Race Day Eve!

Hi all!

   I figured I should do one last post before the race. The next time you hear from me, I will have lots of race day pictures and a recap! :)

   Tonight, my parents, my aunt, and my cousin all came from New York for the race. It is really overwhelming to know that they came all the way here just to see me stumble across the finish line, sweaty and disoriented. I know that having them there will be such great motivation to keep going. Today, Tim and I spent the morning shopping for a big party that my in-laws are throwing at the house after the race to celebrate me running the half marathon. It's really crazy to know that so many people are cheering me on. My nervousness and anxiety for the race is quickly turning to excitement.

Shoes and race uniform ready to go! Please don't judge my messy dresser.....

 I feel ready to race! I have almost 3 hours of music on my iPod, my clothes are laid out and I have drank more water in the past week that I did in the previous two months combined ;) I feel sentimental, because only one short year ago I was running .6 miles before I had to stop. It's really amazing to set your mind to something, and then actually see it staring you in the face. I visualized myself finishing the race in my mind a million times, and cried almost every single time. Fortunately, I don't think I'll have enough moisture left in me to actually cry tomorrow at the finish line. Which is good, because I don't want to be THAT girl.

  I'm sorry that this post is a little rambling, but like I said, I'm pretty sentimental and overwhelmed and tired and excited and every single thing in between right now. It's actually pretty awesome. I hope to share a great deal of pictures with you tomorrow (or maybe the next day....) of me before, during, and after the race.

 I will leave you with the reason for all of this. My Uncle Tom. I know that when I feel like stopping tomorrow, I just have to feel the breeze and know it is him pushing me along. We love you and miss you.

Lessons Learned!

Well, since I'm writing this, you all know that I did indeed survive the 12 mile run! Woop woop!

I did survive the run somehow, and learned a few lessons along the way. I think that these are important for anyone looking to run longer distances to know, and I thought I would share them. Im sure that lots of other runners have learned these lessons, either the hard way or the easy way, but I figured I would share :)

Lesson #1: Sports Bras are worth it.
If you're anything like me, you walk past the sports bra display in Dicks and laugh. "Fifty bucks for a sports bra?! You have to be kidding me."

No, sadly. They are not kidding you.

During my run, the last thing on my mind was my sports bra. Afterwards, when I jumped in the shower, something awful happened. The hot water hit the skin on my back and I honestly for a second thought I was dying. Turns out I wasn't dying, but the skin on my back had totally chafed! I have no idea how this happened. My cheap-o cotton blend sports bra had caused the skin on my back to literally rub off. First it stung like a sunburn, and now it itches like no other! Bottom line: Invest in the good sports bra, unless you want your skin to rub off. And Im not sure how much you want to mess with that, especially in the bra region :)


Lesson #2: iPods are a great idea.
Two hours and forty three minutes alone with my own thoughts was more than I needed. 

Lesson #3: When you're sure your body has had enough, and couldn't possibly go any father, you can put one foot in front of the other and keep going.
I hit a wall at mile 10.5. I was starting to fall pretty far behind my running partners, and I was insanely far behind Tim and our coach, Tom. Coach Tom ended up coming all the way back to run with me, and thank goodness he did. In someone's front yard in Southport, I had what I think is an Exercise Induced Bronchospasm. My chest got tight, and I couldn't breathe without making this awful noise. I was able to breathe my way through it using some things I had learned in yoga. After a couple minutes of walking, I knew I should start to run again. And I somehow managed to get it together to run another 1.5 miles to the finish.



Lesson #4: Your running friends are more than just friends.
The friendships you make with the people you run with are unreal. You are instantly bonded with them. I know how close I feel with the girls I run with that I met through Team in Training. I instantly bonded with Coach Tom, too. He gave me so much advice and I am really very thankful for him. After our run, we hung out and ate fruit and bagels, drank chocolate milk, and told each other how awesome they were. Running friends are the best.


Here are the stats from this past run.

