Run Down Memory Lane –

Sunday, the day after Nicole, Heather and I ran the Ho Ho Ho Virtual half, I decided to do a 10 mile run around Channahon.  I started off in our neighborhood and as I ran around the outside loop I tried to name everyone that lived there while growing up.  I did our neighborhood and then ran down the hill and made it to Route 6 (main road in town).  I was wearing the same outfit I wore for the Ho Ho Ho Virtual half.  People were definitely noticing me.  I ran down route 6 one way, turned around and back the other way.  At one point I ended up by my old school – where I went to pre-school and middle school.  It is also the school that has the old softball fields where I played Jr High softball.  That made me think of state softball, then came state basketball.  It is weird how some things have completely changed.  The big green building is no longer green – it’s brown.  Then there are other things that haven’t changed at all.

 Christmas running outfit - Runnin Elf

Overall it was a good run.  A quicker pace (8:42 pace) than I intended, but it didn’t feel taxing.  I could have kept going.  I think this is as good as it is going to get for Goofy training.  I did several back-to-back runs (15Ks/half marathons).  Several long runs of 16, 18, & 20 miles.  And I have my NYE Double half marathon yet to come.  Now all I have to do is some major shopping for Goofy outfits!

Ho Ho Ho (Virtual) half marathon –

Saturday morning before Christmas Nicole and I planned to run a virtual half marathon together to practice running together for Goofy.  Our friend Heather decided join, so we ran at Waterfall Glen.  I had never been there before, but it is a nice running path.  It is a 9.5 mile loop that is the crushed gravel path.  There are some pretty hilly parts, but thankfully we ran down Big Bertha.  I was a bit nervous to run with Nicole and Heather, because I tried to at Thanksgiving and they tried to kill me.  Both are stronger runners than me and I just couldn’t hang.  This time Nicole promised me they would take it easy.  We wanted to be around a 9 minute pace.

As we started off, it was a cold day, but the sun was out and there was no wind, so it was pretty good running conditions.  Nicole did a great job of keeping Heather in check and keeping the pace easy.  We did one loop around and then ran an out and back portion.  We ended up running 13.22 miles.  The .22 miles was in honor of it being the 22^nd.  I ended with a time of 1:57:53 (8:55 pace).  Dang near perfect!  Majority of the miles were between 8:50 – 9:10.  Only 2 miles were faster than that, and one of them was the last mile where it was OK to pick it up a bit. 

The starburst looking loop!

Several people commented on the fact that we were wearing race bibs and was wondering what was going on.  We had to explain it was a ‘virtual’ half and could be run anywhere. Then we would ‘race’ to be in the lead.  I am happy to report that I took 3^rd place at this race.  Yes, out of the 3 of us J.

Jingle Bell 5K – Dallas

This was a Wednesday night run in downtown Dallas.  I was flying out bright-n-early Thursday morning and figured this would be a good race to run right before leaving and see some of the running friends.  I got lucky and one of my friends knew a promo code, so this race was completely free.  Score!  I didn’t know how popular it was, they have an untimed  and a timed option.  The weather was crazy warm for a Jingle Bell run.  It was in the upper 70s and humid. 

It took placed in the Hilton Anatole which was all decked out for the holidays.  There were tons of families, strollers and dogs.  Parking was a bit of a hassle so I was glad I got down there pretty early.  It gave me plenty of time to check out the decorations and wander around the start to find friends. 

My main focus for the past few months has been building up the longer runs and back-to-back running.  I have only ran 1 5K in the past 6+ months, so needless to say I had no expectations.  I was hoping to keep an 8 minute pace.  Started off too fast (as always) and quickly settled down.  They had clocks at each mile point and the first 2 miles went pretty well.  The third mile was a bit of a struggle.  I kept thinking I had covered more ground than I had.  At one point I looked at my watch and I was only at 2.3 miles and I could have sworn I was at least past the 2.6 mile mark.  I just kept pushing and finished with a 23:37.  A whole 2 second PR.  I was pretty shocked because I didn’t expect to be close a PR.

