The Last of the Running Blogs

This Saturday, I’ve volunteered to help out at the National Marathon.  You know… just to check it out… Gulp.

I originally thought I’d be handing out water or Gu, but it looks like that’s for groups of people- not nerds who sign up by themselves.  Whatever, I can be a loner. I don’t mind!

I think a really fun job would be to hand out medals.  26.2 miles is such an accomplishment!  I giggled to myself thinking how funny it would be if one of those medals accidentally ended up in my backpack… but then I thought of how hard I worked for each of my medals.  And I decided against it. AND I decided to share my medals on my blog, lucky you!

Each one of these babies has a story behind it.  I won’t get into major detail, but I will tell a quick ditty about each one.

1.       Baltimore Half Marathon, Fall 2008

This was my first half marathon ever.  Ask me how much training I did! Hardly any.  This is also possibly the hilliest course in America.   Between that and the crack houses/roadkill, I’m pretty sure I won’t be repeating this one.  I remember hitting the Mile 6-7 point and thinking I was going to have to quit.  It was horrible.  I sat down around Mile 10. SAT DOWN. Who does that?!?!?! I finished in just under 3 hours, around 2:54.  I remember crossing the finish line and immediately sitting down because my legs simply couldn’t carry me any longer.  Way to go, stud.  Next time try training??

2.       Army 10 Miler, Fall 2009

Let’s try this distance running thing again, shall we?  Trained, but didn’t do any long runs.  Notice a pattern here? I’m lazy.  I liked this race, but I remember that I walked early on and I was upset with myself.  Knowing what I know now, it’s not a bad thing to take walk breaks.  This is a new concept for me and I’m having trouble accepting it.  Anyway, I finished the ATM in 2:02. 

3.       Shamrock Half Marathon, Spring 2009

Can we say “PR”?! I’ll chalk it up to slightly more training, running with a fast friend, beautiful weather, and a flat course.  I finished this one in 2:28.  Probably could’ve done faster if I wasn’t a slacker and drinking beer on mile 10 ;)

4.       Disney’s Princess Half Marathon, Spring 2010

Didn’t exactly train for this one either.  No long runs.  But I did get a “PR” of sorts on this race- I ran for 8 miles before I took a walk break.  That is a personal best!  I finished this one in 2:45.

5.       Disney’s Princess Half Marathon, Spring 2012

Actually trained for this race.  For the first time ever, did long runs every weekend!  Finished in 2:31, as you know. 

I’m proud of the story  behind each of these races, because they are miles that nobody can take away from me! And that’s why I decided not to steal a Marathon medal.  Cause maybe someday I can earn my own!!!

~SG

PS: I will now cease talking about running on my blog.  If you are interested in tracking my progress, you can head over to Athlinks: http://athlinks.com/racer/106190634

Finally a Princess!

Well, my months of training paid off and I earned my crown on 2/26/12.



Yes. This really happened.

I finished the race in 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 55 seconds.  Overall, I felt it was a good race.  Notice I didn’t say “great”.  I felt good, but my knee started hurting on mile 4.  Throughout training my knee never bothered me!! Apparently this happened to a lot of people. I discovered the Tylenol being handed out like candy at the medical stations around mile 9. I took full advantage.  Also, I wore specific socks (with pirates on them).  They were running socks, but they were too thin.  I think this was a contributing factor to my knee pain.  Also… it was CROWDED.  I mean shoulder-to-shoulder crowded.  Like even if I wanted to weave about in the first 3 miles, I simply couldn’t. 

Even though I’m making all these excuses, I feel like I don’t need to.  I got my 2^nd best time EVER.  First half marathon I ever did, I came in at just under 3 hours.  The last time I ran this course, I got 2:45.  So coming in right around 2:30 was both what I expected and what I did!! I did not beat 2:28, which is my PR, but I don’t mind. I am proud of how I did and what I did to achieve this.  3 months ago, I could barely even run 1 mile without walking…

If you are bored and interested in tracking my progress, I kept a running log from day 1 of training up until the week of the race over at Athlinks.com. 

So, what’s next??

That is a great question.  I don’t know.  Every time I run a half marathon, I tell myself it will be my last.  Maybe that is true.  Maybe it’s not.  And dare I even utter the "m" word??? ...It's crossed my mind. If I'm going to ever do it, now would be a good time. 

I'll let you all mull that one over and let me know what you think ;)

~SG

 



Typical Day

This isn’t even the worst I’ve ever seen…

This is just an example of what it’s like living in and around our Nation’s Capital.  I’ve actually changed work locations (still with the same company), so I’m not commuting to the Navy Yard anymore. Thank goodness.  On a good day, it took me an hour and 15 minutes.  Plus another 15-30 to find parking… On a bad day? 2 hours. 

