Wednesday, November 29, 2017

2016 BCS Marathon Recap

OK! I'm skipping any photos for the sake of share! Here's my recap from the 2016 BCS Full Marathon, which I will have to say I really liked running! Better late than never right?


THE RECAP 

DAY BEFORE
My fiance, M, and I headed out around noontime for College Station to get to the hotel. We had stayed at Hyatt Place, which was very conveniently located about 5 minutes away from the Start Line. It was also a race hotel, which helped with the cost and stress of getting to the race on time. The room was nice, but a little funky. You could tell that it was an older hotel that was redone (or at least I thought so). The bed was a bit too firm for my taste, bit was nice. I never found out what type of "runner breakfast" deal they were giving the runner because the front desk didn't know. That was OK for me cause I didn't want to eat anything new race morning!

After checking into the hotel, we drove down to to Packet Pick-Up, which is where saw my running buddy HC and her hubby. The expo was really small, and was held in the cafeteria at the high school. Everything was a breeze to go through, which was great. No stress or sensory overload like other expos I've been too! I like the race shirt I got, and it fits great, which was something I was worried about when I asked for a Women's Large vs my usual Men's Medium (it's all in the cuts!).

After the procuring my bib, we made our way back to near the hotel. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Mmmmm! I love their rolls. I had a steak with green beans and a sweat potato. The steak was delicious, and I felt good that I was fueling with that, especially since I'm representing the TX BEEF Team during the race.

All this time, I was calm. I kept on realizing, "I'm running 26.2 miles tomorrow." But I never freaked out or got nervous. Back at the hotel I laid out all of my gear so that I could easily get dressed in the early morning.

EARLY MORNING PRE-RACE PREP
My alarm went off at 4:30am. I wasn't nervous yet. At least, not about the race. I was more nervous of trying not to set of the smoke detector in the room when I heat up my Eggo waffles for my breakfast and running fuel. Yep, that's right. I lugged my toaster with me to the hotel. I had my waffles in a cooler (now defrosted, which helped I think). I also brought my own coffee and drip cone cause I did not trust the hotel coffee. It all worked out! I even managed to poop before, which was something I've been training my body to do (thank you coffee!) during this training season.

When I had to get dressed was the when I started to get nervous. I was worried about the weather, but ended up wearing a long sleeve shirt (my Dallas Marathon shirt) and my Beef tank top. I only packed my capris and chose the ones that I ran in during training, but also at my last marathon. When we stepped outside I was surprised as to how warm it was. It was due in part to humidity.

THE RACE
We parked at the mall and followed the crowd to the Start Line area. I did my first porta-potty stop before finding HC and her hubby. We didn't have long till the start of the race. We pretty chatted lightly while I stretched and warmed up. During the entire pre-race time I was notably calm! I wasn't freaking out. I felt ready but also still thinking about the fact that I had 26.2 miles ahead of me. But, it wasn't a big deal. It was just a run. Weird, right? I had one more potty break, and I was ready.

Mile 1 - 4
HC and I ran together until we reached the first water station around the 5k mark. I thought we were walking through the stations, but she only did half the station and then she was off. I had to stop and stretch. I kept tabs on her for bit, but she was long gone by the time I saw the split for the marathoners and the half marathoners. It was a littler surreal that most of the runners were half-ers and I went down the road less traveled - where the badass marathoners went.

Mile 5 - 13
Around Mile 6 or so I had to pee and stretch. Another person from the Beef Team asked if I was OK after she saw me stretching, which was uber nice. I was doing good. Just keeping hamstring happy.  Pretty the next handful of miles I watched other runners. There was another runner who would take pictures as he went along, and I thought it was curious as to what he was capture, such as a school or or a house. This entertained me for a while.

Bryan is a bit sleepier of a town than I had imagined it. It was fun passing little houses, schools, but it was gone before I knew it. 

I saw HC as she crossed the 13 Mile marker. She looked like that she was about to start walking. I thought about yelling to her, but knew that she may not here me, which sucks. Even then, I had about a mile left to catch up to her and she may not want to wait for me. I run on in the opposite direction to reach the half-way mark of the race.