I ran a 7:28, 7:40 & 7:42 with a 7:24 pace to finish.  Relatively consistent for me at a short race.  Good enough for 7^th place in my age group out of 70 people.  I will take it!  It is a flat course and I had fun running at night.  However it is kind of a mess at the start.  I think they should start the untimed participants a few minutes later to avoid some of the congestion. 

Afterwards you can hang out in the ballroom for free pizza, beer, and other treats!  They have music and fun.  Then it was home to finish packing and head to Illinois in the morning.

Motivation Monday

Make it happen – that has been a saying of mine pretty recently.  You can’t just wait for things to happen you have to do something about.  Someone (not sure who) said – ‘The harder I work, the luckier I get.’  I fully believe in that statement.

The past week, I made my running happen.  Some of them may not have been my fastest miles, may not have been the easiest, but I did them!  Less than 1 month until Goofy so now is the time to take it easy and not stress the legs!  With 12 on Wednesday and an extremely easy 10 on Saturday I feel better.

Another big thing that happened over the weekend is I reach 1,000 MILES for the year!  Go me!  Go me!

I also did a lot of eating out, but tried to keep it as healthy as I could.  Still ate way too much in general.  We had our work Christmas party Friday afternoon, then Friday night I went to the Macaroni Grill – there mac-n-cheese bites are AWESOME!  Saturday I had Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, Chuy’s (Mexican) for lunch and Blue Fish (Sushi) for dinner.  I ordered the basic California roll and everyone else let me try some of theirs.  I am proud of all the different sushi I ate, and now I got a better idea of what I like

I am packed and ready to go home.  Volleyball Tuesday and a 5K on Wednesday – fly out Thursday morning!

Three Things Thursday

1.      One month from today, I will have completed the Goofy Challenge!  We have been talking about it for so long and now it is here.  The next two weekends are the biggest training weekends.  After that it is taper time!  This weekend I am going for a 10ish mile run with my friend Megan on Saturday.  Sunday I will have to motivate myself to go for a long run.  Next weekend I will be running a virtual half with Nicole in Illinois and hopefully able to get in some more miles even with all the family fun time

2.      Yesterday was 12-12-12:  How did I celebrate, like many others, going for a 12 mile run.  It was not a pretty run, but I did it and right now I am just focused on getting the miles done.  I did 8.5 miles in the morning, went shopping and then went back out for 3.5 that afternoon.  I am 5.5 miles away from hitting 1,000 miles for the year!  Those will be done on Saturday.

3.      Tonight is gym night – I have my bag packed.  I am planning on a 1.0 mile jog to warm up, lifting my arms, and a 1.0 mile cool down.  I am really enjoying being back in the gym and really hope that I can keep it up.

Dallas (White Rock) Marathon weekend –

Marathon atmospheres are the best.  Everyone is so supportive and encouraging to each other.  I had a great time cheering on runners and jumping in for a few miles around the lake.  While I was waiting for Megan to show up I was cheering on all the runners and one guy asked why I wasn’t out there running.  He said I was too fit not to be running it.  Score 1 for my self-esteem!

I parked my car at Winfrey Point which was between mile 16 and 17 and the plan was to run to mile 13 and wait for Megan, get in 3 miles beforehand.  I probably should have looked at the map a bit closer to see that mile 13 wasn’t right on the lake, so I took a detour.  Finally got it all figured out, and ended up doing 5 miles, but got to the right spot.  Jumped in with Megan and ran to mile 18.  She was doing great and I didn’t feel like I was helping her out all that much because she didn’t need it.  (She finished at 4:07, well below her target time).  I did 10.5 miles out there.  Came home and got some food, then went back out for another 5.5 miles.  Total for the day: 16 miles.

If I can get in two more long runs the next 2 weekends I will feel confident for Goofy. 