Now I’m in Alexandria, VA.  My commute still takes me up I95, but on a good day it takes 45 minutes.  Coming home it usually takes me about an hour. 

A recent study found that a long commute is bad for your heart health.  While I’m glad my commute has gotten shorter, this study is another reason for me to continue my weekly exercise after the half marathon is over.  Even though I HATE working out, it’s important to do something active to combat the long days of sitting in my car and at my desk.  It’s been especially difficult to exercise during the winter because it gets dark so early.  Running in the dark has become a normal thing, but this hasn’t made me less paranoid.  I run with a reflective vest, my cell phone in hand, and no music whatsoever.  It would be nice if I could work from home and do my workouts in the middle of the day.

The type of job that I have makes it pretty much impossible to telecommute.  It’s possible, but I’m really needed in the office.  I’m kind of curious what others who live in the area (and those who don’t) deal with on a daily basis and how they deal with it.

So tell me, do you have a long commute?  Do you ever work from home?  What do you do for exercise each week?  Do you run in the dark? Do you work out during the day? How do you fit in your weekly exercise?

Please share your tips and tricks!!!

~SG

Improvement

I'm planning an entire post-Disney race trip report about my experience with training, what I learned, etc.  But I do want to brag about share one quick little victory that happened over this weekend.

First of all, I am DONE my training.  Well, I have a couple short runs left this week.  But the time has finally come!! Saturday I'm walk/jogging (jalking?) 3.1 miles with my Mom, Joey, and our friend Peyton.  Sunday my sister Laura and I are running in Disney's Princess Half Marathon. 

On New Year's Eve, you will remember that I ran a 10k.  I finished under my goal time of 1:15 at 1:13:38.  I was happy with this time, as it marked both halfway through my training and halfway through the distance of 13.1 miles.  Saturday I ran a 10k as my last "long" training run before the race.  My goal was 1:10.  I finished in 1:06:33!!!

No matter what happens this weekend, what time I get, what my ending pace is, etc. I will be proud of myself for completing my self-made "Couch to Half Marathon" Program...

If you are interested in stalking me this weekend, you can sign up for runner tracking here. 

In closing, I thoroughly enjoyed me pedicure today and am now ready to head to Disney World for a quick 16.2 miles (dressed as a Pirate Princess) and a great family vacation.  ;)


~SG

It's Friday Already?

Whoa! This one flew by! Only a few more days until I’m in DISNEY WORLD. 

Of note: The fabric should be arriving today while I’m at work! I can’t wait to get home and (hopefully) find it on my front porch!

Other updates I owe you:

Valentine’s Day-

Did you know that Popeyes does not do gift cards?? I found out the hard way- by being that girl that walks into the Popeyes and looks totally out of place and asks for a gift card. It was awkward.  But it’s Joey’s FAVE.  I had to at least try.

On Tuesday I was completely surprised by flowers at work from my husband.  And I was one of those obnoxious Facebook posters, yes.  But he is TERRIBLE at keeping secrets (something I actually admire about him) and so I was shocked to find out that he had planned this pretty far in advance, AND enlisted the help of one of my co-workers/bff to make sure it got to the right place.

Since I didn’t have a Popeyes gift card for him, I grabbed a bottle of wine and a cute card that said “You’re the husband, I’m the wife. And together we make a great life. I’m yours, you’re mine. We’re forever Valentines!”  And bonus it had 2 dogs on it so I labeled them Doc and Chloe for dramatic effect.

(Side note: We ended up having Popeyes for dinner last night in place of my 2 mile run, so I feel like we are even now.)

Joey’s Running Shoes-

With the help of a good friend, we figured out what kind of shoes to buy so his feet don’t hurt after running long distances anymore.  They should be arriving MONDAY! Just in time to break them in before the Disney’s Tangled Royal Family 5k next Saturday!

We ordered the Brooks Defyance.  I love my Brooks shoes and I know he will too.

Packing for our trip-

Uhh what’s that?? I did finally unpack my suitcase from our cruise in …October… and threw everything in the wash. But it’s all still downstairs in the dryer waiting to be de-wrinkled and folded.  Look, I’m not trying to sound like Susie Homemaker here. I’m keeping it real.  My clothes sit in the dryer for days at a time sometimes. SO JUDGE ME.

Chloe dares you to judge me.

Welp… there you have it. Another peek into my exciting life!  I started working on my Master Bathroom inspiration post last night, but I realized I don’t have a decent pic of the room, and I sure as heck was not going to post a picture of it in its’ current condition. So you will have to wait until I clean it.  So sorry.

I hope everybody has a GREAT three day weekend!! And let’s just cross our fingers that it waits to snow until Tuesday, k?? ;)

~SG

Snooze-worthy Update

Do you want the good news or the bad news first??

Ok you chose the good news.

