by 6am. I have LOVED having the consistency of sleep and starting my day with exercise. Only down fall to waking up before the sun, is I want to fall asleep with the sun, which is just a little too early. 

This week is week 2 of Half Marathon Training (I skipped week 1, oops). It has been a good week of runs, strength training and cross training. In the past I would have skipped my strength and cross training. Sticking to it this time around. I am excited to see how much the strength and cross training will help my running performance. Here are my workout from this week: 

Monday- 3 mile run with Katie. We did 4-1 splits. 40:12. Paced out at 13:19 

Tuesday- 2 mile run. No splits. 22:13. Paces out at 11:06. 

Wednesday- 3.2 miles on a stationary bike in 20 minutes. Followed by weights. 3 reps of 10 each machine. Lifted 20lbs on all arm machines and 30 on legs. (Little secret-I have no clue how to do strength training, just kind of making it up as I go) 

Thursday- 3 miles run. 5-1 splits. 34:49. Paced out at 11:34. 

Friday- 4.4 miles on a stationary bike in 20 minutes. Followed by weights. 3 reps of 10 each machine. Lifted 20lbs on all arm machines and 30 on legs. 

Tomorrow I will run 4 miles for this weeks long run. 

It has been a good week getting back in training habit. Good eating habits are slowly falling into place. Fast food eating has pretty much stopped, I can't remember the last time I was in such a big hurry that I found dinner in a drive-thru. Excited to see this training program and habits last. Laziness will not ruin my marathon. I am determined.

Procrastination

I have been a huge slacker this week. I have allowed procrastination to keep me from running. Last week I did all of my planned runs plus the boxing classes. This week I did two boxing class and one run. Only one run. Dang. I am kicking myself for sleeping in (sadly 7:30 is sleeping in) most mornings and telling myself I'll do it tonight, cause I never did! With all that being said, I am super glad I forced myself to get up and run this morning.

Weekly Boxing Recap

Incase anyone was wondering, boxing is hard. Such a good workout and I'm glad I'm doing it but it is hard. Really pushes my lack of upper body and core strength.  Mondays class is like a warm up for the week. Starts with some cardio, jumping rope (blah), then bag work and then closes the class out with side step and sprints. Not a fan of the side step. Wednesday class was arm day, yuck. As much as I hate it, I know it is so good for me!! Many push-ups happened, as well as jack knives, planks to push-ups and push-ups with a partner. So very challenging. Three days later and I am still sore! 

Side note: boxing hurts. I have cut up the middle knuckle on my right hand. I'm just that though! :)

Long Run (only run) Recap

My planned run today was to run 45 minutes. Since I had slacked the rest of the week, I decided I wanted to run anywhere between 5 and 6 miles. I knew I would do 5-1 splits, seeing as I am still out of shape. Before leaving for my run, I attempted to map out a 6 miles run. (Having just moved, I have new places and routes to run, love that!! I just don't know them 100% yet.) My attempt at mapping my run was unsuccessful so I just and thought if anything I would do a out and back (even though I HATE them!)  So I aimlessly ran. The first couple miles where rough. I honestly didn't know if I was going to be able to run 5 miles or have to turn around early and call it quites.   But I didn't, I pushed through and got in the groove. I always forget not to judge how my runs will be on those first two miles. My pace will usually set in around mile 3 and the miles will start flying by. I enjoyed just running. I ran a large rectangle around major roads. Really enjoyed it, never saw the same thing twice and 6 miles was finished aways from my apartment so I got a nice long cool down walk. Miles 4, 5 and 6 were very hilly. More so long gradual hills, which might be worse then steep hills. (I really just hate running hills, if anyone enjoys hill running they are just plain crazy.) Anyways, it was a fantastic run! hopefully this next week procrastination won't get the best of me. Ran for an hour and ten minutes and paced out at 11:43.

Next week will hopefully be back on track with 4 good runs. Legit hard core full marathon training starts in one month!! 