Mile 14 - 20
Once I past 13 miles and heading the direction of Heather, I completely lost her. I was back to being a lone. I was doing just fine. I was recognizing my that I was doing good, not as burned out at this time compared to the Dallas Marathon, but overall I have to aware of getting tired. Right around Mile 15 I new that I was getting bored and realized how far I had to go. My legs were feeling tired/achy. I was starting to get into my head. Uh oh. Thankfully, right around this time a small group of 3 runners were passing me.

I had been playing cat and mouse with this trio for the past couple of miles. The husband and wife duo were running intervals, and keeping another young woman keep the faith. I decided to tag a log. Eventually, during the next mile, I told them I was piggybacking off of their interval. The husband was definitely a fellow with a good sense of humor (goofy in most respects) and his wife was the more serious person. They were a wonderful distraction. I didn't think about my legs. I also had a regimented interval to follow, which was nice. Granted, it did slow my time down. At Mile 20 we were now getting to the A&M campus.

Mile 21 - 25
My pace was calmer. I'm feeling really good! I'm feeling accomplished already! My goal of 6 hrs was looking good, but then I was getting slower. I lost track of timing. Due in part that I was slightly worried to peel away from the trio because I would lose my mojo. Oh, well! I did split from the group at around Mile 24.

Mile 25 to Finish
I was excited to finish! I was so close! I pace sped up, but I still did walking breaks to make sure I didn't burn at the end. I remember seeing the 26 Mile Marker was amazing! I think I actually stopped to take a picture... and to stretch! I remember bounding around the corner to the finish line, I had the biggest smile (even the MC noted it!)! M was there in the stands video recording me.

I crossed the finish line, and I felt good. I felt proud. I felt relieved.

They put the medal around my neck, and I kept walking. I eventually stopped, and sort put my head between my knees. I was full of so much emotion, I started crying.

M was at the fence, and I went over to hug him. He was worried I was hurt, but it was just happy tears.

We walked together, and eventually found HC with her family. Everything was good. I felt great. Walking back to the car was a little hard, but I did it.


POST RACE
What is awesome with the BCS is that the Start/Finish is right near a Chuy's Tex-Mex! SCORE! M and I got a table pretty quickly, and I ordered fajitas just for myself. While we waited on that ate so many chips and salsa! I did change my clothes in the bathroom since M had to check out of our hotel earlier. The meal was ah-mazing!

The road trip back was really good! I didn't fall asleep as quickly as I expected. Granted, I wanted to make sure I navigated M correctly. We found our way to West to pick up some kolaches at the Czech Stop on the way home to the Dallas area.


OVERALL THOUGHTS 
I remember being surprisingly calm the night before and the morning of. It seemed like any other race. Though my finish time was slower than my first marathon (2015 Dallas Marathon), but I felt so much better! I didn't hit a mental wall like I did before. I knew I was getting close to getting into my head around Mile 15, but since I piggy-backed off the intervals of the one couple they distracted me. Next time around I know not to get into my head.


WOULD I RUN THIS RACE AGAIN?
Yes! I want to run this race again!


FINISH TIME 
Official finish time: 06:19:30







2015 Dallas Marathon Race Recap

Alright! Here it is! My first ever marathon race recap!!! It only took TWO YEARS for me to write. My bad.

Reading through this post again, was a lot of fun. It brings back a lot of memories. I, also, cannot believe that this was the first day that my parents met my then-boyfriend-now-husband M!!!! Where as the time gone?!

I wish I had pictures to add at this time, but it'd take forever to get them on here. Just sayin'. 

RECAP
I'm taking it slow on recovery time because, for one thing, the day after the race my brain has been on Christmas shopping! Hee hee. I couldn't even think about Christmas until the marathon was over! So, now, when I'm not working or sleeping I'm with the family or MS and shopping! I've ended up taking time while I'm at work to work on this post. Good thing we've been slow!

P.S. - I really wish I took pictures of things, but it never crossed my mind! What the hey?!

HEALTH AND FITNESS EXPO & DAY BEFORE RACE GOINGS
 I didn't get to packet pick up until the day before the race. That was when my running buddies were going. My boyfriend MS drove me down to the convention center. Getting my packet was super easy. First you got your bib and gear check bag. Then you got your shirt. It wasn't too crowded, which made it all the better.