Distance: 12.04 miles 

Time: 2:43:50 

Pace: 13:36 (Slower than I'd like, but this includes where I stopped for my bronchospasm so I think I technically ran maybe closer to a 13 min mile)

Temperature: Beautiful, sunny, and upper 70s

Miles on my Kayanos: Honestly, I lost count. I have 107 miles on my watch, with a few runs I have done without my watch. Let's call it 120 miles :)

Half Marathon Countdown: 11 days!

Long Overdue Update!

Hi everyone!

Sorry that there has been such a lag in posts. Life has been crazy busy! I have still been running, and now the countdown to the marathon is on!! I figured I would bullet the updates so it would be easier to read.


1. So far, I have raised $1,310 in memory of my Uncle Tom for Team in Training! My goal is to raise $1,500 in his name, so I only have $190 to go. The deadline for donating is coming up soon, so I'm hoping I can make it in time.

2. Running has been going really well! Last weekend, I ran 10 miles in Milford with Tim, Kate, and Sarah. Coach Cindy was there with water stops and bananas and chocolate milk at the finish :) I was really, really happy to hit the 10 mile mark. Almost to 13! I stopped to walk a few times, but overall I was pretty happy. It took me 2 hours and 5 minutes to run the 10 miles. We have a long run next weekend of 12 miles, and then we have a short run after that. The weekend after that is the race! Holy cow! 

3. Countdown update: The race is THREE WEEKS from today! I can't wait.

Tonight, Tim's brother Josh came upstairs and mentioned that he was hoping to get a corner desk in his room. I immediately thought of the desk that my Uncle Tom hand made for me when I mentioned that I liked the desk in his daughter Jodi's room. I was really emotional for a minute to think about it in someone else's hands. But I feel happy knowing that even after his passing, my Uncle Tom's craftiness and generosity lives on. And it's moments like that that make me remember why I am doing what I am doing.

Talk to you all soon! Hopefully with an update after my 12 miler next weekend.

GO TEAM! :)

Checking in!

Hi everyone! 

 I wanted to check in and say hello. I have been keeping up with my training schedule fairly well. There are days I skip, but I try to make that up during the next run. I am really feeling good about my training though, which is so awesome. I really feel like if the half marathon was tomorrow, I could do it! I was explaining this to Tim and he said "It's all about pacing. You feel like you can run all day because you are running at the right pace." I think that is a really important thing to keep in mind. Running at a pace that you can handle means you can run a lot farther. It made me feel good, because even though I dont run at the fastest pace, I run at what is right for me to be able to run the 13.1 miles.

Yesterday, we had an AWESOME event through TNT! They had a "poker run" to benefit Team Brenna. Brenna was a 5 year old who lost her battle with a blood cancer at age 5. We each paid $10, then ran our 7 miles. There were three stops along the way, and at each stop, we got water and a few playing cards. We marked off our poker sheets with our cards and kept running. I felt really, really lucky to have two other people to run with. Kate, who I ran with on the Trumbull trails for my first 6 mile run, and Sarah. We are all around the same pace with a similar goal for the half marathon, so it feels great to run with them! They keep me motivated to keep going.

Here we are at the final water stop, at 5.3 miles:

It is really great to have the support that I have through TNT and I am so grateful to have met the people I have! I am already planning my next half marathon because this is really a great feeling.

Oh! And the best part of the day? I won the poker game! I got a t-shirt, TNT car magnet, bag, water bottle, and free registration for my next TNT event.

I will check back in soon, it is much harder to update now after every run because we are running much more often now. But I will keep you updated the best I can!

Thanks everyone.
ALSO I am starting my half marathon playlist, so get your ideas ready! I'll ask for suggestions in the next few posts :)

Another day, Another run

This is essentially how I feel after this weekend.

I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now.

Today, Tim, his dad, and I ran the Donnelly Dash in Fairfield. This is a 3.5 mile road race that benefits a couple from Fairfield who were killed when someone robbed their store. It was really amazing to see so many people there. They had 225 people running, and lots of people walking.