Core Pyramid with friends

I convinced Josh and Katie to do my core pyramid with me. Much funnier with friends, many laughs were had! 

Before:

Stretching After:

I have decided that we don't need a couch or anything in our living room so I can have my own personal workout room! I think Katie and Kelsey might out vote me on that. 

Boxing Begins

A few months back I made this brilliant agreement to take some boxing classes with Josh. Today was the day we finally stopped talking about boxing and actually went to a class. 6am class. yikes. I was very very nervous about this. I woke up at least once every hour last night. The class was challenging, to say the least. We started the class with a warm up, 6 minutes of jumping rope. (Yes I can run 13 miles, no I can not jump rope for 6 minutes.) Immediately reminded how out of shape I am! After struggling through jumping rope, it was time to learn stance and how to throw punches. Got to wear some  pink boxing gloves, yey! (sad I didn't get a picture of me in the gloves). Class was mainly punching the bag and adding cardio and strength training in occasionally. Constantly moving, no time to be slacking (I still managed to find time to slack a little bit). Did a couple minutes of step-ups, Spider-Man's, burpees, and push-ups staggered with bag work. I have ZERO upper body strength, all my strength is in my legs. Therefore, everything this morning was HARD!! I say that, but we ended the class with running, so not everything was hard. I was a little tired, seeing as we had been working out for 50 minutes by that point, but I was defiantly more in my element running. It isn't even 24 hours after the boxing class and I am already sore. Very very sore!!



Luke and I worn out after our run



After the boxing class was finished (7am), I decided that I still needed to stick to my running schedule. So I stole Luke from Josh and we went on a run. I was scheduled to run 3 miles but my run keeper kept pausing and messing up. Not exactly sure how far or how slow (I was worn out so it was a very slow run). And since I had done some running at boxing I decided to not stress about my run keeper hitting 3 miles (I typically will make sure it says the exact distance I was to run for that day, one of my little OCD habits). However I am a total dork and wanted to know exactly how far I ran today so I mapped the runs (boxing and my normal run). Ran .68 miles at boxing and 2.5 miles on my run with Luke. Putting me almost .2 over the 3 miles I needed for the day. 

Love starting the day by working out. It's going to take a little getting to use to but I think my morning runs will be back this time around. Goal is to go to boxing class 3 times a week, just 2 more this week (Wednesday and Friday). Tomorrow will be an easy day, just strength training. Thinking I will do the core pyramid again. Wednesday and Thursday are 4 mile runs and Saturday is a 40 minute run. This week is off to a great start! 

And the Training Begins

This week started my "hard core" get back in shape training program. I don't think I have run consistently since the end of March so I am really out of shape, my pace is all over the place and I'm mentally not ready for my marathon training program yet. Hopefully this "get back to it" training program will help. This week I did a couple mid-day runs. I am not at all a fan of hot running (let's be real, who is a fan of hot running). I when I started running I was an avid morning runner but here lately I have not been able to peel myself out of bed. Therefore, not running at all or running in the evenings. My schedule this summer has been very flexible but most of my free time has been in the afternoons, around 3 or 4. Leaving mid-day runs as my only option.

Here is a little recap if my first week of training:

Monday- 3 miles. I ran at 3 in the afternoon and had a 10:49 pace. It was unusually cool for the first day of July, but I am not at all complaining. It was really a great run! 

Tuesday- strength and core day. As I have said before, I don't work out other than running. and that is something I want and HAVE to change to be able to run this marathon. I found this core workout on Pinterest. It was hard and very challenging! 50 crunches, 40 mountain climber (I looks absolutely ridiculous doing these), 30 side crunches, 20 in and outs, 10 scissors. The work back up the "pyramid": 20 in and outs, 30 side crunches (other side), 40 mountain climber and 50 crunches to end the core pyramid from hell. I wasn't sore all day till I went to lay down to go to bed. 

