Oh, the difference one run can make.

Soooo I ran outside for this first time in a few weeks this past Monday and it was fantastic and frustrating all at the same time.  The frustration came from the local rail trail I run on being completely covered in snow so I was constantly slipping and sliding for 2 miles (yes… I kept running in hopes that I would hit a melted patch somewhere but after a mile I gave up and turned around.)  After I made it back from my trudge in the snow, I ended up making a loop by running around side-streets and a parking lot until I hit a mile.  The run was fantastic because it was outside!!  Just running in fresh air and not in one spot in my house was super.

Even though I had this frustrating/fantastic run I felt anxious most of the day yesterday, mostly because I was questioning my running, my training, and my ambition for all of the races that I plan on doing this year.  Yesterday I registered my husband and I for the Pittsburgh marathon and half, respectively, and even as I was registering I was thinking to myself “should I even waste money on this, I’m not going to be anywhere near ready”, and many other negative thoughts about myself in relation to running.  I love running but it can be so easy for me to feel down about myself after a few bad runs or just being in a funk.

After feeling anxious I ended up going for a run yesterday and boy oh boy did it change my whole outlook on my running.   I planned on running 4 miles and I really had no expectation for the run.  I was just planning on running 4 laps of the mile loop I made up the day before and getting it done.  I don’t know if it was the high temps and sunshine or what, but after my first mile beeped on my watch I was surprised.  I had almost run a sub 10 minute mile for my first mile… nothing crazy BUT I can’t tell you when the last time was that the first mile of my run was close to 10 minutes flat (not in a race).  From there all of my miles were 9 minute somethings.

I’ll let you in on another secret, one of the main reasons I had gone into this run feeling anxious and bummed was because the Rock ‘n’ Roll Race Series had announced the 2016 Rock ‘n’ Blog Ambassadors and I wasn’t chosen.  I don’t want pity, heck, half of you reading this probably don’t even know what that is BUT I was really hoping for a shot at representing one of my favorite running brands (there’s always next year).

SO this run really boosted my spirits and showed me that I’ve done something right so far this year.  I feel stronger, I’m running faster, and I will definitely be capable of completing ALL of the races that I enter this year.  Here’s to keeping up the momentum and looking forward, not back.

Thanks for reading!!

Winter, snow, and running.

Soooo as I sit here writing this post, it’s snowing.  Winter storm “Jonas” is here, showering us with snow… lots and lots of snow.  Winter is probably the season that affects my running the most negatively.  I don’t mind running in cold weather, but in the past year or so the low temps have been LOW like (-) degrees to teens (that really sucks to run in).  Snow and ice also make it hard to run, ya see I live up a holler so it’s not always convenient to get to the trail.  And the rail trail near my house also isn’t cleared off by anyone so when I do go run in the snow I’m running through inches of snow– bummer.

Last Tuesday I chose to run around 2:30 in the afternoon.  There were a couple of inches of snow on the ground already and I was the only person on the trail.  The scenery was really pretty and I was just trying to focus on that and not how cold it was and how slow I was running.  Then about half way into my run a whiteout hit, I was about 1.5 miles away from my car.  Just perfect, I thought.  I ended up having to just stop at one point because I couldn’t see anything but I was able to make it back to the car and home safely.  Side note- I don’t recommend running, walking, driving, or basically being out during bad weather.  BUT if you do go out, or are already out, or HAVE to be out just use common sense and be careful please!! 🙂

And when I do go run in the snow and when I’ve run in the snow in the past I don’t do it to be hardcore, I do it because I really do like to run outside when I can and in the past that was the only way I could get my runs in, until now…

We’ve had hand me down old treadmills in the past but they really have not cut it.  Insert- the impending sucky weather making josh and I bite the bullet and get a FREAKING TREADMILL!!!!!!!! 😀

It is SO nice to run indoors on something that is reliable and wide enough for you to run on with a belt that won’t stop each time you take a step!!  AND now on rushed days I can run in the evenings when I normally wouldn’t be able to, so NO EXCUSES!!!  YAAASSS!!!!  I’m pretty jazzed about this if you can’t tell.  I used my treadmill for the first time a little bit ago and my cool down was going outside to sweep off my sidewalks and shovel my driveway, everything was already covered by the time I was finished of course.  Oh well!  Everyone be safe this weekend and always, and most important: BE SMART!!!!

