Half Marathon Training: Week 1

Well this is exciting! Today I wrapped up my very first week of half marathon training. After looking through many different training programs, I finally settled on Hal Higdon's Novice 2 program. I love that he has a ton of programs for different skill levels and that this level goes up to a 12 mile run for training.

I'm pretty happy with my runs for the week (somehow I lost one of the pictures of my Garmin). I bought those individual packets of Nuun and I love both of them! I wish I could try every flavor this way. 

My long run this Saturday was dull, rainy and not so enjoyable. Unfortunately, I think I'm beginning to get shin splints so I'm going to make sure to be extra careful so I don't lose out on any training time.

I did some Tone It Up yoga and Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred today for my cross training and made a green smoothie afterwards for lunch. I like having a designated day for stuff like this in the training plan, but I think I'm also going to mix it into the week on a rest day or an easy running day too.

I saved the best for last! :) On Sunday, we drove to New Jersey to adopt the newest member of our family, Malcolm. He's an 8 week old Jack Russell/Corgi mix and the most precious little baby I've ever seen. Luna is finally starting to warm up to him too; they were playing most of the afternoon yesterday.

I've got a LOT going on this coming week so I'm interested to see how everything will pan out with my training. I have a feeling I might have to push my runs to the evening instead of morning or even possibly run on the treadmill since it's supposed to be in the 90s this week.

Montrose Race for Independence 10k Recap

I found this race just a couple of days before 4th of July and convinced Joe into registering us. The late registration fee was still only $25 so I figured it was a great deal! It was a little over an hour away from home, which meant we had a reallllly early morning. We got there early and were able to get our packets and use the restroom with some time to spare.

There were tons of people there and everything started exactly on time. The races started with a kid's fun run, then the 5k started and the 10k started ten minutes after the 5k did. The 10k started out with a short run through town and then to this decline. Unfortunately, every downhill has an uphill and the hill after I took this picture was rough. The scenery was gorgeous though, so that helped!

The first two miles were on paved roads, the middle two miles were down a residential dirt road, and most of the final two miles were on wooded trails, with the exception of the finish that looped back through town. I've never run on nice trails like this before and it was really serene and fun! It was also the only completely shaded part of the course.

The course support for this race was the greatest I've experienced so far. There were so many people out cheering and some homeowners on the course even had sprinklers and hoses out to spritz runners as they ran by if they wanted. It really helps having nice people out to cheer you on!

My Garmin said I ran 6.3 miles in 1:06:10, but my official race time was 1:05:59. They had mile markers at each mile and I noticed that my Garmin was going off progressively later after I passed each marker. This race was a little tough with the heat, humidity, and hills, but I'm happy that I was able to hang around a 10:30 average pace. 

There was an Independence Day Festival going on when we got done with a cook out and some craft vendors, but we didn't really stick around too long, as we had our own festivities to attend. It looked like a great place to spend the afternoon. 

We headed to my grandparents' property to get our freedom on with some awesome 'merica shirts that we found at Wal-Mart of course. We had our own personal fireworks show and some homemade pulled pork, which was amazing.

Luna went swimming involuntarily and spent the rest of the day giving us sad eyes about it. Not my fault she has to roll in any disgusting thing she finds.

My legs were pretty sore the next day, but I'm attributing it to the fact that I wore flip flops instead of my compression socks for most of the day after the race and I did a lot of standing around. In other news, I started a structured half marathon training plan yesterday, so I'll be ready for the Pocono Lake Region Half at the end of September! Woot!

How did you spend your 4th of July? Any races or delicious cook outs? :P

A lot of eating and not enough running...

Good evening everyone! I come bearing good news: I finished the 500 nail designs for my book! All I have left to do now is the short captions and I'm totally done. It's such a relief to have that huge amount of work behind me and I'm beyond excited to see the final result.

Besides my stress level being lowered, the other great thing about finishing up the book is that I have time to work out again! Today I had an interview for a local bank teller position in morning, so I came home and did the Bridal Babe Workout from Tone It Up and went for a short run after that. I got really out of control with my meals this week, so I'm working on reeling it in. I'm grazing on some amazing raspberries at the moment!

Yesterday was my birthday, so my fiancé and I went to La Tonalteca for dinner and it was perfect. Their fish tacos are to die for! They come with a delicious cilantro sauce and pico de gallo that is just so fresh and amazing. 

And did you know that Dairy Queen has a new s'mores Blizzard?? It's a limited edition flavor for the summer, so I'm taking that to mean I should grab one every time I have the chance. So yummy!

I'll leave you with this little gem. Luna loves going for car rides but hates when she gets left in the car while we run into the store. She usually just curls up on the driver's seat looking all sad and pouty until we get back.

Do you have a dog? Does he/she loves car rides? What's your stance on fish tacos, love 'em or hate 'em?

