getting my ass back in gear.

Hi. Remember me? Nope, me either. I've been living the dream. You know, the dream that you have where work takes up your entire life and leaves you with not much room to breathe? Scratch that - let's label it a nightmare. Or, for all those employed in the recreation industry, we'll refer to it as Spring Break. I said goodbye to my weekends for the month of March and hello to ridiculous amounts of overtime. But I survived & I am coming out if it with a renewed mindset. I'm ready to get my ass back in gear (as the subject line suggests).

I am going to run my second half marathon in November. A few friends and I are going to do Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio together. I am excited and also dreading it. Excited to run another half marathon and pretend like I am a real life runner. Excited for the feeling of accomplishment. Excited to see my friends. Dreading the time and dedication training is going to require. Dreading running 13.1 miles in a row again. Dreading the post-race soreness.

But, it is a calling that I for whatever insane reason feel drawn to. Call it sadistic, self-torture, whatever you will (I mean... really - who willingly decides to run that much at once?! What is wrong with us?!) but I'm setting a goal and I will fucking achieve it. So stay out of my way, suckas.

Also - clean eating. We'll talk about this one a little later. But it needs to happen more often because I cannot live off a diet of chips and salsa any longer.

falling behind, trying to catch up.

Been kickin' some ass this week so far.

My Tuesday run was HARD. Like... I was huffing and puffing the whole way through. It was my first outdoor run since Beach to Bay in May. Between the heat, the wind, and the variations in incline, it was a challenge. I did 2.48 miles in 26:30, which put me at about a 10:40 min/mile pace. Not too bad, but for the effort... well I've got some improving to do. I'm planning on running three miles today, but I think I will slow the pace down to around 11 min/mile for this one.

As far as training for my upcoming races goes, I should be running 4 miles by early August. I am not sure that's going to happen. I'll have to alter my half marathon training schedule as needed, I guess. I have my 10k in October, which I'm not worried about being ready for. I have plenty of time to get up to 6 miles before then. But that half marathon... I shouldn't have been slacking on my running as much as I have been. Way to go, Nina.

I am contemplating registering to the Rock 'N' Roll New Orleans half marathon again. Two of my buddies are signing up for it. It's hard to turn down a road trip/race/buddy run event. I'll have to think on it and figure out what I can manage in terms of money, time off, and time invested in training. I have until October to decide, luckily.

Anyways, this morning I woke up and went to the gym before work again. Here's how it went:

• 3x15 deadlifts 30 lbs. (lowered weight to work on my form)
• 3x15 squats 40 lbs
• 3x15 upright rows 30 lbs
• 3x12 overhead press 30 lbs.
• 3x20 side bends 25 lbs.
• 3x15 bent rows 50 lbs.

Yep.

WWS.

Well, my back is still kind of achy, but I made my way to the gym after work yesterday anyways. I'm just taking Excedrin to take the edge off. Yesterday was just a running day so I did a total of 30 minutes on the treadmill. I did my scheduled two miles in 20:34. Averaged at a 10:16 min/mile pace or something like that. Not too shabby. The whole run was a sort of Fartlek style run, I just went up or down with the speed as I saw fit.

I am registering for another 10K that is in October. It's at Sea World. I need to have more runs in my future to keep me up, running, motivated, and accountable. I'm probably going to look for some other races going on between now and then, as well.

Here's the plan for this week:

• Sunday - two mile run
• Monday - legs
• Tuesday - upper body, run 2.5 miles
• Wednesday - legs (might not happen, working late that night..)
• Thursday - upper body (if Wednesday doesn't happen, full body)
• Friday - Zumba
• Saturday - Body Pump

Beach to Bay 2012

My first Beach to Bay experience was definitely a positive one. I was running the last leg and I knew I wouldn't be starting until later in the morning but for whatever reason I decided to get to my exchange point at 7:30AM. I just walked there from my house, it was close enough. I made a friend as soon as I got to the park and we hung out and talked for a good chunk of the morning. Luckily enough, he also had some sunscreen that he offered me. I slathered some on my arms and legs, apparently missing my shoulders and chest. More on that later...