Do you live in crazy weather?  Do you have a treadmill, if so hate it or love it?

Thanks for reading as usual!!

3rd Runniversary!

Sooooo today marked my 3rd year since I began running, or my “runniversary” as I like to call it.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that snowy 3 mile run would lead me to where I’m at today.  I was NEVER a runner and I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I did and still do to this day.

When I first started running three years ago I had a purpose and a reason– the Paris Marathon.  When marathon day arrived and even as I was completing the race I was thinking “this is it, once I’m done wit this I’m never running again!”  However, the more miserable I felt during the race, the more proud of myself I became for sticking with it and not giving up.  I also realized at that moment that I was doing this for me, not for anyone else and I think that’s one of the things that has made running such an important part of my life, even to this day.  After finishing that marathon I realized that I was capable of doing more than I ever thought, it’s partly what gave me the confidence to apply for the job in the N.I.C.U., where I still work.  I don’t think if I had pushed myself through that race I would’ve ever thought I could work in an environment like that or have the confidence to even apply.  Through running I’ve learned that it’s okay to feel uncomfortable- I have become more comfortable with feeling uncomfortable since that’s what running is kind of about (for me at least).

In a race I push myself harder than I do when I just go out and run, I may not feel great at first but if I want to try for a new PR then that’s what I have to do.  Lately with my training runs I’ve been adding speed work at least once a week to my routine (400 repeats and tempo runs for example) and when doing 400’s I run much faster than usual and it can be difficult to just let myself go and run the speed that I need to to get the most out of the workout.  Running a new distance in a new city also takes me out of my comfort zone.  The Chicago Marathon had me anxious because my training didn’t go the way I would’ve liked and because it had been over 2 years since I had completed this distance, but shortly after the race started I calmed down, settled in, and finished.

I guess what I’m getting at is that running has taught me a lot about myself and what I’m actually capable of as opposed to what I only think I can do.  For this I’m forever grateful.

I’m currently training for a purpose again which motivates me and keeps me accountable with my training!

 

 

I’ll be heading to back to Texas in March to run the Rock ‘N’ Roll Dallas 5K and half marathon!  Josh will be going with me of course (running both races too) and my sister and her boyfriend Moses are going to meet us too!!  She’s going to run both races and Moses is gonna get into it and run the 5K!!!!  Nothing I love more than hanging out with awesome people and running!!

Tomorrow will mark the start of week 4 of training.  It’s going well so far, I missed one run due to my work schedule but I’m not stressing over it. I’ve also incorporated Piyo into my workout routine.  It’s a really great blend of yoga and Pilates, low impact but boy oh boy do I sweat!!  I’ll be going into week 4 of doing Piyo and I can tell a difference in my flexibility and core strength (where I feel I need the most work) so I’m really jazzed about that!

I’m so excited for this year of running, I’ve got a lot planned and I hope it ends up being as great as I hope! : )  Thanks for reading!!

Here’s to 2016

Soooo last I posted, I was beginning my fundraising for the Chicago Marathon, I know, I know… that was a loooooong time ago!  Sorry!  Not gonna make excuses but I can quickly catch you up to speed.

My training for the marathon hit a couple of speed bumps throughout the summer, but I was able to make it through.  I never ended up running as many miles as I had wanted to but I also never quit running.  This attitude is what helped push me through the marathon.

The Chicago Marathon was great!  The weather was perfect when we started, and unfortunately heated up to the low 80’s when I finished, I set a PR and Josh also set a PR AND qualified for Boston!!!  Such a proud wife right here!  I was also able to raise over $1800 for Ronald McDonald House Charities thanks to family and friends!  If you’re looking to run the Chicago Marathon and fundraise, Team Ronald McDonald House Charities is really the way to go.  ; )

The WHOLE team before the Marathon!

 

Me before the race… tired eyes anyone?

Me in the middle of the race, REALLY happy with how this turned out!

I definitely got a case of the marathon blues after finishing Chicago… just a let down.  It’s hard to describe the feeling.  There is excitement and pride for finishing something so grueling and exhausting but then there’s a let down when the training and structure is done and the excitement fades.  I would think every single day, what do I do next?  There are runners like my husband who can continue to run long distances and do training runs even when they’re not training… and then there’s me.  I need a goal, something to run for to keep me motivated or else I’d end up running the same thing every day.