Anyway, I didn't quite make my goal for a 36 minute race. But, I came fairly close. I finished in 38:49, with a 10:58 pace. I am pretty happy too because my last mile was my fastest! I was determined to beat this bonehead that was running near me, so I really turned it on at the end. It makes me wish I had turned it up a little sooner! But anyway, I am happy with that. And now, the usual run down....

Distance: 3.5 miles 

Time: 38:49

Pace: 10:58

Temperature: 40's and sunny. So nice!

Miles on my Kayanos: 52.2 miles

So, that makes my total for this weekend 9.5 miles. That's pretty good for me! The most I had ever run in a two day span before this was 8.0 miles. I am going to take tomorrow off, because I am in some pain from running. Im going to take the extra time to let my blisters and some pain in my shins ease up.

I may be crazy, but I signed up to do the track workout on Tuesday again. I am hoping that it is a much better day for me than last time :)

Oh! And in case anyone is wondering, I did beat the bonehead. Girl power! I think Shosh said it best....

Awesome Saturday :)

Today was a really awesome day. I started off with a run, then Tim and I took Sawyer to her doggy class, then we volunteered with some other Quinnipiac alumni for a veterans shelter in Bridgeport. Definitely a cool experience!

My run today was really great. I ran with Kate, a fellow TNT-er who is running in honor of her dad. We did a nice, easy six miles. It was awesome to run farther than I have ever run before! 

We actually ran FASTER from miles 3-6! I think its because the wind was to our backs, and on the way out in the trails we were running right into it. I felt great the whole way, no pain! I did manage a huge blister but I am more impressed with it than anything.

Here are today's stats:

Distance: 6.0 miles 

Time: 1:15:38

Pace: 12:28

Temperature: 33 degrees but sunny

Miles on my Kayanos: 48.7 miles

 Kate and I right after our 6 miles!

Still cant believe I was able to run 6 miles without stopping. I really feel like if I can do it, anyone can!! 

Tomorrow we are running a 3.5 mile race in Fairfield so I will do my best to update everyone on how that goes! I am hoping for under 36 minutes, but we will see. That will definitely be pushing myself pretty hard, but I am hoping to do it.

Thanks for reading! :)

"These calves are on fiyahhhh"

As you can tell by the name of this blog post, I have re-worked the Alicia Keys song into my own version that I continue to serenade Tim with. 

I had 3 "easy" miles on my TNT training schedule to run today, so I got home and got them done right away. Basically, it means just run them and don't really extend yourself too much. I figured I could handle that ;) They hurt, but I did them. Soooo.... I am trying to stay positive on that note. 

Here are today's boring stats ;) :

Distance: 3.0 miles 

Time: 34:38

Pace: 11:32 

Temperature: 50 beautiful degrees!

Miles on my Kayanos: 42.7 miles (I've got a couple runs that I didn't blog about)

MORE importantly is our FUNDRAISING success! We had two more people donate to us yesterday, which was awesome. 

                                                               

Tiff Bell

Jodi Giroux

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THE LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY IN MEMORY OF MY UNCLE, TOM GIROUX!!

The good news is, Tim and I combined need only $355 to reach our goal! We are so happy, we are thinking of raising our goal a little higher.

To everyone who has donated so far, start watching your mail! We are mailing out a special thank you to everyone who has donated to us so far.

For those of you who dont know, or have forgotten, we are running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in memory of my Uncle Tom Giroux, who lost his battle with Lymphoma in 2010. You can donate by clicking at the top of the page where it says "Donate". Every little bit helps! 

Okay all, I will be back on Saturday or maybe Sunday. I have 6 miles on tap Saturday morning with my fellow TNT-er, Kate! Then 3.5 in the Donnelly Dash race in Fairfield. EEEEK! 

Hi everyone! 

   I promise I have been running, I just have not been updating like I should. We have had a crazy few weeks. Hope everyone had a nice Easter!

   I have been debating posting what I am about to say because I still feel so conflicted about it. But, this is a blog about my journey, and the feelings I have are all a part of my journey. Who knows, maybe it will even help me.