I am also 24.5 miles away from hitting 1,000 miles on the year.  Although this is the first time I have ever really tracked my miles for the full year, I am confident that this is the first time I have it the 1,000 mile mark.  Go me!!!

5 for Friday –

1.      Workouts – This week my workouts have been spot on.  I ran everyday Monday – Thursday and was at the gym on Thursday and did some lifting.  Although I am not lifting a lot, it is making me feel better.  I LOVE the soreness in my shoulders and arms.  A tip one of my trainer friends gave me is to keep a small notebook in my gym bag to write down my settings and weights so I remember for next time and can track improvement.  With only going to the gym once a week, I tend to forget where exactly I was the week before.  Handy little tip – not rocket science.

2.      Darts – I subbed in on a dart team at Yucatan last night for a bit.  And I actually wasn’t that bad.  Pretty impressed with myself.  I think it was all beginners luck, but by the end, I was actually aiming.  I might even have to play next week.  It feels good to be back at Yucatan and see everyone.  Typical Thursday.

3.      White Rock Marathon – This Sunday I will be running miles 13-20 of the White Rock Marathon with my friend Megan.  I am really excited to be helping her out and to be in the marathon atmosphere.  All of what I am running is around the lake, which is very familiar ground for both of us.

4.      Eating – I barely ate out at all this week – Score!!!  On Tuesday I had some chips and queso at the bar before volleyball, but that was expected.  Other than that, I have been pretty good about not eating out and limiting my holiday goodies.

5.      2013 – 2012 has flown and I cannot believe it is already December, so much has happened.  That being said – I can’t believe everything I have planned for 2013.  The first couple months are going to start off huge and then hopefully things will taper down a bit.  Always striving for more!

Nutrition is the key to everything –

It seems like as soon as I ‘fall off the workout wagon’ even for a day or two, my eating goes right along with it.  I have felt like blah the last 2 weeks and guess what?  I ate a lot of crap food during those two weeks.  Saturday and Monday I did some major cooking and made all my lunches and snacks for the entire week.  Eating better has already turned around how my body feels.  I have done 3 miles both Monday and Tuesday, I feel good and it has been fun.

When I eat like crap, I feel like crap!  When I eat good, I feel good!

It is also holiday season – meaning tons of goodies and gift baskets.  Must keep the moderation!  I know I am not going to stay away from the treats all together, but I am trying to make as few trips as possible to the break room (where all the treats are), so I am not as tempted.

Volleyball went well last night.  We lost most of our games, but I felt I played well.  On regular I had a couple of really good digs when the guys were hitting and then on reverse I remembered where I was supposed to be and got my hands on many balls when blocking.  Next I will work on reaching over the net.  Didn’t really hit or serve remarkably well, but every week I am getting a different aspect of my game back and hopefully soon, they will all be clicking together!

Tonight’s workout will hopefully consist of a 5-7 mile run and some push-ups and sit-ups.  Then a relaxing night on the couch.

Where did my mojo go?

I think I have been so focused on Goofy for so long, that I have now lost interest.  I have had no motivation to run.  I was doing so well for a while and now I have just flopped.  I started a run on Saturday and quit about a mile into it.  Then I just all together skipped Sunday.  At least I have already done an 18 and a 20 mile run, so I got the necessary long ones in.  Time to get my head back in the right spot.  No more lazyiness or excuses.

Yesterday, I think I got some of my mojo back.  I ran 3 miles, cooked all my lunches, made all my snacks for the rest of the week and even threw in some push-ups (50) and sit-ups (100) for good measure.  I have no excuses not to run this week.  Everything is done that needs to be done and I am ready.  The weather is still gorgeous and I plan on getting in another good run after work and before volleyball.

This weekend I think I am going to go watch the Dallas (White Rock) Marathon.  I might even run part of it with my friend.  Hopefully the energy and the environment will get me going again!