Lucky for me, a year ago I had convinced my sister who lives in Houston, to sign up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Half Marathon which was just a few weekends ago on December 6th.  Josh also decided to run the half marathon there.  The trend to run many races in a weekend has continued, and in the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon world this is the “Remix Challenge”- completing multiple races over the weekend.  In San Antonio there was a 10K on Saturday and the full marathon, half marathon, half marathon relay, and 5K on Sunday.  Completing the Remix Challenge rewards the finisher with 3 medals (one for each race, and a remix medal as well), I mean who doesn’t wanna finish a race weekend without getting a whole lotta medals?!?!?  Josh and I waited too long to register so it would’ve been really expensive for us to both do the remix challenge, but my sister had already signed up to do the 10K and the half marathon, and she completed the challenge!!  San Antonio is SUCH a beautiful city (in my opinion) and I think that you should definitely go there at some point in your lifetime!

The River Walk at night, decorated all pretty for the holidays!

Another picture of the River Walk!

So now, I’m kinda back to where I was after the marathon but not dealing with such a hard left down because… I didn’t really train the best that I could have.  But, it’s December, the end of the year is near and I’m beginning to figure out my goals and plans for 2016 professionally, physically, and personally.

I’m SO thankful that I have my believe training journal to help me!  It’s the perfect tool to plan goals and analyze runs, you really should check it out if you’re in the market for a training journal!  It’s also customizable with no dates written in the journal so you can start using it whenever you choose!

I’ve been choosing races to do already and got some exciting news earlier in the week that I was chosen through the lottery to run in the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 miler in April! Woohoo!  So here’s to planning, training, and another year of running.  2016 here I come!

2015 in review: I ended up running 17 races with distances ranging from 1 mile to full marathon! WOO HOO!  Most of all, I made LOTS of memories and had SO much fun!!

Are you happy with your 2015 year?  What are your plans for 2016?

Thanks for reading!!

I have an announcement to make!

Soooooo I’m just gonna come out and say it, I’m going to be fundraising for Team Ronald McDonald House Charities to run in the 2015 Bank of America Chicago Marathon!  🙂   Pretty exciting, right?!?

After Josh found out that he qualified with his last marathon time back in March, he decided he would run this fall.  Since I don’t have a qualifying time, I applied for the lottery but didn’t get selected, so I decided to run for a cause!

I work in the NICU at our hospital and I understand the good that the Ronald McDonald houses can do for a family.  Having a place to stay close to their sick child can help ease a family’s stress level and let them focus on their child.

I will talk more about the cause and hope to have different fundraising opportunities available, but I will go ahead and post the link to my personal fundraising page here.  The link is also available in the menu at the top of my home page.  In advance, I appreciate any donation that you make and I will be sending out personal thank-yous as time passes.  Any donation made will help these children and their families be able to stay close together during such tough times!

Thanks for reading and for your donations!

Local Race Series

Sooooo for a while there has been a local race series that happens in Morgantown, the Morgantown Area Grand Prix (MAGP).  The series consists of 12 races, the distances are anywhere between 5K and 13.1K, and take place throughout the 2015 calendar year.  The first race of the year for this series usually doesn’t take place until late March at Cooper’s Rock (a very tough first race of the series).  I have always wanted to complete all of the races in the series but last year I didn’t have the complete race schedule far enough in advance to schedule work around the races, so I ended up running a handfull of races last year.

This year however, things were gonna be different.  I would check iplayoutside almost daily until the schedule for 2015 went live, and I have written all of the races down in my planner so I can schedule work around them!  Like I said, there are 12 races, if a person runs in one race they are autuomatically entered into the series, but one would have to complete at least 7 races to be considered for year end prizes, should a person run more than 9 races, the best 9 scores are considered for prizes.  The scoring system used is age-graded (in my opinion, it really plays into the hand of the young and old very well) but that is how they have ranked runners for years past!  So far, I have run the first 2 races of this series and am currently in 12th place in the female division!  The next race for this series is May 24th, in Point Marion, PA!