   Last night, I went to a TNT running group. For those of you who don't know, when running through Team in Training, you are provided with running coaches and mentors who host meet ups all around the state. I posted about my first one a few weeks ago in New Canaan. Last night's meet up was in Brookfield, and was a little different. It was a track workout, so I didn't actually "just run". Our workout went like this:
   - 1 mile of light jogging around the track
   - 6 200 meter runs, each time trying to shave 1 second off of your time
   - 4 300 meter runs, again trying to shave a second off each time
   - 2 400 meter runs, you guessed it -- shaving a second or two off of each time
   - 1/2 mile cool down

   I am already crying as I begin to organize my thoughts to start typing. 

   I want to just start off by saying that the people I met at this particular run were amazing. Jenn, who is a pastor and is running in honor of a friend from her congregation who is thanfully in remission.. And Glen, who is completing a triathalon in memory of his brother who lost his battle 26 years ago. And our coach, Alan, an incredible athlete who taught me so much.They were so supportive and I loved running with them. 

   But last night was incredibly hard for me. I began by running the first mile at a jogging pace. I was able to keep up with the other runners for the whole mile! I felt pretty good. We completed some exercises to keep our ligaments in our hips and knees nice and loose. Again, I was able to keep up and felt pretty good.

  Then, we split up to start our 200s. I started out at 1:07 for my first one, and got all the way down to :55 for my final one! Again, I felt pretty good. It was hard always coming in last. Tim and Glen were super fast, and Jenn was ahead of me, also. But, I did it, and shaved over 10 seconds off of my time, so I felt great. We started our 300 meters, and Alan told me he suspected I wouldnt go too fast, because there comes a time in every workout where we just run out of energy. 

I was a little offended at first, but he was 100% right. 

For the next 5 descendings, I watched everyone else run. I pushed and pushed myself, but I had nothing left in the tank. Alan helped me by giving me some great advice on my form, because I was wasting energy by twisting my arms to the side to try and push myself to go faster when I was running out of steam. It was awesome advice, and I am definitely going to keep it in mind!

For our final cool down, I ran one lap. Then, Alan told me to "just walk" the last one.

Just. Walk.

I wanted to cry. I definitely fought back tears because I didn't want to be "that girl". I watched everyone else run it without a problem, as I walked it alone. I watched everyone stop at the end of the track and stand around to WAIT for me. I was humiliated. Alan had talked to me about how easy it is to get out of shape. All of the running and training I had been trying to do on my own didn't even show with my running yesterday. It was clear that it appeared as though I just woke up and decided to run that day, and had never even trained in the past. I can't imagine how much less I would have been able to do if I had tried to do that workout a few months ago. I thought I was doing so well with my training, and this workout made me feel like I still have so much farther to go. It's making me doubt that I will ever be able to finish the race. 

What has stuck with me is the encouragement that I did get. Jenn was so great it telling me that I could do it, and she congratulated me when I was able to take some time off of my 200's. Alan was so helpful with his advice and his patience with me. 

I got in the car, and cried my eyes out. I got to work this morning and cried my eyes out. (Sorry Wendy ;) ). But I keep trying to tell myself that this is a really big journey, and it will make crossing the finish line that much more rewarding.

I am fearful that a post like this will make me look weak or like a drama queen. But I hope that anyone who reads it understands that I am sharing it with you because I am hoping that as I look back on this journey, I will see it as just a little speed bump in the long road to running the race. This isn't something that I take lightly. This is a really hard thing for me, to be able to run 13.1 miles. And I guess I just want everyone to be able to see that. I keep running all of the rude things people have said to me about my running abilities and about me writing this blog through my head, even though I know I shouldn't. I should be focusing on the positives -- how much I am raising in memory of my uncle, the confidence being able to run this race will give me, etc. Hopefully letting it all out here will let me get it off of my chest and I can start to be excited and happy about my running again.

I'll post again soon, because I have my first 6 mile run this weekend. I'm hoping I can just get through that and that will help to motivate me and get me back on the right track. Thanks for anyone who made it this long;  brevity is not my forte.

See you soon. 

