I hope you all are enjoying the 4th of July, aka one of my favorite holidays!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Resolution Check In
With 6 months already done for 2012, I figured I would check in with my resolutions for the year. There are some ones that I clearly am sticking to, and ones that I stopped sticking to on January 2.
1. Run a race for every holiday
-I missed New Years Day and Valentines Day. I did St. Patrick's Day. Does Cinco De Mayo count? What about Memorial Day? I will run tomorrow for the 4th but no race, so that's out too. Not my best work.
2. Run 2, possibly 3, half marathons.
-Success! I completed one goal how awesome am I? No not that awesome? Ok cool!
3. Stretch Every morning
-I'm not sure why this is even on the list. Can I take resolutions away in July?
4. Run at least 10 miles every week
-Usually happens because of the race training, so calling this a success so far
5&6. Faster 5k/10k times
-Might look at this a little in the fall, but not really planning on doing any 5k/10ks right now so probably wont happen.
7. Take a Pilates class
-I am so determined to do this one. Time.Money.Effort. all standing in my way.
I also just noticed I only had 7 resolutions. Odd number, should of picked 10. Also probably should of picked some better/different resolutions. Oh well. I have 6 months left and a lot of work to do!
Happy almost 4th of July!!
1. Run a race for every holiday
-I missed New Years Day and Valentines Day. I did St. Patrick's Day. Does Cinco De Mayo count? What about Memorial Day? I will run tomorrow for the 4th but no race, so that's out too. Not my best work.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
2. Run 2, possibly 3, half marathons.
-Success! I completed one goal how awesome am I? No not that awesome? Ok cool!
3. Stretch Every morning
-I'm not sure why this is even on the list. Can I take resolutions away in July?
4. Run at least 10 miles every week
-Usually happens because of the race training, so calling this a success so far
This run actually sucked, a lot.
5&6. Faster 5k/10k times
-Might look at this a little in the fall, but not really planning on doing any 5k/10ks right now so probably wont happen.
7. Take a Pilates class
-I am so determined to do this one. Time.Money.Effort. all standing in my way.
I also just noticed I only had 7 resolutions. Odd number, should of picked 10. Also probably should of picked some better/different resolutions. Oh well. I have 6 months left and a lot of work to do!
Happy almost 4th of July!!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Much needed vacation
I had an amazing 3 days off of work and took full advantage of it! For starters, I finally was able to catch you all up on the Fairfield Half, but that was one of the few things I did for running during this vacation. Wednesday, my first vacation day, was originally set to be spent figuring out my car insurance/registration. Lucky for me, the DMV is choosing to take an exceptional amount of time making it official that I live in NY, so I had a free day! Paul and I went out a nice little recovery run. I tried out my new shoes (I've lost count at this point of how many new shoes I had that I didn't like and tried different ones), and just hoped he didn't lap me in our runs around the block (he didn't yay!). My legs were tight the first mile, but after that everything felt great and I ran faster than usual which was a nice surprise.
After lunch Wednesday we got to lounge around outside and while Paul read, I caught up on my reading/celebrity gossip. Women's Health Magazine and People all the way. Some quality relaxation time right there. Paul decided to be grill master that night!
Chicken/Veggie Kabobs and corn on the cob. It was delicious! We relaxed and watched the Olympic Trials for the rest of the night, which is basically all we've been doing lately. Thursday was a beach day!!!
Friday and Saturday were pretty relaxed. It was too hot to do just about anything. I was a little burnt from the beach on Thursday too and wasn't looking to go back out on Friday like an idiot. I also had my GRE's on Saturday that I decided spending 4 hours the day before I was taking them to study would be great, since I hadn't studied at all. There was more trials watching, and enjoying everyone that was kicking ass through them all.
Sunday was July 1! It marked one year since I moved and became NewYorkRunner! I had bought tickets for Paul and I to go to the Yankee vs White Sox game for our 2 year anniversary. I wanted to go to a Red Sox/Yankees game, but the dates didn't work out. Cheering for Chicago is almost as awesome as cheering for Boston, almost. It also happened to be Old Timers Day, I thought it was a special day for old people and was worried, I was wrong. We got a good deal and good seats (2nd row in left field).