The county I live in, Marion County, decided to jump on the race series bandwagon, and the Marion County Parks and Recreation Commission (MCPARC) created the MCPARC race series last year.  I don’t remember how many races there were in the series last year (it was also created too late for me to plan to run all of the races) but I also completed a few of those races last year.  This year, the series consists of 8 races also ranging in distances from 5K-13.1K.  The first race was at the beginning of the year on a snowy January and was a half marathon!  To be considered for prizes in this series, one has to run at least 5 races, should one complete more than 5, the best 6 scores would be used for end of the year prizes (the same age-graded scoring system that’s used for the MAGP series is used for this one).  So far this year I have run the first 3 races that have been held and am in 3rd place in the female division!  The next race is in Fairmont on the 23rd of May and will benefit the Marion County Boys and Girls Club programs.

Are there local race series with incentives to run races where you live?  What are the ranges in distances, do they benefit local charities, organizations?

Thanks for reading!!

CASA Superhero 5K

Soooo I recently ran the 3rd race in the MCPARC race series I had mentioned in a previous post, the CASA superhero 5K, in Fairmont, WV.  This is a race I had heard about in previous years but had never been able to run!  If you’ve never heard of CASA, it’s an organization that helps abused children, and the theme of the race is that these children don’t just need a hero, they need a superhero!  So it is encouraged that runners and walkers dress up as a superhero.

Naturally, I chose Michaelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  My foot was sore beginning the race and I wasn’t sure if I was even going to run it when I got there, but I decided to go for it anyway!

The course started on top of a pretty long hill and we ran downward for close to a half mile and my foot hurt pretty bad during this part of the race, but I didn’t push it, my goal wasn’t to PR or place in my age group, just to run and enjoy it and hope my foot didn’t hurt too bad.  Once we got onto the flat part of the race the pain in my foot actually went away, maybe it was that fantastic runner’s high, I don’t know but I actually ended up forgetting that my foot hurt!  Don’t worry though, I didn’t push it, I still kept a conservative pace and focused on finishing the race.

The race ended with an uphill finish and I felt really strong due to the training that I had been doing for the half marathon at Harper’s Ferry, so I was happy that I finished strong and didn’t have to walk during the race!

I didn’t stick around, but there was a pretty nice party afterward with food from Dos Hermanos where the awards were given out.  Hopefully next year I’ll be in full racing form, it will be warmer, and I won’t have anywhere to be afterward so I can truly partake in all of the festivities of the day!  This was a fun race, and I highly recommend that you run it if you can; in your superhero costume of course!

Thanks for reading!!

And this would be the post about my injury

Soooooooo I was running this past Thursday afternoon minding my own business, not running to fast, not running in a weird way, not running in a new way, and my left foot decided to say “Nope, you’re done for a while.”  I haven’t felt pain like that ever in my foot since I’ve started running 2 years ago, aaand when I started running 2 years ago I did it in a dumb way and increased my mileage waaaaay too quickly and I STILL never had foot pain like this.

I tried to walk around a bit and try to run again and it hurt just as bad.  No problem really, a foot injury isn’t the end of the world, but I was 2.5 miles away from my car and it was really cold and walking on my foot hurt pretty darn bad.  Luckily Josh was around so he came and picked me up and gave me a lift back to my car.  I tried to stay off of it for the rest of that day, but then I had to work the next day, and on Saturday it was worse than it had been, or so it seemed to me.  I ended up at Med Express that afternoon, sure I had myself a good ol’ stress fracture but some x-rays proved me wrong!  The doc said that he thought it was a sprain and gave me an ACE wrap, told me to ice it, elevate it when I can, and to not run for a while… he also said that I probably shouldnt’ go through with my half marathon on the 9th, so I said sure, if I need to rest it then I need to rest it!

So I plan on resting my foot until Wednesday.  Wednesday I will try to run and hopefully it won’t hurt.  In the meantime, I am keeping it wrapped with an ACE wrap, icing it when I can at home (I have a 12 hour shift today and tomorrow), keeping off of it, taking ibuprofen if necessary, and soaking it in epsom salts (mom’s order).  Oh, and of course I plan on proceeding with my half marathon on the 9th ; )

I do understand that I have an injury and need to give it time to heal so I don’t do further damage (the doc I saw yesterday seemed to think a stress fracture was in my near future), but I am going to do my absolute best to speed the process up as much as possible.  This is the worst possible timing for an injury like this, I have actually followed a training plan for the first time in my life before a big race (half or full), I normally start following one and do my own thing about a month in, but this time I listened!  I increased my mileage gradually, I did long runs slower than my goal pace, I did speed work for heaven’s sake!!  And this is what it gets me!  Oh well, like I said I know I’m not the only one, but I’m still bummed.

