Time to Get Runnin'

Several months ago there was a deal for half price registration for the Kansas City Half Marathon so my roommates and I jumped at the deal. Now that it's actually time to start training I'm sort of regretting our spur of the moment decision.

Even when I'm not training for a race I try to get in at least a couple four to five mile runs a week, but the last several months I've been slacking. I'm not sure what the deal is, but it seems like I've had one achy joint after another. At first it was my right knee. Now it's my left. I know I should probably go to the doctor to have it checked out, but I'm pretty sure they will just tell me to stay off of it for awhile which isn't going to happen. Aleve it is!

It really doesn't hurt too bad while I'm actually running, but you should see me walk down the stairs after I'm done. I seriously look like a 90 year old woman. I'm sure wearing 4 inch heels every day doesn't help my situation, but what's a short girl to do?!

Needless to say training has been questionable these last few weeks. I'm hoping to step up my game this week and actually complete all my training runs. The past few weeks I've been skipping out on the shorter runs during the week.I did squeeze in a 7 mile run with Ashley bright and early Saturday morning. We had perfect weather - 60 degrees in August! Ah-mazing! It was the first time I'd felt good about a run in awhile so that was good news. The not-so-good news was I came back to a super flat tire. I guess that's what I get for trying to be productive before 8 a.m. on a Saturday.

My roommates and I are using Hal Higdon's Novice 2 training program. I've used this same program for every half I've run so I'm curious what other people use. Do you have any others that you enjoy? I feel like after this half in October I should try something different....if I'm still walking :)

My first get together in the new house!

I absolutely adore party planning and entertaining, but in my tiny one bedroom apartment it just wasn't possible. Saturday night I had my first real party in the new house, and I think it was a success! There were some spills (a select group of people may or may not have reenacted our college days and played slap the bag with boxed wine in the kitchen, and a pink drink might have spilled on my white duvet), but it was nothing that couldn't be mopped up or washed out. I was even able to remain relatively calm and relinquish control so that I could actually enjoy myself. Surprising I know!

Get it girl!

I didn't plan very well, and scheduled the party the same day I was running a half marathon (that I did absolutely no training for and was therefore incredibly sore afterwards), but I survived and even PR'ed shaving about 6 minutes off my previous best time! So happy I can check another thing off my 28 Things Before 28 list which I feel like I have been completely slacking on!

I was a little nervous about where everyone was going to go during the party since my house is by no means large so Friday evening I made a trip to Lowe's and gathered materials to build a fire pit so people would mingle outside as well as inside. Shout out to Molly and Maggie for helping me carry 36 incredibly heavy and dusty rocks from my car to the backyard. Also, I would just like to say hah! to the worker at Lowe's who seemed very skeptical of my ability to build the fire pit. We sure did prove him wrong, and I must say I personally think we did a pretty stellar job! Now if only I can learn to build a fire... Luckily we had some Eagle Scouts in attendance who stepped up to the plate!

Since I was a little pressed for time on Saturday with the race in the morning, my roommates and I decided to go for easy appetizers. On the menu was pesto flat bread pizza from Trader Joe's (where else?), mozzarella tomato basil skewers, coconut shrimp, crackers and cheese, hummus and veggies, and chips and guac because no party is complete without guacamole. Ever. Obviously I also had three desserts since I have a sweet tooth that is impossible to satisfy. I made cake pops for a first communion last week so I whipped up some extras while I was at it, and also threw together some cupcakes and chocolate chip brownies on Saturday. I think everyone enjoyed the food considering the plates were wiped clean when I went to clean up the next morning, but the biggest hit was probably the punch. I started with this recipe for Pineapple Lemonade Sangria, but improvised slightly. Since I got several requests, below is what I think actually went into the punch I made:

Pineapple Lemonade Sangria

1 bottle of Chardonnay

1 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc

1/2 cup light rum

1/2 cup Triple Sec

3/4 cup simple syrup (2 parts water to 1 part sugar)

1/3 liter Diet Sprite

1 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade

1 large (20 oz) can pineapple chunks

1 Gala apple, unpeeled, cored and cut into chunks

10 strawberries, sliced thin

1 orange, sliced thin

1 lemon, sliced thin

I think I will definitely have to do a variation of this punch at our next get together since I never actually had a chance to try it this go-around. I foresee a Cinqo de Mayo party and lots of backyard BBQs in our future...especially since my patio furniture is being delivered tomorrow! 

Bring on summer!

To Rock or Not to Rock the Parkway?

I haven't participated in The Domestic Wannabe's Move it Monday in awhile so I'm hopping back on the bandwagon this week. I've been debating on whether or not to run the Rock the Parkway half marathon for weeks now, and I'm still undecided. Decisiveness definitely isn't one of my strong suits. I know that I want to run at least one half marathon this year since I didn't get one in last year, but I really hate running outside in the cold. I'm such a baby.

