Half Marathon coming up!

That's right...I did it. I signed up for a Half Marathon on Dec. 31, 2012. My rationale: I started the year running less than a mile...I'm going out on 13.1!

And I couldn't have done it at a more stupid time.

My daughter has an activity literally every night of the week: basketball, fastpitch, or piano. Then she has 2 games on Saturdays. Tyson also has piano, and he is having surgery on the 21st. Kacie has two piano recitals, and Tyson is in one of them :)

So all that on top of being ready for Christmas before Tyson's surgery, teaching (report cards due Dec. 3), two field trips to Seattle, and just normal life. So yeah, sign up for a half marathon...that's a smart thing to do, right!

It is. It really is.

With all that going on, it would be really easy for me to say, "I'm too busy to run." After all, the days are now so much shorter, so it's harder to get out there. I knew I NEEDED motivation to keep going. Oh sure, a 10K would have done the trick and been less stressful...since when do I do things that make sense?

This is my motto this month, and yes, a half-marathon on Dec. 31st it is!

I am not training to beat a time or anything like that (although I should PR since my RnR half-marathon time was 2:38. I should beat that!) My goal is to be able to run the whole thing. There is one really good sized hill that if I need to I will walk up. About 10 days ago I ran 9 miles (which is what got me thinking I could do another half!), and last Sunday I ran another 7 miles. My knee has had a dull ache to it, so I've taken it easy this week to let it recover, but I am planning a flat 10 miler either today or tomorrow. After that, I really only have 3 more weeks of long runs, Then the weekend of Tyson's surgery (it's on a Friday) that is the weekend to start tapering anyway, so I think it will work out fine.

So yes, a lot going on...it's a great time for a half-marathon for sure!

Wish me luck!
J

My running life in the last week

I woke up last Saturday with every intention of running a 5K race that benefits foster kids. There was a 10K option as well, but after two weekends of 10Ks in a row, I have to say, my legs were not feeling too swift. In fact, I really just wanted to stay home in my warm bed. I think it was in the upper 30s or lower 40s at the race. But my friend is a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer, and they were sponsoring the race. I had to keep my word.

So I arrived, along with a few others from my running group, and before I knew it, I was registering for the 10K like it was the most natural thing in the world. "I'm already here, I might as well just go for a nice 6.2 mile run and hope to finish in around 1:06." So that was the goal.

Here are some people I have met through the running group before the race. Two did the 5K and 3 of us did the 10K.

So the race started, I just started jogging. I was FREEZING! My fingers were purple...time to buy gloves! I felt good, and I really just felt like I was jogging, as I chatted with people I knew along the way. We got to a water station and I asked, "Is this the one mile mark?" The answer was, "No, this is the halfway turn around for the 5K. It's about 1.6." Say WHAT? So I looked at my time (which meant my purple fingers had to try to work my iPod) and sure enough, about 17 min had passed, which is a little fast for me, but yeah, that made sense.

Finally by mile 2.5 or so, the feeling in my fingers came back and I actually started feeling warm. As you can see from the picture, it was a beautiful sunny day, just cold. We were also next to the water, which is usually a little windier and colder as well.

I hit the 3.1 mile mark, which was a turn around at the South Side Bridge, and after a quick sip of water, I decided I would unpin my bib number and take off my jacket. This was what slowed me down a bit at the half marathon last summer, when I had to stop and deal with the pins and the bib, as well as the jacket. So I got two pins off, got to the third pin, and....I had pinned not just through my jacket, but through my shirt too. That meant it was WAY too complicated, and since I was not stopping, I would just have to sweat it out and be warm.

So I finished out the 10K, crossed the finish line, pulled out my iPod, and I said NO WAY! And my running friends who waited for me said, "Yes way!" Yep, 1:00.55. That is a PR for me for 10K! I honestly felt super great during that run. I started slower, and I think for me that is the key. I was tired at the end, but it felt amazing to know that I could pull that time off. My short term goal is to get 10K in under 1 hr. That was a pace of 9:48, so I'm on my way for sure. And to think I wasn't even going to do it...wow, I would have really missed out! Now I know part of this time is due to it being very flat. Well, I guess some races are like that...it's a great chance to PR, and I took it!

Here is my friend who is a CASA volunteer and me after the race. She does at least 2 races every month with her daughter. She is an amazing mom and person!

So on Sunday, before we knew it, a big group of us decided to go for a 3 or 5 mile run on a trail in our area. We met at 10 am, and off we went. I did 5 miles, and by the end, yes my legs were feeling pretty tired, but the trail was flat and beautiful.