Happy St Patricks Day!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

We started our St Pattys Day with a 4 mile run in Fairfield. It was really cool because it finished along the beach right where the half marathon finishes in June! It was really awesome to run up the same finishing stretch that I know I will be running in just a few short months :) 

Tim and I ran the race today with Tim's dad Sky and Tim's friend Keith. It was really windy and super cold, but once I hit 1.75 miles I was sweating and so happy that I didn't have a hat or gloves on!

 Tim and I before the race! 

My big goal for today was to finish under 45 minutes, which I knew was going to be pretty hard. It would mean I would have to keep up an 11 minute pace for four miles. I havent really even come close to that yet:

Yesterday: 11:20 first 2 miles, then 12:35 for the second 2 miles

March 5th: 12:41 pace for 4.5 miles

January 12: 12:13 for 4 miles

So, this meant I had to keep a quick (for me -- not for most runners!) pace without stopping to walk. I figured it was impossible, but I came super close, which I am actually weirdly happy about. I missed it by 12 seconds according to my watch. I'm still waiting for the official results to be up. I didn't stop to walk (I had to slow down at one point, a car ran the stop sign), but I never walked! In fact, I really told myself to turn it up on the last stretch. I was able to drop my pace even lower in the final mile, which made me feel great. It makes me feel like I'm really ready to try some longer distances.

Snapshot of my run today

Distance: 4.0 miles 

Time: 45:12

Pace: 11:20 

Temperature: 35 degrees

Miles on my Kayanos: 35.3 miles

I also have some more exciting news! We had another donation to our TNT page! 

Thank you so much to Sky & Amy Wells, Tim's parents, for your donation!

According to our training schedule, we have the day off from running tomorrow! Woohoo! So we are free until Tuesday, when we have to run 4 miles.

See you later in the week!

Our TNT-filled Day!

We had a day full of Team in Training things! 

Our morning started at 6:15 -- we had our first Team in Training run with our teammates! Tim and I got to New Canaan at 7:30 am for a 4 mile run. We were able to meet our mentor, Jennifer and our coach Cindy for the training runs. We ran as a group, because our coach told us that they don't leave anyone behind! It was pretty cool. 

My running buddy :)

We ran a little over two miles to the New Canaan train station, where our coach Brian had water and Gatorade waiting for us. After a two minute refuel, we ran back through Waveny Park to our cars. Our last tenth of a mile was a HUGE hill! But with the help of my mentor Jen and another teammate Kate, we were able to get up the hill without stopping to walk :)

What an awesome place to run! If any of you reading this are local, definitely check this place out. Beautiful trails.

Image is from http://www.waymarking.com

The Team in Traning (TNT) experience was really cool. While we were running, some of the coaches who weren't running drove in their cars along the way cheering for us and ringing cowbells! It really helped to keep me motivated. It was so cool to have people cheering us on! I loved meeting the people on our team -- lots of whom have never run a half-marathon, either! I am excited to go through this journey with them.

Because today's run was broken up technically into two, and because I remembered a quarter mile into my second run to turn my watch on, the numbers aren't an exact picture of a 4 mile run for me. But close enough I guess. I guess what my run told me today is that with the encouragement of my teammates and coaches, I can keep improving! Here are the basic stats anyway:

Distance: 4.2 miles (split into two runs)

Time: 49:15 

Pace: 11:20 first 2 miles, 12:30 last 2 miles

Temperature: 32 degrees

Miles on my Kayanos: 31.3 miles

Today, Tim and I ordered some small tokens of our appreciation to give to everyone who donates to us. We cant wait for them to arrive and to mail them out to everyone who has supported us thus far! We have been really blessed with a lot of support. I want to take a minute to say thank you to the following people for their contribution, but more importantly, for their encouragement and support! 

Carol Giroux

Michele Perry

Stephanie Riley

Faith Girard

THANK YOU all so much for your help and love.

We also got our training schedule, which I LOVE! It is outlined much better than the previous one I had been using. I will go into more detail in a future post. Tim and I are signed up to run a 4 mile race tomorrow for St Patricks Day. Hope my legs stay attached! :-P

See you tomorrow! 