Have you ever had an injury hinder your training for a goal race or stop you from running in it altogether?  What did you do to heal?  Any advice for me?  Thanks for reading!!

Parent’s Place 5K

Sooooo this past Saturday I ran the Parent’s Place 5K in Star City, WV.  The weather was GORGEOUS for the race, and there were about 150 runners and walkers total for the event, which took place on the local rail trail and started and finished in Star City.  It’s not a major theme of the race, but runners were encouraged to dress as a super hero for the race (I dressed as myself for this one, I do however have a super hero outfit in mind for another race coming up this month).  I was happy that I had a couple of days off before this race so I wasn’t tired from work since I’ve been working a lot of night shifts lately and I kept my running schedule pretty regular this week.

As the race started, I felt like I was running SO slowly, when my watch alarmed at mile 1 however, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was an almost 9 minute flat mile, the second was about the same.  To some, running 9 minute flat miles may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but I am very happy since even a year ago I wouldn’t have been running this well, it’s also validation that my half marathon training is working.  I ended up running the third mile in 8:44 and passed 2 more runners on my way to the finish (if you haven’t noticed yet I really like to pass people right close to the finish).  I couldn’t decide if the 2 girls in front of me were in my age group so to make it easier on myself I decided I would just pass them!

I ended up with a PR and 4th in my age group, just missed getting a medal, but I can’t be upset with that run one bit!  I felt good and I’ve got plenty more 5K’s coming up to keep running better and better!

 

Pierpont Veteran’s 5K & Cooper’s Rock 10K

Sooooo that time of year has come!  It’s a magical time, a time when I begin to have a race just about every week!  After a snowy and cold winter, I’m more than ready to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and races make it that much more fun!

My first race of the springtime was the Pierpont Veteran’s 5K located in Fairmont, WV at the “Tech Park” located just off I-79.  I was SO excited for this race but… I had just finished working my last night shift of a stretch of nights that morning sooooo I was literally running on a couple of hours of sleep.  It was a cold and rainy/drizzly evening for this race, but I don’t mind running in the rain.  There was a really good turnout for the race despite the weather.  I was optimistic that the race wouldn’t be too hilly (there are some hills on either end of the park) but I was wrong.  The majority of the course was flat-ish/rolling but then there was this really steep part close to a mile in, and then after climbing that I thought I’d be going down the hill soon after WRONG.  I had to climb another small hill, run around a tower, and then I got to run down a hill, and then do the first part of the course again!  Overall, the course wasn’t the worst I’ve run, but after working a couple of nights in a row and not being my most rested it was very tough!  I’d recommend this race definitely!  The t-shirt that we got was a pretty cool design (it’s in the other room where my husband is sleeping, so I’ll try to remember to edit these posts later with pictures of the shirts when it’s daylight or when he’s not sleeping).

The race I ran about a week after Pierpont was at Cooper’s Rock just outside of Morgantown, WV.  If you’ve never been to Cooper’s Rock I highly recommend you go!  The overlook is beautiful and so scenic!  (I would suggest sometime when there’s more foliage, the fall is definitely gorgeous!  And I didn’t get to make it out there to take a pic to put on here… sorry!!)  This race was a 10K which is pretty hard to come by in this area and it was run mainly on the main road that runs from the entrance of the park to the overlook, the race is usually run on the last weekend in March since it’s the last weekend that the park is closed to traffic.  The weather wasn’t terrible that day, just really cold, especially up on a mountain top, so there was a really good turnout for the race.  Josh had just run (and placed 3rd overall) in a marathon the day before and had thought it would be a good idea to run this race.  Since he wasn’t totally feeling it that day he decided to run the race with little ol’ me!  It was so nice to run with him since we rarely run together anymore, it was also nice for me mentally to have someone to push me through.  I was optimistic about this race… until I started running it!

The course was rolling and hilly, 2 of the hills were SO steep it was crazy!!  I couldn’t have been happier to outsprint 2 girls in front of me (and my husband 😉 ) and be done with that race!!  I still recommend this race because it provides beautiful scenery and a challenging course, you can bet I’ll be back there next year!