After lunch Wednesday we got to lounge around outside and while Paul read, I caught up on my reading/celebrity gossip. Women's Health Magazine and People all the way. Some quality relaxation time right there. Paul decided to be grill master that night!
Ignore the fake smile, he was excited
Chicken/Veggie Kabobs and corn on the cob. It was delicious! We relaxed and watched the Olympic Trials for the rest of the night, which is basically all we've been doing lately. Thursday was a beach day!!!
So amazing
I decided to skip the trashy magazine for the day. I have a stack of about 100 books that I want to read this summer, so I started to finally pick away at them. I sadly started with a book about a girl who works in the admissions department of a college and her life. I decided about 75 pages in that it was unhealthy for me to read a book about my own life while I was on vacation, so I stopped reading and played in the waves instead. A day at the beach is one of the best ways to get me to relax. Which is definitely what I needed since that night was apartment hunting night. It was good and bad, but in the end no apartment for me. I was able to make a pit stop for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory in the middle of the search though, so that made everything better. Also, I swear there is some healthy eating days coming soon. My froyo and cheesecake nights are behind me...for the most part.
Friday and Saturday were pretty relaxed. It was too hot to do just about anything. I was a little burnt from the beach on Thursday too and wasn't looking to go back out on Friday like an idiot. I also had my GRE's on Saturday that I decided spending 4 hours the day before I was taking them to study would be great, since I hadn't studied at all. There was more trials watching, and enjoying everyone that was kicking ass through them all.
Sunday was July 1! It marked one year since I moved and became NewYorkRunner! I had bought tickets for Paul and I to go to the Yankee vs White Sox game for our 2 year anniversary. I wanted to go to a Red Sox/Yankees game, but the dates didn't work out. Cheering for Chicago is almost as awesome as cheering for Boston, almost. It also happened to be Old Timers Day, I thought it was a special day for old people and was worried, I was wrong. We got a good deal and good seats (2nd row in left field).
Yup, aren't I awesome! I got us great seats to sit from 10am-4pm in direct sunshine during a 90 degree day! I know I rock!
We went and saw our seats and the field first then decided instead of spending 6 hours straight outside for the old timers game and actual game, we'd head inside for lunch and come back out for the game.
We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and SAP is the company my brother works for. SAP had pictures all over the stadium because they are big sponsors, which was sweet. Hard Rock Cafe was delicious, I had fish and chips and this awesome drink.
Waborita
True story...I'll drink just about anything that is blue. We went back outside after lunch and caught the rest of the old timers game. It was hot as hell out there and these guys decided it was a good time to get a tan.
I was interested to see when they would start burning cause they had no sunscreen, but they left before the game started. Overall the game was fun, I got to cheer for Chicago, and cheer against the yankees. Always a good time. Other than it being 100 degrees, and having to get water every inning, and the 6 year old 4 seats over from me throwing up, it was a pretty awesome way to celebrate 2 years (a little late) and one year in NY.
Successful vacation complete! Now I'm back at work for two days, 4th of July aka my favorite holiday, and then two more days of work. Oh and you know back to the running thing. I enjoyed my few days off from running because of the heat, but am excited to get back out there now for early morning or late night runs when it is cooler. Only 2 weeks till Jamestown and 3 weeks till Chicago!!
Happy Monday everyone!!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Fairfield 1/2 Marathon
This post has gone back and forth a few times. This race...well it sucked. No way around that.
I was going to skip talking about Fairfield all together. Then I was going to give every dirty detail. Then I was back to skipping over it all. In the end I realized the fact that I sucked on race day (and HATED the course) doesn't take away from Stratton Faxon doing a great job putting on a race. They deserve credit for that, so here it goes.
Originally, I wasn't doing Fairfield at all. Paul was doing it and I was happy to sit it out. I have no good reason why I joined in with under a month to go, but it happened and I signed up. I had heard good things about the race in general but got a little nervous when I read bloggers past posts about the hills. I heard good race, tough hills.
There is nothing else to be said about that really. I hate them with a passion. Nothing is fun about them, going uphill is painful, going downhill is also painful if not done correctly (I don't do most things correctly fyi). I added in hills to my training plan, but didn't really follow through with that part. I also heard there was an adjustment to the course so I thought maybe not so many hills (oh spoiler, I was wrong).