The first runners came through our chute around 8:45AM. These people are fast. Like... really fast. I don't understand how it's humanly possible to sustain what I see as a sprint for 4+ miles. Then again, I'm a little overweight and I have short stubby legs so it may just be humanly impossible for me. Either way, these runners are impressive.

A handful of men came through, followed by the first female runner. Let me tell you, this girl didn't look too good. As she was coming through the chute she started walking and veering off to the right. You could tell she was having a hard time functioning physically. Her teammate grabbed the baton and the girl almost immediately just kind of collapsed. Race workers had to carry her to the first aid tent to cool down. It was a very, very hot day. Multiple runners went down from heat exhaustion. I heard teammates handing off the baton and telling the next runners to be careful of the heat. It was then that I decided I was not running for speed. I was going to take my time and enjoy the race and not end up in a first aid tent.

After about four hours of hanging out at the exchange point drinking water and watching runners coming through, I finally heard my bib number get called. So I hopped in the chute and waited for Josh. Finally I saw him, grabbed the baton, and was off!

The run was more pleasant than I expected with the heat. The water stations were plentiful. Every time I hit on, I slowed to a walk, drank a cup, then poured another cup over my head. There were also people with water guns squirting runners, which I appreciated thoroughly. Some people who live along the race course were even out front with their garden hoses spraying runners. I found that this was the only way for me to keep my body temperature down. Especially because there was little to no shade on the course for relief from the sun.

So on I went, drinking and dousing, drinking and dousing, through all 4.89 miles. Finally I saw the finish line in the distant so I pushed through. The time on the clock was 5:09 and some change. Not the best time, not the worst. After looking at the results, I'd say we were in the 3rd quartile of teams. I think a lot of what slowed us down was the fact that one of our runners accidently ran two legs. That's over eight miles of running. In the heat. And the sun. A very impressive accident, if I do say so myself.

After the race, I realized I had gotten a lot of sun. My shoulders and chest are pretty red. As I'm typing this at work, I can feel them burning. I need to buy some sport sunscreen pronto.

So there it is, Beach to Bay 2012. I think it will be an annual tradition from here on out.

WWS

This week is probably going to be a little light. Here's what I've tentatively got planned.

• Wednesday - 2 miles
• Thursday - 2.5 miles
• Friday - walk 2 miles with the dog/maybe zumba?
• Saturday - Beach to Bay! (leg #6, 4.89 miles)

I am excited about Beach to Bay. I just hope it's not too damn hot. Especially because I'm doing the last leg and it's also the longest.

Last week I did great staying active while I was on my vacation. I went to the gym with my mom twice (and I actually lifted! This is a big deal for me). I did some lifting at home, as well. I would like to get a nice weight area set up there for myself. We've got all the bars and weights that I would need to do some good squats and deadlifts. I did zumba twice and it kicked my ass and I loved it.

Buuuuut, I still ate a lot. No amount of exercise can really cancel out the beer and the goldfish. I think I'm going to start tracking what I eat to stay accountable to myself and make sure I'm eating well and keeping my nutrition nice and balanced and healthy. I'd like to lose twenty-ish pounds over the next few months or so. I'm tired of feeling gross all the time.

WWS

This week is going to be a little different since I'm traveling. I'm nixing the 7MM on Wednesday (not that I would do it anyway) since I'm leaving for home right after work.

• Tuesday - 3 miles
• Thursday - 2.5 miles
• Friday - zumba (?)
• Saturday - Race for the Cure 10K

I'm a little hesitant about doing zumba the day before the race because I bet I'll be sore. Buuuut that's okay. I'm not really looking to race too hard anyways.

After I got home from work yesterday, I slept for about 12 hours. It was glorious.

struggling.

I am struggling to find motivation these days. I haven't stopped running, but I am only doing about half of my runs that I plan out. This is what this week consisted of:

• Tuesday - 2.69 miles in 25:30 (9:28 pace)
• Saturday - 6.04 miles in 1:07:41 (11:12 pace)

Maybe I need to take a different approach to my running or something. Switch things up, get me motivated again. Or maybe I just need a little break. I'll get it soon, after these two upcoming races. I've got the Race for the Cure 10K in a week and Beach to Bay a week later. Maybe I'll take a week off after that. 