On Monday, since it was a day off, I decided to connect with another runner I met last spring, and at the time she so kindly took me on a 10 mile run when I was training for my half marathon. Even though she was much faster than me, she slowed down and ran with me. On Monday, she already had plans to run with someone else, and she invited me to join them. First I said no, I'm too slow...I didn't want to slow them down--and that was the honest truth. But she encouraged me and said, "Really, you should come with us!" So I did, and we did 5.25 miles around a little town near my house.

Ok, at this point, almost 16.5 miles in 3 days, even for me that's a bit much. I took Tuesday off.

Wednesday was a horrible day at school, and let me assure you, it's not the students. They are the light of my day! So naturally, I felt the need to go run for 1.5 hours. I covered about 9 miles, which included several small hills and inclines. I say about 9 miles because I used mapmyrun.com, and I don't know how accurate it is. Nike Plus had me at 9.05, so I'm hoping it was about right, but I won't know unless I go out and drive it--which I will eventually.

Thursday was a spin night, and it felt great as well. I haven't done a spin class in awhile, and I like to mix things up.

Which brings me to today: Friday. No run today...my knees are a little achy. I have taken ibuprofen a few times this week, plus iced my knees before bed. I think I will put in 4 miles or so tomorrow morning, because I have a plan for Sunday: a trail run. Not just any trail run, but a trail run back in my hometown, and there is supposed to be a storm tomorrow. Some people from our running group are planning to join me, so I am hoping all will be OK for running on Sunday morning! We shall see.

The moral of the story...I am running with people. Me, the loner from January to May who was scared to death to run along side someone...I now run WITH people. That alone is a reason to celebrate!

Thanks for following along! Things are about to get interesting...more on that later :)

J

-50 lbs, 2 Races, and a New Goal!

That's right! I finally hit the -50 lb milestone!

Here's a review of the before picture:

And this is today:
Disclaimer: I hate pictures of myself, but I bought these boots last weekend and this picture shows that I can now actually fit into these kinds of boots because

A. My calves are small enough to actually fit into the boot.
B. I am down another jeans size, and these are skinny jeans that I bought just for the boots!

And through the blurry picture Kacie took as we were rushing out the door this morning, yes, that's a pug on a purse (a birthday gift to Kacie from a friend) and I can explain the pug purse: We were goofing off this morning before "stuffed animal day" at school. This was my stuffed animal, and then Ty attached himself to it and wouldn't let go. Oh well, there are worse things.

OK, here's the pic:

And without the pug, but with the boy who has to pose!

It felt great to finally hit that 50 lb goal. I'm still not advertising what I weigh, and I know I'm no where near "thin", but I feel SO much better. I'm most proud that I did it without a fad diet or weird regimen. It took 15 months for me to lose 50 lbs. It wasn't easy. I wanted to quit. There were nights I didn't want to run...didn't want to work out...wanted to eat the ice cream and drink that Mike's Hard Lemonade. I have made a life-style change. Do I still eat crap food? Of course, but in moderation. I don't eat fast-food, and if I do, it's a snack wrap or a salad. I don't eat deep-fried food. I'm not perfect...far from it...but I'm careful and sensible--most of the time ;)I knew that if I was going to do this, I had to figure out a way that I wouldn't torture myself and give up.

In running news...

I did end up running the 5K Zombie Dash. It was pouring down rain, but it was fun anyway. I ran with a group and we just took it easy since we were in the dark on a trail with zombies jumping out at us. Here we are after the race, and that's me in the reflective coat, which is so funny because I'd rather blend in than stand out in any picture.

Then last weekend I ran another 10K with a great friend who traded in her PE teacher job to be a stay at home mom. We had a great time. She is a great runner, and her goal was to get me to finish with 10 min miles. Well, we almost made it. Final time was 1:02.34, for about an average of 10.06 per mile. I was beat by the end!

Now tomorrow is another race, a small local fun run to benefit local foster kids. To be honest, I'm beat. I'm beyond beat. But this benefits kids, and where I live, we have a NEED to help foster kids. So I'll probably just do the 5K, then come home and do some elliptical. The race for next weekend was cancelled. Probably a good thing for me!

And now I have a new goal...you won't believe it. I don't believe it. I signed up for another half marathon, but not just any half marathon, oh no...this is the Hillbilly Half Marathon on March 2nd. It's a trail run up and down a mountain. This is for me to prove that I can do it...not for a time or a PR, but just to show that I can. It's going to be wet, cold, muddy, slushy, snowy, and FUN! There is a group going, so it should be a memorable day.

So, time to start trail training...in the winter! Brrrrr... :)

Thanks for reading and following my journey!
J