I FINALLY did my 10 mile run!!! Guys... it was really cold out. It snowed Saturday night.  The wind was howling and I honestly thought I was going to have to sheepishly admit that I didn't do it.  But somehow I found several layers of clothes to wear, music to listen to, and guts to get the heck out there.  I have never been more prepared for a half marathon.  My last long run is this weekend, and it's going to be a fun 10k with a girlfriend.

But enough about that...

The bad news is that we didn't do anything on the house this weekend.  I know I KNOW.... a few of you mentioned something to me at homecoming and I realize we haven't done anything cool to the house since oh, December... I'm getting back on the bandwagon slowly, I promise.

I've been looking at decor for the master bath (beach themed! holla!) and fabric for the cornices/roman shades in the family room.  I will share those ideas with you this week.

The real bandwagon we need to jump on is the "let's finish the basement" bandwagon. (Wow, that's 3 4 uses of the word 'bandwagon'...)  I think the plan is for me to post embarassing pictures of it and then hope that the embarassment gets our rears in gear.

What do you think? Good plan?

Other goings-on this week:
Valentines Day
Getting Joey some decent running shoes (what IS this? a running blog?!)
PACKING for Disney (to include finally doing some laundry from the cruise.....)

Hope everyone has as exciting of a week planned.....................

~SG

Patriot Circle

Friday night I found myself on campus at my alma mater… George Mason University.  I had arrived early for dance rehearsal (more on this later!) and had planned ahead of time to complete my week of training runs on campus before practice (just like the old days!).

The campus is set up so that one circular road connects everything together.  It (used to be) a 1.5 mile loop.  Since I’ve graduated, new construction has completely changed the university, so it’s a little more confusing and a little bit longer than it used to be.  But a lot of it is still the same.

I’ve run that loop many times.  First as a freshman, not really “running”, but jogging and walking with friends.  I didn’t really start actually running until I was training for Wizards auditions post-college.  I would run that loop over and over and over in the dead heat of summer, practically starving, trying to get thin for auditions. 

One specific instance stands out in my mind.  I was struggling up a hill on Patriot Circle, in the hot, hot weather, sweating, hungry, and feeling really frustrated, when an old man ran by me.  He looked back, smiled and said “That’s one more mile they can’t take back from you!” 

Well isn’t that true?  For all the miles I’ve run in my life, nobody can ever take them away.  They are completed. History.  And that in itself is a great accomplishment.  I remembered this story when I was running around the circle on Friday night, reminiscing about all the times I’ve run around Patriot Circle, or what I did in various places on campus, or the last time I was in each location.  This memory turned out to be really fitting, because Saturday morning I was scheduled to run 10 miles.  Except I could barely run 2 before my legs were so sore and tired that I had to walk.  It quickly turned into a 5 mile run and I was really upset with myself.

But that old man was right.  Those were 5 miles that NOBODY can take away from me. I still got up and did it.  I am still going to complete this half marathon in 3 weeks. And while I’d love to get an awesome time, the fact of the matter is those are 13.1 miles that nobody can take away from me. Actually…..16.2 miles if you count the 5k I'm doing the day before!  Being fit and healthy doesn’t always mean you run at the front of the pack. It’s something I must constantly remind myself. 

So thank you, old man, for teaching me this valuable lesson. And thank YOU, Patriot Circle, for reminding me of it.

Don’t you feel super inspired?? Like you can go out and run 20 miles right now?!?!?!

….me either.

Happy Monday!!

~SG

Princess in Training Update!

Well, as of New Year's Eve I'm halfway there. Well almost halfway.  A half marathon is 13.1 miles.  Half of that is 6.55.  And I ran 6.2 on NYE.  (*Technically my GPS watch said it was 6.33 so I'm pretty much halfway.) 

I wasn't able to run the entire thing :(  Training has been SO FRUSTRATING thus far because I'm SO SLOW, but I did have one of those rare moments where I could tell I've been training.  I ran the first 3.20 before I walked.  I was mad at myself, frustrated, and felt defeated.  Running is very much a mind game.  You have to be mentally strong and I, thus far, am not.  I know walking is okay and allowed and not a big deal.  The cool thing was that when I started running again, instead of feeling like death... I felt refreshed. I was able to run for another mile and a half or so before I stopped because I actually ran by a friend's house and she was outside with her daughter!  What a coincidence!  I stopped for water and walked up a hill (or two)  and then finished the race in 1:13:38.  My goal for this race was 1:15... so I met my goal! YAY.  Sadly this is far from a PR for me... but I am going to try to focus on the positive!

At that pace, I will finish the half marathon in roughly 2:35.  My goal is approximately 2:30, although if possible I would like to beat my PR of 2:28... but my pace has been much slower this go around than it's been in the past.

Sigh. 

I guess it's not really my pace that matters. It's that I'm doing it. And since November I've only missed one run, because it was the day we got Chloe and she was more important!