After getting the important stuff it was time to SHOP! We walked through all the vendors. I didn't really have a lot of things I on my mind that I wanted needed to buy. I did get my 26.2 tie-dyed car magnet and two state magnets (Texas and Missouri) for the ones I've ran a race in. I also registered for the 2016 Plano Balloon Festival 5k because it was so cheap!

When it came to the overall experience of the expo it was like any other, but I did really, really like that the space was carpeted. I don't remember any other expo having carpet. It was a blessing cause I wasn't looking forward to walking for an hour on concrete floors.

After the expo, MS and I had a brunch before I had to head out to attend my sister's graduation. Afterwards, and after surviving traffic, we had dinner at Papadeaux Seafood Kitchen. I chose the half roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes. I also ate quite a bit of bread too. I really wish I could've had dessert, but I know sugar was a no-no at this point. Back home I got my gear ready to go and decided on what I was going to wear the next morning. I also got my gear check bag all packed with a complete change of clothes and a towel.

PRE-RACE
Where to start? The night before the race I was up till midnight after that busy Saturday, but I had gotten everything done that I needed to get done. I had my gear laid out - ready for me to jump into. I actually woke a little bit before my first alarm at 3:30am, but I snoozed it until 4:00am. Then I was up and going through my check list of what to do. First I checked the weather. Cold and rainy. Of course.

I ate a waffle with peanut butter and my first banana. I did a bathroom visit, which was successful! Yay! Then I slowly but surely changed clothes. All the while I was prepping race fuel and water.


I hit the door right on time to make it to DART train station in my place. When I stepped outside, though, it was cold and wet. Something that I hate.So when I made it to the train station where running buddies HC an JP were waiting I was grumpy. Once we were on the train, out of the stupid wind, it was better. Picked up EW at another station before making it all the way downtown. At some pointed I texted MS to bring an extra hoodie for me because I forgot to bring one and with the temperatures not being as high as I was expecting I knew I'd needed the warmth. Thankfully we were able to hang out inside the convention center for the next hour. We all sat at a table and chatted. Then we did our first bathroom visit. I gotta say it was so nice that we were able to hang out inside while the rain let up. We did venture out once to give our bags over to Gear Check, but since we had a little more time on our hands we went back inside to do another potty break.

When we eventually ventured back outside the rain had finally let up. We followed everyone to Corral C. I got into the sloooooowest line ever for a porta-potty. It was so slow that my running buddies eventually entered the corral without me. It was so slow I eventually dished the idea of peeing before the start of the race and entered the corral. It was so slow that I finally found my buddies 10 minutes before our corral was suppose to start the race. Yep. I was in the stupid line for about 20 minutes, and I still needed to pee! HC was laughing at me cause I obviously don't have a iron bladder like she does.

THE RACE
Where to begin??? Our corral finally made it to the start line. I saw it and went, "Omigod! HC! What are you making me do???". It's all her fault, but at the same time I was excited to finally get running!

Mile 1 - 4
HC and I started the race and it was already up hill as we passed Dallas City Hall and the Dallas Central Public Library. While I was on that hill I ripped my rain poncho like I was Super Man and tossed it on the side of the road. Done! The hill and the crowd of people certainly helped keep the pace slower than usual at first. I was trying to stick to a 12:00 - 12:30 pace or so. I know HC was thinking the same thing, but she kept on popping ahead. I tried to yell at her to slow down, but she didn't quiet here me.

At around Mile 4 I gave up trying to keep up with HC, which bummed me out a bit. I took this time to retie my shoes a bit tighter... then it happened... after four miles of seeing the occasional porta-potty with lines and holding it in.... I peed myself. Yep. Right there. On the sidewalk. As I was tying my shoe. Thankfully I don't think anyone saw. I felt much better though despite not being able to let go of everything!