Paul and I drove to Fairfield and got our packets on race morning. The race started right along the beach, which I LOVE! The pick up was quick and easy. I give tons of credit to the race directors for taking care of everyone picking up their packet before the race in a quick fashion.
The race started at 8:30am, which for end of June means it was incredibly warm. The start was also a separate mens and women's start which was strange, but fine. The first mile was ok but my legs were heavy and tired. There had been no hills at this point and I knew it was going to be a tough race for me. Had it not been a race day, this would of been a run that I said screw it, I'll try again later because running now will do more harm than good. But it was a race day, and there was nothing I could do but go the next 12.1 miles.
Towards the end of the second mile the first hill came. At this point I didn't know how many hills there were, I just new this one was going to suck. I made it through and thought "maybe I'll negative split for the next mile at least". Of course I was wrong. The hills did not stop. They just came one after another after another. It seemed like the end of each mile looked something like this...
Ok maybe I'm being a tiny bit dramatic, but by the fourth one, it seemed like I was running straight up something like this. I don't have all the details of how I did each mile. Each mile hurt more than the first. It was a mixture of a bad run day for me, a really tough course that I wasn't prepared for, and 85 degrees without shade. In the end I got through all 13.1 miles, and surprise no PR for me. After mile 1 I could of cared less about a PR, I just wanted it done.
There were lots of good things about this race that absolutely need to be mentioned. The organization of this race was great. Every mile was marked perfectly and there were plenty of water stations along the way. Along the course both the residents of Fairfield and the Fairfield fire department had out hoses to hose you down, which was amazing in the heat.
The fans along the course and the volunteers were great and you couldn't ask for more from them. I have to say the best part about this race though, the lululemon crew!
I was going to skip talking about Fairfield all together. Then I was going to give every dirty detail. Then I was back to skipping over it all. In the end I realized the fact that I sucked on race day (and HATED the course) doesn't take away from Stratton Faxon doing a great job putting on a race. They deserve credit for that, so here it goes.
Originally, I wasn't doing Fairfield at all. Paul was doing it and I was happy to sit it out. I have no good reason why I joined in with under a month to go, but it happened and I signed up. I had heard good things about the race in general but got a little nervous when I read bloggers past posts about the hills. I heard good race, tough hills.
I HATE HILLS.
There is nothing else to be said about that really. I hate them with a passion. Nothing is fun about them, going uphill is painful, going downhill is also painful if not done correctly (I don't do most things correctly fyi). I added in hills to my training plan, but didn't really follow through with that part. I also heard there was an adjustment to the course so I thought maybe not so many hills (oh spoiler, I was wrong).
Paul and I drove to Fairfield and got our packets on race morning. The race started right along the beach, which I LOVE! The pick up was quick and easy. I give tons of credit to the race directors for taking care of everyone picking up their packet before the race in a quick fashion.
The race started at 8:30am, which for end of June means it was incredibly warm. The start was also a separate mens and women's start which was strange, but fine. The first mile was ok but my legs were heavy and tired. There had been no hills at this point and I knew it was going to be a tough race for me. Had it not been a race day, this would of been a run that I said screw it, I'll try again later because running now will do more harm than good. But it was a race day, and there was nothing I could do but go the next 12.1 miles.
Towards the end of the second mile the first hill came. At this point I didn't know how many hills there were, I just new this one was going to suck. I made it through and thought "maybe I'll negative split for the next mile at least". Of course I was wrong. The hills did not stop. They just came one after another after another. It seemed like the end of each mile looked something like this...
Ok maybe I'm being a tiny bit dramatic, but by the fourth one, it seemed like I was running straight up something like this. I don't have all the details of how I did each mile. Each mile hurt more than the first. It was a mixture of a bad run day for me, a really tough course that I wasn't prepared for, and 85 degrees without shade. In the end I got through all 13.1 miles, and surprise no PR for me. After mile 1 I could of cared less about a PR, I just wanted it done.