Wednesday- Woke up mentally prepared for and easy 2 mile run. Checked my training one last time before heading out to run, turns out it was a 4 mile day. Didn't have enough time at that point in the day to run and shower before heading to babysit. So I procrastinated a bit and ran at 4pm, yuck. It was hotter than on Monday, made for a trickier run.  Run started strong and was feeling great. That is until the turn around point. Heat was getting to me and my poor hydration was kicking my butt. Walked more than my splits but I was disciplined enough to get out there and keep moving. I ran 4 miles with an 11:42 pace. 

So here is a funny side story and sorry if you find it utterly disgusting, but I'm a little proud and here is why. Kelsey and I run together every once in a while and she always give me a hard time that I don't sweat. I assure her every time that I do sweat she just can't see it. So after my hot 4pm 4 mile run, I am cooling off in my mom's office and telling her how sweaty I felt. I look down and noticed my sweat was visible in my arm pit, gross I know. But knowing that Kelsey doesn't believe that I ever sweat I had to take a picture and send it to her. So now I am sharing with everyone :)

Thursday- Happy 4th of July run with some wonderful ladies. Bethany and I ran 3 miles. Amanda and Holly were over achievers and ran further. It started getting warm during the run, so glad we ran in the morning. Paced out at 11:21. Super sore from Wednesday's run and Tuesday's core workout. Such a good feeling. 

 

Friday- Cross training day = roller skating day. Cross training simple means to do a cardio activity, other than running. Pretty sure my night of roller skating counts for that. AND I even logged it on my run keeper!! Skated a little over 4 miles in a little under an hour. So much fun that it didn't seem like a workout. That's my favorite kind of workout.

Saturday- End of week run. 35 minute run, distance doesn't matter. In 35 minutes I was able to run 3.29 miles. Paced out at 10:41. No splits on this run. Did, however, walk once a close to the end. Worked out great because I was able to finish strong. Ran with Evan, missed running with him. Always run faster with him. Felt the a little tight in my legs from roller skating in the first mile.

 

 

Overall it was a great first week of training. Did all my scheduled workouts and no injuries. Didn't pay a whole to attention to nutrition, hopefully, in time, that will fall into place. Next week, boxing begins (very nervous about this) and I'm sure I will have LOTS to say about this week, so there is something to look forward to.

Journey thus far

I have always been self conscience about my weight and feeling uncomfortable in my own skin but never took the time or really cared enough to take the time to focus on getting healthy. Here is a lengthy, month by month, race by race, overview of my get healthy journey.

2011- The Journey Begins

May 2011

Beginning of June I started Whole 30. (For those who haven't heard of Whole 30 it is a cleanse for 30 days. Basically no processed food, can only eat things that you can kill or gather. There are some exceptions like corn and other starchy vegetable and soy that aren't allowed.) Whole 30 was hard! But I did it successfully along side the Covington family! Within a 30 day period I was able to lose 15 pounds and thus the journey to a healthy life began! End of June 2011 I had decided to sign up and train for a half marathon! I had no idea what I was getting myself into! 13.1 long miles. I had never run even a mile. I was not physically in shape and had no determination before to work out. Thanks to my running buddies, Jill, Marley, Cara and Richard, and the whole Heights TWV team I started

training. Runs were slow and long and sometimes felt impossible. But there was NEVER a run I would finish and wish I hadn't run. Every run was worth it! When I started running I would run splits, occasionally increasing until reaching 10-1(these are the splits I ran my first half at). Loved seeing how my pace would increase and my endurance grew.

TWV training runs @ Breckenridge

July and August training started. It was hard and challenging and more importantly it was SLOW. We were running 4 times a week. During the week I would get up at 5am and drive out to Frisco to run with Marley and Jill. We all ran at different paces and all spread out along out normal course but we kept each other accountable to get  up and make running a priority. Couldn't have started without them!

End of August I switched and started running with Cara in Wylie before work. As much as I hated getting up and running at 5AM. I have never been so dedicated during that training with Cara. So thankful for the running friends I had/have in Jill, Marley and Cara.