It's getting hot and humid, summer is coming. It's too hot for running in the summer. I should join a gym. 

Kare to Excel 8K recap

I'm pooped from getting up at 5:30AM but here's a quick recap of this morning's race.

I woke up bright and early, headed to my house to grab a quick pre-race snack, then made my way to campus. The race started promptly at 7AM. Josh left me pretty much as soon as the race started to keep his own pace, and I kept nice and steady at mine. 

It was an out and back course that was mostly along Ocean Drive. The wind wasn't horrible today, thank god. This run was pretty tough, considering that I haven't run five miles since the half marathon back in March. I managed to maintain a fairly constant pace. My first mile was definitely a little speedy, around 9:43, but I slowed down after that and my average pace was 10:02 min/mile. Excellent for me, especially maintaining it for five miles. I'm happy with the way things went. My final time was 50:27. Josh finished in about 48 minutes, so I wasn't too far behind him.

I chugged water and ate a banana while we waited for the awards and raffle give aways. They finally got to the 8K awards and did the men first. Josh got third in his age group, yeaaaaah Josh! Then they got to the women's, and the announcer totally skipped over my age group. I was like "say whaaaaat?!" So I went up to him afterward and asked him about it and it turned out he accidentally skipped over it because, well, I was the only one in my age group. So, I got first place by default! Hahahah, ain't no shame. I'm reppin' for the 20-24 year old ladies. I'm really surprised that no one else around my age was running! What gives?! 

I guess there's really not a whole lot more to say about the race. It was tough, and I missed my goal  of 50 minutes by 27 seconds, but it went well, and I got a gold medal, and now I am going to take a well deserved nap.

HALF MARATHON - TAKE TWO!

I am officially registered for my second half marathon! Rock 'N Roll San Antonio in November 2012. I'm pretty stoked. Training will most likely begin in September. It will be nice not starting from scratch for training. It will take a lot less time and be less difficult, I imagine. Assuming I keep up my fitness levels until then.. but I feel confident that I will! 

Right now I am setting a goal to complete it in less than two and a half hours. That's only shaving about four minutes off of my first one. I think I can do it. I just need to remember to hold back in the beginning and not tire myself out. Also - GELS. Why have I not been using gels at all for my long runs?!

WWS

Here is my weekly workout schedule for this week.

• Monday - 3 miles
• Tuesday - 2.5 miles
• Wednesday - 7MM
• Saturday - Kare to Excel 8K

We'll see how this turns out... I woke up drenched in sweat this morning and I feel really run down. Hopefully I can muster the energy to get my runs done. I better not be getting sick.

My mom is coming into town to visit this weekend and she's going to come see my race! I'm excited. Josh and I have a set a goal of 50 minutes. I'm not sure I can sustain a 10:00 min/mile pace for five miles, but I'm going to do my damndest. It better not be a windy repeat of the 10K...

another race!

..and I've pretty much met my goal of four races during the year. I just registered for the 2012 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 10k! It's in San Antonio on May 12th, and I planned on being home that weekend for my brother's graduation and Mother's Day anyways! So why not run a 10K? I'm trying to get my mom to walk the 5K, too

So with that and the Kare to Excel 8K on April 28th, that makes four races. And then Beach to Bay is the weekend after the Race for the Cure. These races keep me motivated and accountable to keep up with my running.

WWS

Last week was kind of a bust. It was a tough week in a lot of aspects. I only ran twice, missed my two mid-week runs.

• Monday - 3.63 miles in 36:20 (10:00 pace)
• Saturday - 4.07 miles in 44:19 (10:53 pace)

This week looks something like this:

• Monday - gym for lifting
• Tuesday - 3 miles
• Wednesday - 7MM week 4 (or should it be week 3 since I missed last week?)
• Friday - 2 miles
• Saturday - 4.5 miles

I registered for that 8K yesterday, so that's on my schedule for next Saturday.

race on the horizon.

Once I get paid on Friday, I am going to be registering for the Kare to Excel 8k race on April 28th. I'm scheduled to run 5 miles that day, anyways. Might as well make it a race. It's only $25, too. Josh is going to do it with me. It's nice and close, right on campus!

working my way back up.