If I decide to run this race, I think I am going to use Hal Higdon's Intermediate Program, but change it up slightly. Hal has strength & stretch days on Mondays, but there is a 5:30 a.m. Strictly Strength class at Lifetime that I usually go to on Tuesday's so I would flip flop those days. He also has long runs planned for Sunday, but I don't like to have them hanging over my head all weekend (and would like the option to go out on Saturday nights if I so choose) so I think I would get the long runs out of the way first thing Saturday morning. My 12 week training program would be something like this:

I used his Novice 1 and Novice 2 programs for my last two half marathons and actually ran slower than my first half marathon so I'm on mission to PR this race (if I run it). Otherwise what is the point?!? Here are my times from my three half marathons:

Flying Pig Half Marathon Cincinnati, OH - 1.56.28
Waddell & Reed Half Marathon Kansas City, MO - 1.59.00
Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon St. Louis, MO - 1.57.05

The first half marathon I ran was by far the hardest and had the absolute worst weather conditions (pouring rain, thunder, lightening). I had sopping wet shoes before I even started running and had quarter sized blisters on both feet after the first mile. It also probably didn't help that I was running in Nike Shox. Whoops! I guess the miserable conditions and bad shoes really motivated me to finish. I also think the fact that I lived on the race course and was training on a good portion of the hills day in and day out probably helped.

I definitely skimped on the training for my second half (and didn't sign up until the day before the race), and my time clearly shows that. I started training in Cincinnati, but ended up moving back to Kansas midway through the 12 week program and kind of just stopped following it altogether. I ran here and there in the weeks leading up to the race, but usually just on the treadmill.

For the St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll half marathon I trained with my best friend Dani, and we ended up running almost the entire race together. We started and finished together and that is all that matters :) I was close to beating my PR this race, but no cigar. I attribute my slowness in this race to the few extra lbs I was carrying around this time. I had just gotten into a new relationship, and all the cocktails and eating out really caught up to me. I've got the pictures to prove it. Yikes. Note to self - do NOT under any circumstance let yourself gain 5-8 pounds the next time you get into a new relationship.

Here is where I need all of you. Does anyone have any tips for running outside when it is freezing? Honestly, I really haven't even given it a shot, but running from my apartment to the car in the mornings is about all I can take. What type of work out gear do you wear? Looks like I might be forced to make a trip to lululemon in the next few weeks :) Also, is anyone in KC planning on running this race and do you want to train together some days? I'm going to need some motivation (if I actually sign up)!

Me? A runner?

In honor of The Domestic Wannabe's Move it Monday and the anxiety of trying to squeeze back into a pair of jeans this morning after the long holiday weekend - a post about running! Hopefully it will prove to be somewhat motivational for both myself and all of you :)

I would have never ever guessed that I would become a runner. I can’t think of anything I dreaded more than the day we were timed running the mile back in elementary school. Why WHY would people choose to do this for fun?!? Yet somehow I’ve become one of those people.

I really didn’t develop this affinity for running until I was 24 so I guess I was a bit of a late bloomer. There was one summer where my friend Katie and I tried to “get in shape” and would run laps (and by run I mean we probably ran 0.1% of the time and walked/talked the other 99.9%) at the track every morning. However, these “runs” were followed by trips to Hardee’s for bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits so I’m going to go ahead and say those didn’t count.

More of the same story in college. I did work out pretty regularly, but I was strictly an elliptical/aerobics girl. No treadmills for me unless I was walking. From time to time I would attempt to run, but it was just so hard. I would usually give up after less than a minute. Some people are just not meant to run I would tell myself. I am obviously one of those people.

It wasn’t until about a year and a half after I graduated from college that I really got into running. I'd moved halfway across the country for a boy (smart right?),  and I was working at the most miserable place ever. Seriously words can't describe how awful it was, but at least I had my boyfriend. Fast forward a year or so. Bye bye boyfriend. Hello heartache. There I was, single and stuck in Cincinnati for at least another 8 months until my lease was up. After wallowing in self pity for several weeks, I decided that something had to change or else I wouldn’t survive until October so I made the only logical decision. I signed up for culinary school (this topic requires an entirely separate post), and I signed up for a half marathon. Darn it I was going to become a runner.

Having no experience with running whatsoever, I googled different training programs, and ultimately decided on this one:

I like how is says 3 "easy" miles. Like running 3 miles is easy!

The half marathon I had signed up for was only 8 weeks away so I had to jump into the 12 week training program in week 5 (after literally never running further than a mile before in my life). It was a bit of a shock, but I survived. If anyone is considering running a half, I would definitely advise planning ahead better so you can complete the entire training program, but I made do with the time I had. Believe me, that first 7 mile run was difficult, but after feeling the sense of accomplishment of actually completing it, I was hooked. Running was just what I needed. It took up a lot of my time, cleared my mind, and gave me a long range goal. Seriously, running has to be one of the greatest things ever if you are going through a breakup.

The weather conditions were less than ideal on race day (thunder, lightening, pouring rain). I had squishy shoes and blisters the size of quarters before I’d even made it through mile 1, but I finished and lived to tell the tale. Without a doubt, one of the reasons that I’ve been so taken with running is the sense of camaraderie among all runners. Everyone is so friendly, welcoming, and motivational. If you start to struggle, there is always someone there offering words of encouragement to help you keep going.

I wasn't lying about the rain. My hair is proof. Gross.

So here I am two and a half years later...still running. I’ve completed several 5K’s, one 10K, 3 half marathons, and 1 full marathon. I’m telling you, if you’ve tried to run before but given up, get back out there and try again. It is so so worth it. I’m glad I can finally call myself a runner!