Mile 5 - 9 
I was still doing pretty good. Got through some minor hills and knew more were to come when I closer to mile 10 and beyond. Somewhere between Mile 8 and Mile 9 on Greenville Ave. I finally saw porta-potties that had no line because they were off a distance from the course, but they were obviously for the runners. So I did it. I dashed own a side street and used a clean potty. Whew! Did I feel better! I literally though, "Now I don't have to tell my mom and dad that I need to pee when they ask me how I'm doing!"

Once my bladder was empty I had a little more energy to my step. Onward to La Vista!

Mile 10 - 13
I gotta say running through the Swiss Ave. is always a great place to day dream about having lots of money. The trees alone are so nice!

My parents were waiting for me at La Vista. They had eaten at Liberty Burger, an were waiting there with some totally awesome signs! My mom's an artists (she drew me running, basically)! It was good to see them! I felt so happy that they made it out to my biggest race yet! My dad took a video while my mom waved the signs.



Within in minutes after that I was facing a hill, and I was back to being a little grumbly!

When I finally made it to White Rock Lake I was getting tired. Right around the 13 mark my legs suddenly got heavier and achier. I had a sudden flash of pain go through one of them starting at the knee. I walked a bit to calm it down, hoping that it wasn't going stay and ruin my run. Thankfully it didn't. Once I got to the 13.1 half marker I was definitely, hands down, tired. I was a little worried about that cause I never felt so tired during my training. Granted I faced more hills than I did during training. I normally sleep a little longer and stand on my feet as long before I run. But still!

My boyfriend MS texted me that I was half way there and was doing great! I responded with a thanks and that hills are b*tches. Then I was back on to running the lake.

Mile 14 - 20

I wasn't doing too too badly, and it was nice to see a familiar spot. Though this was when I started seeing runners after they made the turnaround. I kept an eye out for HC knowing she had to be ahead of me some where. I finally saw her at around Mile 17. She was with the 5:30 pace group, and was far, far ahead of me. That totally zapped my mental energy. I was extremely disappointed. I was hoping that I was actually closer to her. I almost started crying. Seriously! My legs were tired. My running buddy was far ahead of me, which means she'll finish before me (did I ever mention how super competitive I am?). So pretty much between Mile 17 and 19 I was very dejected. Though, I have to say I was happier when I made the turn around.

When I ended up on the Santa Fe Trail, running the 20th mile I was so tried. I pretty much walked this entire mile. Right before I came up to the Mile 20 marker my mom texted me to see where I was because the Marathon App has a delay on it. I told her I was about to run over the next sensor, which means everything would be updated soon.

Mile 21 - 24
There was a lot of run/walking done during these miles. A lot. Mile 22 took me past my parents again. They had another sign, which my dad held this time, which totally made me smile. This was the first huge race that he has been too! We walked up the hill together talking. I told them my legs were tired and achy, but doing ok. They were going to head out to do some Christmas shopping and they would see me and MS at Chuy's after the race. Once they couldn't walk up any further for me my mom apparently text MS saying I looked great. Awww! (Keep in mind, they hadn't ever met my fellow before. I gave my mom his number in case something bad happened to me).


During the last 4 miles I had very short intervals. Once I saw the downtown skyline I was kept on calculating what distance I had left. At that time my Garmin was off in the mileage because of weaving around people and for going down that side road for my potty break.

After awhile I kept on seeing certain spectators, such as man in an orange shirt who did an awesome job in making me smile and there was a family. It would amaze me at how many times I saw them so soon after seeing at another spot. I think that was a sign as to how slow I was going. Oh, well!

Mile 25 - 26.2
This last 1.2 miles was hard but exciting. I told myself over and over that I was close to the end. I can do this. Try to run, not walk so that I could finish sooner and have a better finishing time. But my legs wouldn't let me. However, when I hit the last 0.20 miles it was on. I ran up that hill and down it. I saw MS, which almost missed me, but he got some awesome pictures and a video of me finishing. I seriously crossed the finish line alone with the biggest smile on my face that even the emcee remarked on.

 I was done! 


POST RACE 
Passed the finish line I got a water bottle. My medal wasn't handed to me. It was put around my neck by the volunteer and was told "Congratulations." I got one picture taken. I got a heat blanket. I had more pictures taken. MS found me by the fence and I told him to walk around toward the Omni. I was given a Finishers Bag - a drawstring backpack that said "Finisher" on it that was full of food to eat.