September, I ran my first "competitive" race (and I use competitive very loosely!). Ran the Tour De Flour with the Covington's and a couple other THBC TWV team members. It was a long hot 10k (6.2 miles). But I did it! After that first race I made a goal to run one race a month no matter the distance.

Mommy and myself after my first half!

October, I ran my first half marathon!!! Going in to the half I knew I was going to run slits. At this time in my running career running any distance more than 4 miles straight wasn't going to happen. I was an avid run/walker. Cara and I ran the majority of the half together. We did 10 minute running with 1 minute walking. Now, almost a full two years later I can't remember all the painful details of that race. I do remember we had set a goal to finish in 2 hours and 30 minutes. Sadly we did not. Official race time was 2 hours, 32 minutes and 45 seconds. The last couple miles where the hardest. Slightly elevated and a water station was missing (that was a BIG frustration for us as we were finishing mile 13). Walked a little more in those last couple of miles than we should have but we were beat. The end was close but not close enough. My first half was hard and challenging but I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

November, Cara and I ran the Arbor Hill 5k at Oak Point Nature Preserve. I don't have the exact time that we ran that race but I know our pace was under 11 minutes per mile. Maybe a 10:30 pace if I remember correctly, either way we were thrilled with our pace!!

Kelsey and myself
Jingle Bell ready

December Kelsey, Pam and I ran the Dallas Jingle Bell 5k. So much fun dressing in crazy Christmas running gear. If I remember correctly, I wasn't a big fan of this race. Getting there was hard, parking was challenging, and finding the starting line was just was challenging. Kelsey and I started the race close to the front. I do not remember my timing from this run, but know I wasn't pleased with it. I remember walking and passing on water when it was available. I wasn't prepared for the cold night running as well as I would have likes. Also, HATED running with that yellow beanie hat. Once I get to mile 1 my body starts to warm up because I have my blood flowing. Therefore I start feeling over heated with too many layers on. Running with my hat in my hand was a pain. Other than the jingle bell 5k, December was a very minimal running month.

 

2012

Staying warm in the car before NYD run

Andrea and I ready
to run for pancakes

January. Started January 1 off with a 5 miler at Flag Pole Hill. My first race alone. My super supportive Momma tagged along with me and cheered me on at the start and finish line. So thankful for her and all of the support she has shown me on this journey. January also started training for the Dallas Rock -n- Roll Half Marathon with Cara and Richard. Cara made us a beautiful calendar that we had taped to the pantry door and would sign off on our run (technically we were suppose to sign off on our cross training and strength training too, but lets be honest, that never happened). Ended January with the Hotcake Hustle with Andrea. Such a fun 5k, followed by pancakes from original pancake house!! So good!!

Cara and I enjoying chocolate

February is HOT CHOCOLATE month!! In an attempt to help train for our upcoming half we decided to register for the 15k. That was hard. So many hills. Also it was COLD!! So cold it called for a weather advisory. Thankfully training in the cold prepares you to run in the cold and it not be an issue. Training for the Rock-n-Roll half was polar opposite than training for the Dallas 13.1 half. Training for a half in October means warm runs, even at 5am. Training for a March race means running in 20 degree weather. We mastered layering and delayering as our bodes would warm up!

 

Myself, Cara and Shannon
Ready for RNR half.

Kelsey and I ready to glow.

March was a big month. Ran my second half marathon! Cara and I started and ended together. I got a little too eager around mile 6 and took off. Cara caught back up to me between mile 10 and 11. Our goal for this race to beat 2:30. We were successful the second time around. I remember this race being extremely HOT. One week after the half I ran the Fire Fly 5k with Kelsey. So much fun. We found bright running gear and glow sticks. Such a fun race.