Nuun Watermelon Review & Giveaway!

Good morning everyone! I ordered myself some Nuun to try out since they were having a sale where you could get a cute water bottle for free with your order last week. I love everything watermelon-flavored, so I figured that would be a safe bet. My order came quickly and the four tubes were packed safely in a small box.

Each little tube contains 12 tablets and each tablet makes one 16oz drink. You can also break the tablets in half to make the taste less intense. Nuun contains no sugar or carbs, but is filled with electrolytes to keep you totally hydrated for whatever task you're up to. I don't think I need to tell you how important proper hydration is.

The tablets get all crazy and fizzy when you drop them in water and I'm not going to lie, it's fun to watch them dissolve! It only takes a minute or so to dissolve completely.

And then you're left with a pretty (and tasty) glass of electrolyte-packed water! The watermelon flavor is light and fresh; it definitely does not taste like gross fake watermelon.

So now the fun part for you guys! I have two tubes of watermelon Nuun to giveaway to two lucky readers. Enter in the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win. I'll be announcing the winners on July 3rd!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I did what??

Yesterday I had a really hard time forcing myself to go for a run. At first, I was just planning on running for a while on the treadmill since Joe had to work and I didn't feel like running alone. It was pretty gray and dull outside, but the sun started to come out as I was eating breakfast. I changed into my running clothes and put my Garmin out on the porch to get the GPS running, intending on just doing a short 1.5 miles out and then back on our road.

But that didn't happen. When I got to 1.5 miles, I figured I'd go to 1.75 and then turn around. When I got to 1.75, I figured I might as well round it up to 2 miles. Well, 2 miles out brought me to our local firehouse and the road for the 10k loop that Joe and I created for ourselves. I felt great at that point, so I figured "why the hell not?" I could always just walk home if I needed to. 

I felt amazing. The entire time I just felt awesome. So when I came to the split where I could either head home or lengthen my run, I chose to lengthen my run even further (I think I was at 5.5 miles at that point). 

I reached 7 miles and briefly flirted with the idea that I could do 9 or 10. I decided to see how mile 8 went and my legs started feeling a little sore and heavy so I called it quits. I ended up logging 8 miles in just under one and a half hours and I am damn proud of that! That's a distance record for me and I'm so thrilled about it. I got home, showered, and went to watch my little sister graduate from high school! So proud! :)

Our half marathon isn't until October 20th, but I've been considering signing up for a local one on September 29th. I think that's still plenty of time for us to get comfortable with the half distance and plus it's so close to where we live that it would almost feel like a waste not to run it. I just hope my long runs continue to feel as awesome as this last one!

Last Week's Recap (6/2-6/8)

Perhaps the most exciting part of the month so far is the early birthday present that I got from Joe: a purple Garmin Forerunner 10! When we first started doing races and running consistently, I did a lot of research into GPS watches and finally decided to put the Forerunner 10 on my wish list for my birthday. Although my birthday isn't until July 1st, Joe was super awesome and ordered me the watch early so I could use it for our races in June!

We had a race over the weekend at a local state park and while it was small (there were 16 runners), it was really fun and the entry fee was only $10! Plus, we got to see this guy...

Joe ended up finishing first out of everyone and I was the 3rd female adult to finish. They did two age groups, child and adult (18+). Even though there were only 16 people, I still maintain my stance that a medal is a medal and this is the third that I've been able to add to my small collection. :)

Lastly, the custom Walt Disney World maps that I ordered for our honeymoon came in and I had some fun photographing my ring with them. I can't wait to start planning this trip!

Do you have a Garmin watch? Do you love it? I think it's so awesome to just be able to glance at my wrist to check my time/distance/pace rather than getting my phone out and checking the Map My Run app!

Hawley Spring Run 5k Recap

May was a pretty dull month as far as running events for me, but I think I have at least 3 on the calendar for June (including this one that I'm recapping today). Today I have my recap from the Hawley Spring Run that I participated in this past Sunday. The race was very well organized with multiple water stops and an excellently marked course. The only thing that would have made the day better was if the race started in the morning instead of 2pm; it was almost 85º by the time we started running! 

The course was a mix of pavement, packed dirt, and grass (and I found out that apparently grass is a bit of a challenge to run on). It was an out and back course along the main road through Hawley and back along the railroad tracks that run through town. The back portion ran along a beautiful green field with flowers and a little path through the woods.

Even though it was hot as hell and it was a struggle to keep myself from walking the whole thing, I ended up finishing 2nd in my age group (20-29) with an official time of 30:58. Definitely not my best, but not awful considering how hot it was. Joe got first in his age group and finished 11th overall! He rocks. After we got our medals, we headed over to my grandparent's property for some rest and relaxation (and a cook out). #swamplife

And I finished off the day with a microwave s'more. Definitely not as good as it's campfire counterpart, but it'll do in a pinch. ;)