Here's a picture of me finishing the race on Saturday.  I always finish with a smile :) As a dancer, you learn to perform through the pain!  I was rocking my "Princess in Training: Earning my crown on 2/26/12" tee shirt. I made one for me and my sister for Christmas!

Halfway to the half! With 51 days to go... right on track!

~SG

Blogger Shout Out

So some of you may remember the weekend of December 3rd, I ran a 5k.  I ran the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis and it was a great race.  It was very small, but I enjoyed it anyway.  When I was signing up for a 5k that weekend though, I was disappointed to find out that the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k was sold out :(

I had a bunch of friends running in both the 15k and the 5k, and it would have been cool to see them and to drink free hot chocolate!! But I guess it was a good thing that I didn't attend... because the race turned out to be an epic fail.

Where am I going with this? I promise, you'll see!

Long story short (too late!), I was reading about all the horror stories from the race (people getting stuck in traffic, missing the race, waiting in the freezing cold for hours, etc) and came across a really awesome blog.

Honey I Shrunk the Gretchen

I like her for several reasons. But mainly because I am so inspired by her ability to put it all out there on her blog.  She is making amazing progress and it is really inspiring.  Also I like her because she runs slower than the pack, like me!

And today, I'm posting about her blog because I shamelessly want to win her giveaway.

So here it is:

Win a Vera Bradley tote bag + 3 bottles of V8′s new smoothies via @shrinkinggretch/Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen!‘s sweet #giveaway! http://bit.ly/vBqlMJ

You may know that I have a thing for Vera.  I always have. So this is just calling to me.  Anyway, if you are so inclined, check out her blog and sign up for the giveaway too! She is awesome!

~SG

Princess in Training

OK here it is. Another dreaded exercise post.  I think the reason I hate writing these is because I really hate reading them. I have NOTHING against you awesome people who are totally motivated and really into working out. I’m just….. not.  I try really hard but the bottom line is that I grew up going to dance class 7 days a week, so going to a gym and running in place or lifting heavy things just isn’t appealing to me.   

A few years ago I got really into running.  I totally suck at running. Like I said- I never played any sports.  None. Zero. Like, I never even played tee-ball.  I was THAT GIRL in gym class (although I wasn’t the fat girl) but I was the girl who hid in the back and didn’t want to play and wasn’t competitive.  I came in nearly last on the mile run and I only excelled on the flexibility part of the physical fitness test.  But ask me to do 32 fouette turns and I’ll bust em out.

Anyway, I got into running. I ran a lot of races.  I decided I wanted to run a half marathon.  Terrible idea. But you know what sucks about half marathons? They are horribly addicting.  I’ve run 3.  And I am scheduled for a 4^th on February 26^th in Walt Disney World. (Duh. Cause where else would I go?) I’m running (for the second time) the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  And I’ve decided I’m going to actually, -forreal forreal- TRAIN for this one. 

I don’t ever follow training schedules.  They are either too hard or too hard.  I can’t magically bust out 3 miles out of nowhere.  I also have a busy life, a husband, a dog, a house, it’s cold out and it gets dark before I get home from work.  None of these factors really help in the whole training department.  So I made my own schedule. And I started it 100 days before my race. 

I started with 1 mile runs twice per week and a “long” run of 2 or 2.5 miles on Saturdays.  I did that for a few weeks and now I’m at 1.5 mile runs twice per week and a 5k this Saturday.  To those of you who are really athletic or marathon runners, this might sound totally lame. But it’s been amazing to see the progress I’ve made in just 3 weeks of training. My mile has improved by almost 2 entire minutes.  I’m not dying at the end of the run, and since it’s only 3 times per week, I can re-arrange my runs to fit in happy hours… ;)

I also treated myself to 2 new pairs of running shoes.  I hadn’t bought new shoes since like 2009 and my Nikes had run probably 2 half marathonss and way too many miscellaneous miles to be effective.  I got a new pair of Nikes at DSW and those were working just fine. But then I saw that Brooks had a ½ off deal on their Glycerin shoe, and I jumped at it. These are $130 running shoes people!! They arrived on Tuesday and when I took them out of the box I felt like I was looking at alien spaceships.  These are what REAL runners wear! And they made my run magical! I’m really happy to have good shoes, a good GPS watch, and a training plan that I MADE (with the help of several websites/training plans). 

Now that this post is way too long, I just want to write about my goals.  I made a pact with my friend Jess that we would each reach 3 goals and then get to reward ourselves with a winery tour or something equally alcoholic ;)

Goal 1: 5 miles, December 17^th

Goal 2: 8 miles, January 21^st

Goal 3: 10 miles, February 18^th

Race Day: February 26^th

Think I can do it?? I’d love some encouragement. I feel pretty good so far J

~SG