My Uncle Tom

No runnin the 'hood for me today, lots of wind! I am only slightly sore from doing the 4.5 yesterday, so I am pretty happy about that! We are expecting some snow in the next few days. Hopefully I can cross train tomorrow and then get back out this weekend.


So I figured I'd take the time to remind you of just why I am doing this.


My Uncle Tom was diagnosed with Lymphoma after feeling some pain in his lower back. He thought it was just some muscle pain from work he had been doing around the house and yard. Turns out, it was Lymphoma. He fought the disease off for 20 months before finally losing his battle in August of 2010. Just one short month before I met my husband, Tim. It makes me so sad that Tim never met him!

The great part about it though is that Tim has heard all of the wonderful stories about my Uncle. Like how he made a raw clam opener out of a knife and a block of wood. And how he one time climbed up on the roof at one of our family reunions to retrieve a stray balloon-rocket-thing. How much he loved good food, good wine, and even better music. How much time he spent building a dollhouse that still sits in my aunt's dining room. How much my uncle impacted everyone around him -- volunteering, giving advice, fixing things around the house. The list goes on!

But one thing that I personally will always cherish is learning from my Aunt and Uncles marriage. Here is a picture of their last Christmas together, nine months before my Uncle Tom lost his battle with Lymphoma. They were very much in love for their entire marriage. The kind of relationship we all strive for -- full of compromise, communication, and most importantly I have found in my six short months of marriage, support.

It would really mean a lot to me if you could donate to support a cure. I would love for there to be a day where no one has to lose their loved ones to a blood cancer, like we all lost my Uncle Tom. Every little bit counts -- $5, $10, whatever you can give. I would love for you to donate to either Tim's or my personal donation pages. We have to raise a total of $2,400 in order to race. I would really love to raise even more than that!

So I would love if you could please donate to my TNT FUNDRAISING in memory of my Uncle Tom.

Until a cure,
Erin

Remember I said he climbed up on the roof? ;)

A+ in Possum Anatomy

YESSSS! I did it :)

I just got back from running 4.5 miles! It is the longest distance I have ever run in one shot. I did stop quite a few times, which you can see in the graphic below. The red spots mark the places where I stopped to walk. 

I thought I had a rock in my sock, so I would stop to try and jiggle my foot around to wiggle it loose. I even stopped at one point right before the 4 mile mark to take my shoe off and shake it out, but the damn rock wouldn't come out! So, I gave up and kept running. When I got home, I took my sock off to check out the boulder that had been with me since mile 2 only to find out it was a blister!!!! No wonder it wouldn't come out when I shook my shoe ;)

I just feel the need to mention that if I never see the insides of another dead possum while I'm running, I'd be good. All this road running has definitely made me an expert on the anatomy of possums, squirrels, and birds. I also saw some other things on the road that would turn this blog from G rated to R rated real quick so I will just leave that up to your imagination.... ;)

SNOW in the forecast for the next few days, so I will most likely be cross training the next few days. No, I will definitely be cross training the next few days. 

Here are today's stats:

Distance: 4.50 miles

Time: 57:10 (YOWSA!)

Pace: 12:41 (all that walking sends my pace into a tailspin real quick!)

Temperature: 46 degrees and so wonderfully sunny :)

Miles on my Kayanos: 27.1 miles

Next run: 3.1 miles. I think I'll do a 5K and work more on my speed. Hoping for 5 miles by the end of next week! Woohoo!

Now, I am off to reward myself:

Tagalongs and Teen Mom 2... YESSS!

Something New....

What a busy weekend! I am totally pooped!

I know I said I would do a 3 miler today, but I did one better. I cross-trained instead and tried something totally new! I decided to try Pure Barre. Team in Training offered a free class down in Greenwich for any TNT participants. The best way I can describe it is mostly pilates with a little ballet and a touch of yoga. It was a hard workout! Its basically an hour of toning. There's no cardio or anything like that. Just small movements that absolutely KILL followed by some stretching :) They focused on arms, thighs, butt, and abs.  I would love to do it again! I am just weighing if it is worth another 45 minute drive......