Kelsey's first medal

Myself and Andrea

April, Kelsey and I travel to Austin to run our first out of town race, Austin 10 20! 20 stages with local bands across 10 miles around Austin. We had a blast on this trip! Toured the capital, got turned around driving the streets of Austin, carb loaded up and relaxed. The course was good, not too hilly. The night before the race, I was unable to sleep well. I was up all night tossing and turning, counting down the hours till we had to wake up to leave for the race. With that, I was dreading the run. I was tired, didn't feel good and super nervous that I wouldn't be able to finish. But I attempted anyways and I was so glad I did. I was a LONG 10 miles. First race that I had to stop along the course to go potty. Despite my pit stop I still finished right under 2 hours. Averaging 5 miles an hour. For having not felt well the night before and at the start of the race I was absolutely okay with those results. That was Kelsey's first big race and medal! So proud that she got out there and killed it! End of April I ran the Sudan Foot Race with Andrea and her family. I wanted to beat a 30 mins 5k, but was a couple seconds too slow. Loved this run around Katy trail (I might be a little biased :)).

Cara and I,
Cox Coyote Chase

May was the month of back to back races. First was Cox Coyote Chase 5k at Collen's school. Such a fun and awesome race getting kids active. Ran this race with the whole Covington family, littlest two in strollers, and Cara's Aunt Nancy. This was especially fun race because it was on my 23rd birthday :). The next day I ran Free to Breath. For some silly reason, I chose to run the 10k. I had good timing for a 10k. Every time I run a 10k, I never seem too pleased with my end results. I don't think I like the 10k distance. This was an especially fun race. I got to see my sweet Becca and run this race in honor of her beautiful sweet mother. I hope to run this race every year in honor of Joli.

TWV group run

June was a race less month. It started in a lull and quickly bumped up to full force training runs. Closer to the end of the month The Heights TWV team assembled for another year of group runs, training for the October 2012 Dallas 13.1. This was going to be my 3rd half. AND I had convinced my Kelsey to run with me!! This training pushed me. I started with the expectation of running with splits like I had been doing consistently until this training. I found that I could run 5 miles without walk. So then I thought to myself, if I can run 5 miles can I run 6 without walk. Turns out I could. Some weeks through this training were a little harder and I would walk occasionally but overall I was running, solid running decent distances.

July, oh July. I don't even want to talk about your race, but I will. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. Pam and I had this brilliant idea to run a fairly cheap 10k out in Colony, TX. It was a July 4th race and there were many many people. This was my first race to not be registered for. I did walk up registration. Little stressful but worked just fine. It was a hot July morning. Course was mainly on trails (hate running gravel trails), hilly and ran along the side of a lake. There was lots of walk and water. Not a whole lot of happy thoughts along this run walk. Marley and Piper were fantastic cheerleaders for our day! Despite the poor run, enjoyed the company and finally got my taste of an AWFUL race.

August and September were busy with training. Loved the Saturday morning group runs with TWV. I could really see a drastic difference through this training. I was a stronger running and much faster. I had come so far in that last year.

My 3rd half
Kelsey's 1st half

October was half marathon #3 and Kelsey ran with me!! This marathon is my best yet! I goal was to beat 2hours, 20minutes. I totally did. Finished in 2 hours and 12 minutes. I was totally shocked by that! Through training I had forced myself to stop relying on looking at my distance/pace/time during the actual run. I strongly believe that this helped clear my mind and allowed me to focus on running. I learned to start slower, leaving me the ability to finish strong/faster. Going in the half, I wasn't sure if I was going to need to walk for not. Training runs I had been doing straight, occasionally with a brief walk. I ended up running the whole thing. I stopped twice for water, I brief walked to actually be able to drink the water. Don't even want to attempt drinking water from a cup while running. Those walks were even a .10 of a mile. So I don't count those. I FREAKING RAN A HALF MARATHON WITH OUT WALKING. I never ever thought that I would be able to do that. A year before I swore up and down that splits were the way to go and I totally went against that. I was on cloud nine that day and for quiet some while after that. Kelsey finished her first half marathon! So proud that she got out there and pushed herself despite a weird foot pain.