So I finally got a run in on Friday, my first since the race. I decided to stick with the easy, short 5K neighborhood route that I frequented during training. It was strange running it, knowing that the half marathon had already come and gone. But I was glad to be getting back out there after almost two weeks of resting my foot.

It is insane how much fitness can be lost so quickly. This run was quite hard. It doesn't help that I've been smoking more lately (blech). I wanted to quit a few times during the run. I couldn't believe that I was having such a hard time when just two weeks ago I ran 13.1 miles fairly easily. Oh well, I'll just have to get back to that point. I can't imagine it'll take that long since I'm not really starting from scratch.

But the positive note to the run was that I had no foot pain, during or after. So I'll be sticking with 3-4 mile runs mostly for now, just to make sure nothing pops up.

Next scheduled race: Beach to Bay marathon relay in May. I'm in the process of organizing my team.

first race recap!

My first real race, the 2012 Surf N Turf 10k, is OVER! And let me tell you, it was a doozy. I was a bit concerned about it before hand, not because of the distance but because of the sand. I had never run on sand before and I wasn't sure what the beach was going to be like on race day. It turned out to be perfect. Lots of hard packed, flat sand for everyone to run on.

We got there nice and early to get a decent parking spot and we enjoyed some tunes while I sipped a cup of coffee and had a couple of pre-race jitter bathroom breaks. Finally, the runners started to line up. Half marathoners went first, promptly at 9AM, and us 10k-ers started two minutes after. The first leg of the race was a little disheartening. The wind was strong and people were passing us left and right. We ended up being at the end of the pack of 10k runners. Then 5k people started passing us. Well, it proves that slow and steady wins the race because we soon began to pass a ton the 10k runners that had passed us initially.

The first 4 miles of the race were divine. The beach was beautiful, the weather was PERFECT, and even though there were six year old children passing me I didn't care. My pace felt good and peppy and we even started to pick up beach garbage while we ran. According to Josh's GPS, our first three miles were paced something like 10:20, 9:54, and 10:15. Oh yes, it was lovely.

Until the turn around. Holy god, the turn around. Until then we had been running with the wind. All of a sudden, after already running four miles, I was expected to run into winds of who knows how fast. Our pace dropped to more than a 12 minute mile. Unbelievable. I was jogging, just trying to keep up momentum, and I was going as fast as people that were walking. I wanted to cry at a few points because it was the toughest running that I have ever, ever, ever done. But I pushed on, cursing occasionally, and after 2 miles we were back on the pavement facing a sign that so joyously stated '0.9 miles left!' We were now running in a different direction and the wind lessened a bit.

Those two miles took so much out of me and we were getting dangerously close to our goal time of 69 minutes. I didn't think I was going to make it and at that point I didn't really care. I just wanted it to be over. Finally, the finish line was in sight and that's when my nausea hit. After pushing so hard on the beach with the wind, and then trying to pick up the slack once we hit pavement again, I was at my maximum. I told Josh I thought I was going to throw up and he simply told me "Wait 'till the end." So I did. We rounded the corner and sprinted to the finish line. Final time: 1:07:25. I made my goal, with a few minutes to spare.

Once we started walking, I started gagging. I didn't reaaaaally throw up but a little bit of Gatorade came up, I'll admit. After a few minutes of walking I was right back to normal and jogged around the parking lot a little. We bided our time while waiting for the results to post by eating bananas, downing cups of water, and stretching. And finally, the 10k results were up... and....

I GOT THIRD PLACE IN MY AGE GROUP! Not even out of three! There were five runners in my group. And I didn't place last. It was the best feeling in the world. I won a medal and got to stand on one of those special 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place podium things and get my picture taken. After the hardest run of my life, and my first true race ever, I actually placed. It ruled, and I am officially addicted to races. Also, I won a free dinner for two in the door prize drawing. Overall, a total win.


I've got five weeks until my half marathon and I am feeling good about it. I can totally fucking do this.

stuffy nose, stuffy weather.

I woke up Tuesday with congestion from hell and an irritated throat. I stayed home from work and, obviously, opted out of my three mile run. I've got my 10K on Saturday, anyways, so I know it's not going to hurt to taper a little bit, even if it is a shorter race. Hopefully I'll be feeling up to running tomorrow. It does suck, though, because I had set a goal for myself to not miss any training runs this month and now I have missed one.