Here is a video on Pure Barre if you want to learn about it!

It was so great to meet some of the other girls doing TNT. Two of them are running a half marathon in a few weeks. They did a 12 mile run before going to this class! I cant even imagine how sore they will be tomorrow.

I checked the weather for this week and it looks pretty good! It is supposed to be near 50 degrees here this week, so I am excited to get out and run. This week, Im going to try to do 4.5 miles, which I have never done before. By the end of next week, I want to be to 5 miles. Im almost back on track with my training, despite being sidelined for a few weeks after we got 3 feet of snow!


And now, even though its only 7:30, I'm off to do a little of this.

On the Road Again....

Well, I wasnt able to run on Tuesday because our new cat Otis disappeared and I spent the evening looking around everywhere for him! Luckily, our dog Sawyer was able to find him hiding in the garage the next morning and all is well in the world of Wells family pets again!

Wednesday was really crummy -- freezing rain and cloudy. I didn't want to run in the freezing rain because I was afraid I would get sick. So, when I got home today, I knew it was go time! 

I went a new route today that I have never run before. I wanted to get out of the 'hood, because as much as I love runnin it all the time, I needed a little break ;)  So I did a 3 miler today.

Todays run:

Distance: 2.97 miles

Time: 35:16

Pace: 11:51 (Its so sad to watch my pace go down when I stop to walk! :( )

Temperature: 44 degrees

Miles on my Kayanos: 22.6 miles 

I am bummed that I didn't just run a little farther up the street to make it to 3.0 miles exactly! In fact, I wish I did a 5K and just did 3.1. Doesn't look like we will be running that 5K on Sunday because some plans have changed -- but I'm going to try to run a 5K in the morning anyway. 

Tonights reward: Chardonnay :)

Back at it!

I am so excited!

I'm back at runnin the hood :)

After the snow from a few weeks ago has finally melted, I was able to get out there today! The only problem is that after weeks of not being able to run, it was HARD to run today. At one point, even though I was telling myself to keep going, my body just stopped and I started to walk. It is actually really pathetic because I didn't run very far today. However, I am excited because I got out there and did it :) It makes me feel much less guilty about my wine and cheese. 

Here are today's stats:

Distance: 1.7 miles

Time: 18:36

Pace: 10:49 

Miles on my Kayanos: 19.6 miles 

Today, I broke a few personal records. I ran my fastest 1k, which took me just over 6 minutes. Even cooler is that I ran my fastest mile with my new watch (I'm pretty sure I ran a faster pace at the Christopher Martin race in December before I got my watch for Christmas, but I'm not sure). My new personal record for a mile is 10:09! I feel safe to post this here because I dont think Tim reads my blog, but I am trying hard to run a 10:00 pace for the 5k race we are signed up for this coming Sunday. That would put me at finishing around 30:00. My personal best for a 5k is 32:50. So, it is definitely quite the challenge! It is shaving off quite a bit of time after not having run in almost a month.

I will keep everyone updated. Until then, I leave you with a quote from a favorite t.v. show of mine called The New Normal. A great reminder to me of the person who I am doing this for, my Uncle Tom, as well as all of the people in my life who have passed away from cancer.

"Love isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it can really throw you for a loop. The minute you start to love something, you accept the risk that someday, it might not be there. But with the sadness of lost love, it’s important to cherish all of the wonderful memories you shared together." 

I'm running tomorrow -- see you then

My Beloved Watch

I promised a post about my equipment!

I used to always jack Tim's watch, but the battery life was starting to seriously suck. It used to be great -- it really helped me to get my then-best time of 34:50 at the New Haven Labor Day 5k. I turned it on at the start line of the Turkey Trot in Troy on Thanksgiving. By 1/4 of a mile, it was dead. I knew it was time to get my own NEW watch. 