November and December were training for half marathon number 4 with Evan (going to be Evan's first half). Training didn't really happen. Well, week day short runs happened. Long Saturday runs happened for the first couple of weeks, then laziness started taking over.

Katie, Phoebe, Cara,
myself, and Nancy

Evan's 1st half
My 4th half

December I ran the Dallas Marathon Relay with Cara, Phoebe, Nancy and Katie. Such a fun time with them. Loved cheering on each lady as they took off and finished their legs. I got to run the last leg. Such an exhilarating feeling running past just about everyone. I'm sure the marathon runners that I was passing were probably hating me (I know if I was them I would be HATING anyone who passes me). The last leg has several steep hills and was HOT. I started running around noon. I am not a mid-day runner. I run in the morning before the sun or I run at night after the sun. The sun makes running hot and miserable. Passing the finish line for my team was fantastic! Loved the experience and the tour all over Dallas that morning!   Ended 2012 with a half Marathon on New Years Eve with Evan. Evan did a fanfreakingtastic job on his first half. I on the other hand did terrible. Learned how much training really affects the actual race. It rained for almost the entire half. It was miserable. I somehow managed to run the first half of the race without walking. After that I think I managed to walk the second half. I still think I managed to beat my second half marathon time, but came no where close to my PR half. I was very discouraged after the race. but knew it was all my fault.

2013

2013 Started with big goals. I wanted to run two back to back halves in April, another half in October and a FULL in December. Winter and Spring running/training did not go as I had planned.

 

Myself, Katie, Jill, Pam,
 Marley and Britany

February is yet again Hot Chocolate month!! Ran this race with a group of fantastic ladies (Katie, Jill, Brittany, Pam and Marley). Due to traffic we were unable to gather before the race but did get to enjoy our yummy chocolate after together. This was my fastest race ever. My goal was to beat a 10 minute mile. I finished right under 29minutes, pacing me out at 9:18 per mile. So freaking stoked about that! February was also full of training, for a half that I would not end up running.

March started Boot Camp. Once a week, Justin, would sacrifice a Saturday morning to give us a good work out, in preparation for our upcoming mud run. Boot camp was challenging and reminded me that I was suppose to me working on core straight and cross training in addition to running. I don't know why but I just can't get myself to workout other than running. I need motivation and a gym buddy.

Amber, Justin, Kristin, Gama,
myself and Bekah

April was a first, ran my first MUD run with some Wellspring friends (Justin, Bekah, Kristin, Amber, Gama. Ben and Katie were fantastic cheerleaders. Missed getting to run with Seth, Taylor and Stephanie and their cheering section Chad and Ashley). Little nervous going into the run. Not only was there going to be mud, there was also going to be obstacles. Not knowing how tricky the obstacles were going to be was a little nerve racking going into it. Turned out to be just fine. Some obstacles where a little more challenging than other, some challenged my fear of heights and my unwillingness to get my face wet (I have a thing with water in my face, I don't like it). I am not sure the time that we finished the race and can't compare this run to previous runs due to the fact we stop every once in a while to wait to start obstacles and the actually do the obstacles takes time as well, duh. It was a great run, for sure want to do another mud run.

May I ran the Free to Breath race again in honor of Joli, Becca's mom. This year chose to do only the 5k. This was my second year to run on my birthday. Due to lack of running leading up to the race, I wasn't was fast I would have like to been. But I ran it straight and finished with decent timing for myself.

And now June. The month we are wrapping up. Not much running or working out of any has been happening. Last week I ran 4 days, this week I have only run once. I am justifying it in my mind that the hard core training doesn't need to start till July. Well, in just a couple days July starts. Therefore, I have got to stop making excuses.

Many ups and downs, happy run and sad runs, victories and failures but all have gotten me off my but and out doing something to better myself and my body. I might learn that I am not cut out to be a super long distance runner, but I hope that running will always be a part of my life. This is a very long post and I appreciate those who take the time to read about my journey thus far. Can't wait to add more to my journey!