I've armed myself for battle today, though. Yesterday I spent all day resting on the couch. Today I brought healthy food to work (soup, carrots, apple slices, an orange, strawberries, and oatmeal for breakfast), I'm staying hydrated with lots of water and hot tea, and I've got cough drops and Emergen-C, along with Mucinex and Excedrin already in my system. Hopefully with another good night's sleep I'll have kicked whatever this is.

brief, tired.

Saturday's eight miles... oh boy. It was tough. I was at a slower pace than I've been in a while but I don't give a shit because I still ran eight miles. It took me an hour and a half. Over an 11:00 min/mile pace. Whatevz.

Running my first official 10K this weekend! It'll be nice to have an easier long run day (although the race is on the beach, which may prove more difficult than I'm anticipating). I'm going to enjoy the mileage cut back because the following week is 9.5 miles. HOLY. SHIT. How am I going to do it? My brain is my worst enemy on these runs. Boredom is brutal. Must find entertainment. But even though it seems unfathomable, I know I'll manage, even if I want to die and sleep in a lawn before finishing.

Early to bed tonight and for the rest of the week. I've got some serious sleep to catch up on.

getting my head back in the game.

It was a close call, but I did get my run done yesterday. I almost bailed again due to a post-work nap, but I got myself moving and did 4.06 miles in 44:38. Just under an 11:00 min/mile. I'm seeing an improvement in my pace trends. It used to be over an 11:00 pace every time, and lately it's all been below. Progress! Aiming for a three mile run tonight to catch up and get back on my schedule.

My eating has been bad and I think I'm realizing it's because I was getting bored with my diet. I eat generally the same things every day for lunch and my boredom was causing me to go down to the food court and get something different than what I had brought. So rather than bringing the same old salad every day I am trying to find different ways to get the fruits and veggies into my lunch. Today I brought a little bit of pasta with homemade tomato sauce and some leftover asparagus and butternut squash. I brought an apple and some carrots as a snack.

I just registered for a 10K in January, too! Just a little something to keep me motivated through the winter. It's the Surf N Turf 10K on the island. So far I'm going it alone, but I'll see if I can't recruit some buddies.

oof.

Yesterday was ridiculous. I was a bit ambitious, I think. I did my run in the morning and after going to a cold stunned turtle training session I lounged for a little bit. When it starts to near time to head downtown, Roommate asks if I want to bike. I decided it sounded like a great idea so off we went. It about 7 miles downtown, and it ended up being about 50 minutes.

Once we got downtown we paid for the race and then I started running. I was running with a friend's man, who has long legs and a huge stride, so I was just trying to keep up the pace with him. The run was actually only about a mile and a half, but we did it in 12:50, making the run a 8:33 min/mile. WTF. No wonder I was dying. But I did it and we were done and then we went to have a few beers.

Around 9PM we started the bike back home, which was miserable. My legs were so tired, well, really my whole body was tired. But we finally made it and my legs hurt and my butt hurt from the bike seat and I was so glad to get home to a hot shower and crawling into bed. I think I burned about 1,500 calories with everything I did. Craaazy.

While it really was a great day and I'm glad I moved around so much, I can honestly say that I am grateful I don't have to run again 'till Tuesday.

another race on the horizon.

Roommate just informed me there is a 3K downtown on Saturday night for the Harbor Lights Festival. I just registered for it! It is benefiting the Ronald McDonald House. I'm scheduled to run four miles that day so I may be a little crazy and run the four miles in the morning and then do the 3K that evening. It starts at 6PM. Bad idea? We even get free scarves out of it!

It is my Friday. All I have on my weekend agenda (aside from the race and festival now) is tonight's run, making Christmas presents, and frolicking at the park tomorrow morning. I'll probably throw in a glass or two of wine somewhere in there, as well.

Also, I made guacamole last night and it's delicious. Very simple, too. It's just avocado, garlic salt, lemon juice, and a little bit of Rotel. Nom nom nom.

I shall return here later to recap tonight's three miler.