I probably rely on the watch more than I should. It tells me my pace, as well as the distance. You can always reconfigure the settings if you prefer to see other stats, such as total overall time as opposed to pace. The battery life is insane! It lasts for weeks. To charge it, you just plug the watch into a USB port.

Your runs are automatically stored. Once you plug the watch in your USB port, it uploads your runs to Nike+. You can see all of your stats.. including pace to elevation. Which is absolutely comical in my case.

This watch is awesome. It uses TomTom GPS to track when running outdoors, or you can put a small chip in your shoes if running indoors. Since I always run outside, it is perfect for me, because I don't run in Nike shoes. If I do end up running indoors, I will probably throw the chip in my gloves or in my pocket and see how that works.

Here is a picture of the watches:

I own the white one. But I see the black and blue one in Tim's future ;)

Here is a link to the product: http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/products/sport_watch/

If I post here, I am automatically accountable! Tim and I are planning a 4 mile run tomorrow. Wish me luck... 32 degree high tomorrow! Snow on the way, so we need to get our run in now.

Will post (hopefully without tears in my eyes) following our run tomorrow!

Aw, snap!

I'm not sure how the weather is where you are, but we are in the middle of a cold snap! I have been avoiding running because: 
 1. I am a baby.
 2. It is in the teens here during the day, with wind chills in the single digits.
 3. I am a baby.

BUT, I bundled up and went! When I left at 4:15, it was 20 degrees with a "real-feel" of 11 degrees. Yowsa! Here's what I wore to combat the cold:

1. Hot Chilis -- long underwear! They are toasty :)
2. Running sweatshirt -- brightly colored because I am so scared of getting stuck far from the house in the dark! I cant wait for the sun to stay up a lot longer!
3. Headband -- kept my ears toasty warm.
4. Fleece lined workout pants -- sooo.warm!
5. Kayanos -- my beloved sneakers :)

                            All bundled up! And clearly this was BEFORE I ran, as I am smiling...

I LOVED running in the cold! I definitely felt tired in my muscles though, because I haven't been running as consistently as I would like to. Temps are looking up starting on Sunday (37' -- HEATWAVE!) so I will be out there more like I used to. I certainly didnt run very far today, but I am just happy I got out there and ran at all!

Stat Wrap Up for the Day:

Distance: 1.5 miles

Time: 16:39

Pace: 11:04 (holy moly! I was zipping along...)

Miles on my Kayanos: 17.9 miles 

I figured I would take a little break, watch some hockey, and post again in a bit. See you again soon! Maybe in the mean time we could play a little "would you rather".... 

Would you rather be in 20 degree weather or 100 degree weather? Hmmm.....

Good Start to My Day...

Woop woop!

Started out my Saturday morning with a 4 mile run at 7:30 am. I have never run 4 miles in one shot before in my life. Before this, the farthest I have run is 3.5 miles. I certainly didn't go fast. At 2.7 miles, I totally wanted to give up. The loop I did through the 'hood had me preeettyy close to my house at 2.7 miles, which made it hard to keep going. But, I did it. Thoughts of my uncle the whole way!

I use a Nike sports watch (which I will talk about in a future post), which allows me to plug my watch into the computer and it maps out my run. You can see where I slow down and speed up and the run stats. Clearly I wasn't breaking any speed records -- but I ran my 4 miles so I'm happy :)

Stat Wrap Up for the Day:

Distance: 4.0 miles

Time: 48:53

Pace: 12:13

Miles on my Kayanos: 16.4 miles (still brand new and shiny white!)

I know I said I would talk about just WHY I am running a half marathon in less than six very short months (AAHHHH!!!). I am running in memory of my uncle Tom, who passed away in the fall of 2010 after an 18 month battle with Lymphoma. I am running through Team in Training, which kicks off Feb 9th. I will definitely be sharing what it is like to be involved with this program as I begin to participate in it. I promise to share memories and photos of him as we get closer and closer. You can always visit my Team in Training site here. 

Ive got a three miler on tap for Sunday -- I'll update you when I finish that one, too :)

I'll leave you with my favorite mantra when I'm running: "You can, and you will!"