November 30, 2011

Well today was a first. I can truly say that I am married to my Prince Charming! The past few days at work have been long, and getting home in the darkness has made it where I wasn't getting my run in. Tonight my wonderful husband told me he would run with me so I could get out there. So at 8 PM in the dark and cold we ran 3 miles. He also challenged me to bump up my run ratio and I did 30 seconds more of running. So tonight was definitely a great night! Quality time with my husband, fresh air, and exercise!
I can't believe that each day brings us closer and closer to my first half marathon. To think that this time last year I was 30 pounds heavier and was lucky to be able to run for 30 seconds. In just over 80 days I am going to run 13 miles. I am thankful for my health and the opportunity to live one of my dreams in the happiest place on earth!

November 27, 2011

     Great way to end a wonderful holiday weekend!  I did my four mile training run today and ran it in 50 minutes.  Best part of the run was that my husband did it with me.  I felt great during the run and know I could have gone longer.  I am apprehensive about next weeks 8.5 miler.....that is intimidating.  I know I can do it, and smile while I am doing it, but how will my legs feel? 


     On another not I had a thought today and was wondering if someone could answer it for me.  When you get your time at the end of a run, is it your time, or the time for the start of the race?  In running the turkey trot this Thanksgiving I was not at the front of the pack out of the gate, and there were probably at least 100 that started before me....so whose time is it anyway, and what is the actual difference in when they started and when I started?  I know an odd question but I was wondering it and just thought I would ask.


      So the count to the big day is 88 days!  I am so excited and know that I have a lot more training to do, but I am feeling confident and ready to conquer!  


     I am thinking I didn't hydrate enough today.  I have a little headache and am feeling parched.  What are the other secrets out there?  Please share as I need to start tucking tidbits of knowledge away.


    Have a great week everyone!  With faith, trust, and pixie dust we can do anything!

November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!


Today I am reminded that I am very thankful for my health, my family, and my friends.  I ran a 5 K this morning with some of my great friend and came home and cooked for my family.  As we sat and ate together I was reminded of how lucky I truly am.  


The next few weeks will prove to be a challenge for me.  Work is very busy and the week of the 4th I will be away for a business trip. That week will show what I am made of as I make sure that I get my training in.  


Happy Black Friday Shopping!

November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone has a great holiday and we remember those less fortunate! The day will start early tomorrow as I run a 5K Turkey Trot. I'm still feeling a little sore from the 10 K this weekend, hopefully I do ok. I will use tomorrows run as one of my training runs for this week.

I need to remember that tomorrow my calorie bank account needs to have a positive balance.

Gobble gobble everyone!

November 20, 2011

     I did it!  I ran a 10K today.  The race was not what I expected.  There were only 50 runners and they were all "runners." The first to finish ran a 6:19 minute mile.  Wow, I was impressed.  I came in 2nd to last and ran it in 1:24:54 which is a 13:40 minute mile.  I stayed true to my Jeff Galloway method but I really did feel bad for the college kids who were at each turn as they had to wait on me.  Honestly I think I did great, especially since there was NO ONE around me the entire time, I was totally on my own.  
     When I got to Greenville, NC which is a 60 minute drive I went to Omega Sports and bought myself Zensah calf compression sleeves for after the race, and a few gu's for when I was feeling I needed a pick me up along the way.  What suggestions does anyone have instead of Gu's?  I did not like them at all, they were really heavy.  I did use one around mile 5 and I felt it helped get me to the end.  I'm just glad I have 99 days until the real race, this way I can continue to train and use today as a stepping stone.
     I used my husbands Garmin 305 today so that I could see each mile.  My heart rate for a majority of the time was higher than I would have liked it, but at all time I could sing along with my music.   Any advice on HR would also be greatly appreciated.
     So I am calling today a great day.  I had fun while I was running, I got to see an old friend after the race, and now I'm home.  Time to soak in the bath and get ready for the Holiday Week.  Thursday is a 5K Turkey Trot, which should be a piece of cake after today.
     Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

November19,2011

Happy Birthday to the Wonderful Woman that gave birth to me!! I Love You Mom! It's been a few days since I wrote. I didn't train on Wednesday evening and then missed again on Thursday morning. I thought it would be hard Friday morning to run but actually it was great. I was in Chapel Hill where both of my daughters attend UNC so my husband and I took advantage of different scenery and ran together. I love Chapel Hill but dislike the hills. I know they are good for me, they help my endurance, but they suck as you are running them. We ran 3 1/2 miles in 45 minutes with run/walk method. Overall I'm ok with that time since the hills were challenging. Today I got to talk with the person who has inspired me to even embark on this journey-Stacie. It was great to talk with her and have her encouragement and hear her speak about the past two years when she ran the race. I am very excited to be a part of this with her this year. Tomorrow is a new challenge for me. I am going to run a 10K. I know how committed I am (or rather maybe I should be committed) since I am running this by myself. I have to drive 1 hour to get there and the fact that I am willing to do this shows me that I have made it past the first hurdle. Now the second hurdle is to complete the race in a time that I am happy with. I will report back tomorrow evening if I make it home in one piece. :) Happy Trails!

November 16, 2011

      Today was supposed to be a training day but instead it became a rest day.  My friend Lesley and I were supposed to run and she got stuck at work and when she could leave it was dark.  To fix missing today I am going to run in the morning.  I always find that I do better first thing in the morning versus at the end of a hard day.  So tomorrow I will blog to tell you about the run.  
     It's time to start thinking about the calorie bank account and Thanksgiving around the corner.  By planning my menu, eating on a smaller plate, tracking what I eat, and of course exercising I can maintain my weight and not counteract all I have worked hard to do.  
     

November 15, 2011

     After reading some of my FB friends on the Disney Princess Half Marathon site tell their tale, I decided to help keep myself accountable by creating a blog that will help push me towards my goals.  In 2012 I would like to achieve the RunDisney Bi-Coastal Medal.  Now never having completed any sort of run except a 5K before I question my sanity.  Back in May I started jogging once or twice a week.  My cousin has run the Disney Princess Half several times and I was always in awe and a little jealous of her.  So this year I decided I was going to do it to.  Being a procrastinator I told my friend Diane from college (she is a true marathon runner) and in doing so I knew she would support me.  Not only did Diane support me she told me she would run it as well.  So the bait was taken.  I committed to Diane to do this race as she was coming from California to support me.  Then I hit the internet to find the best training plan for me.
     Search engine upon search engine kept leading me back to what my husband had already suggested....  Jeff Galloway's walk/run program.  Now of course I thought "true" runners don't do that they just go out there and run.  Well I have proven my husband right and myself wrong.  The Jeff Galloway method has surely gotten me on my way.  I have tried to rope a few of my local friends into running with me as well, but so far no takers.  (Thank God for Diane!)  Through the summer heat I continued to train 2 days a week and knew once the NC Humidity started to dissipate and of course both of my children going off to college (yay time for me) I would get serious.
     Well now I am serious last weekend I completed a 5 mile run and this Sunday I am running a 10K.  Now the "evil stepmother" thoughts are getting to me.  Will I get put off the course by a sweeper?  Can I actually do this?  I am truly lucky to have such a supportive husband as he tells me yes I can.  In the process of training I have dropped quite a few pounds.  That certainly makes running a lot easier.
     So I'll finish today by saying that I definitely have the running bug, I have even experienced "mile" depression.  I love reading other blogs about people like me, getting their tips about clothing, accessories, shoes, inspirational thoughts etc. 
     Can't wait to get my glass slipper at that finish line!