There were lots of good things about this race that absolutely need to be mentioned. The organization of this race was great. Every mile was marked perfectly and there were plenty of water stations along the way. Along the course both the residents of Fairfield and the Fairfield fire department had out hoses to hose you down, which was amazing in the heat.
{credit: CTPost.com }
The fans along the course and the volunteers were great and you couldn't ask for more from them. I have to say the best part about this race though, the lululemon crew!
{credit: CTPost.com }
I would guess that there were about 7-10 people there from lululemon and they were awesome. Any race I have been at that lululemon has been cheering at has been fun, but this group was hands down the best I've seen yet! Great job guys!
So there it is. The Fairfield half is finally done. I loved so much about this race, but can't get over how much I hated the course and the heat. Would I do it again? I have no idea. Maybe I'll come back for redemption one day, but for now I'm just looking to the next one.
Happy Thursday everyone!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
It takes one run
So I could apologize for not posting, but in reality, nobody would of wanted to read what I had to say about my running lately. It also apparently took too much effort for me to post "I suck at running right now, please come back later". Every single time I went out for a run it was bad. There was not one positive thing I could take away from the runs, and at some point the "well at least you went out to run" theory was becoming an everyday saying. That sucks a lot when you have a race coming up.
I had been trying out some new shoes as well which I think was the problem. I had old Kswiss shoes that I got rid of after the Providence 1/2 marathon, and got a new set of Brooks. I didn't love or hate my kswiss shoes, I just felt like a change. I tried out the Brooks ones and my first run was ok. It went downhill after that. Every run that I had trouble with also included intense calf pain. This happened for short runs as well as my long 6 mile, 8 mile, and 10 mile runs. It was the absolute worst. Finally I decided this wasn't me just having a tough time or not running enough, the shoes were not working. I put on a different pair of kswiss shoes that I had worn once or twice and went out for all my runs in those. I had no issues. None at all.
Last weekend was my last "long run" before the race. I went out for a 5 mile run and it was amazing. We will ignore the fact that I tripped during mile 2 and almost completely face planted on the sidewalk in front of 1000 (or 7, you choose) people. By the time I was done running, I was smiling and jumping up and down. I think I scared Paul who had been dealing with my angry face after all my runs lately. I was running faster than I had been lately and at the end of the run felt like I could of kept going. It had been WEEKS since I felt that way. This run was just what I needed before my Fairfield 1/2. It just took one run to get my mind set back in it.
Then there was this little bundle of amazingness!
I had been trying out some new shoes as well which I think was the problem. I had old Kswiss shoes that I got rid of after the Providence 1/2 marathon, and got a new set of Brooks. I didn't love or hate my kswiss shoes, I just felt like a change. I tried out the Brooks ones and my first run was ok. It went downhill after that. Every run that I had trouble with also included intense calf pain. This happened for short runs as well as my long 6 mile, 8 mile, and 10 mile runs. It was the absolute worst. Finally I decided this wasn't me just having a tough time or not running enough, the shoes were not working. I put on a different pair of kswiss shoes that I had worn once or twice and went out for all my runs in those. I had no issues. None at all.
Last weekend was my last "long run" before the race. I went out for a 5 mile run and it was amazing. We will ignore the fact that I tripped during mile 2 and almost completely face planted on the sidewalk in front of 1000 (or 7, you choose) people. By the time I was done running, I was smiling and jumping up and down. I think I scared Paul who had been dealing with my angry face after all my runs lately. I was running faster than I had been lately and at the end of the run felt like I could of kept going. It had been WEEKS since I felt that way. This run was just what I needed before my Fairfield 1/2. It just took one run to get my mind set back in it.
Then there was this little bundle of amazingness!
Benjamin Daniel!
My best friend Carolyn had a baby last week! Nothing seems bad with a new baby in the world. I was able to drive back to Boston for not even 24 hours to see this cutey and loved every minute of it!
I'm obsessed, but it's cool
I swear he smiled at one point, it wasn't all sad faces
Between my awesome run, baby Ben, and good news at work (will share later when I can!) my mindset about things is turning around completely. I'm back in it and ready to go for race day Sunday!
Goal post to come asap along with more pictures of baby Ben! He's one week as of yesterday!
Happy Wednesday everyone!
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