I got my bag from gear check then I waddled to the Family Met Up spot. MS and I hugged liked crazy an he carried my gear. I told him all about me peeing my pants and how I perfected my snot rockets (I had never done a snot rocket before!), which he thought it was all awesome and funny (he was a hockey player, so that explained a lot).

We found HC and her family. She told me that the village was gone, which meant we couldn't find our special medals for running the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and the Dallas Marathon in one year. There were no engravers. This was a total a bummer, and a bit disappointing that they didn't wait to take down the finisher village to celebrate a marathon finish. There was seriously 30 minutes left before the time cut off. Really?

So after walking a little bit with hope they were hiding some where, HC and I headed back into the Finisher Area to use the changing tent near gear check. It was so nice to be out of those running clothes! Warm in sweat pants and a hoodis we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

MS helped walk me to his car, which was down a ways, on the other side of the downtown library. I waddled along in my cushy, but for some reason slippery crocks. Now, MS's car is actually a sports car, and it was a bit of a challenge to sit down into it. But I did it. Thankfully, though, since it was so small it heated up quickly. I pulled on his extra hoodie, and I found the chocolate chip cookies that were in the goodie back.

Then we headed up to the West Plano to eat at Chuy's. This was the first time that MS met my parents and it went really well. I ate a whole bunch of food - chips and salsa and queso then MS and I shared fajitas (but I think I ate most of them!). Afterwards we all drove back to my parents house for rice crispy treats and coffee.

I eventually had to be driven back to my car near the Dart station so that I could get my car back home. I went back to my Mom and Dad's to stay the night.

The next morning I slapped on my new 26.2 marathon magnet! 


FUELING  
Now! Just a quick note about fueling. If you read before I fuel with little bites of blueberry Eggo waffles with peanut butter. I would take a bite every two miles.

OVERALL THOUGHTS 
I can't believe I did it! Still. After two months I can't believe I actually ran a marathon. I have the medal, the photos, the car magnet, the shirts, and the muscles, to prove I did it. But I still can't believe it!

I really wish that they kept the Finisher's Village up longer. I was confused then disappointed that I didn't get to experience the village after my very first marathon. Sure I was close to the time cut off, but every runner deserves the village.I was hoping to get my medal engraved. I was wanting to pick up a special medal for running the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and the Dallas Marathon. But nope. Nothing. It was all gone by the time I got there.

I did really like how there was a changing tent by gear check. It would've been nicer if I could've changed inside the Convention Center were it was warmer, but it worked out well. Otherwise I would've worn my clothes until I was at the restaurant (it would be impossible to change clothes in MS's sport car.).

Once we got home I was very surprised that I didn't feel bad or achy. I was a little tired, but I didn't once think I needed a nap. We all grouped in the kitchen (I saw own on my comfy chair right by the breakfast bar) and we chatted with rice crispy treats and coffee. MS showed my mom his battle scares from the kitchen (he's a chef) and his hockey scares. All in all, it was a great day! When I did go to bed, I was out like a light though!

I was achy for the next week. I didn't stretch as well I as I probably should have and I ended up having and inflamed IT band, but it went away after I rested for a few weeks. People would ask me if I'd run another marathon. I was in between a yes and a no. Now, I know I will run another one. When I'm ready. 

WOULD I RUN THIS RACE AGAIN
Yeah, probably. When I'm ready to take on the hills.

FINISH TIME
05:50:43




 

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

2016 Dallas Hot Chocolate Run 15k Race Recap

Ack! Here's a race I never posted about! This was so long ago! Lol! I can't wait to run my 7th Hot Chocolate Run in February 2018!

Sorry for no pictures! 

RECAP 
OK. I'm trying to get back into a good habit to post a recap about my races. For those who don't know, the Hot Chocolate Run was the first race I ever ran in my entire life. My bestie JM and I ran it four years ago, which is hard to believe!

NIGHT BEFORE 
Well! After work I ended down to my parents' abode since my wonderful Mom was going to run the 5k again this year. Since this race is a Beef Team sponsored race my mom was kind enough to make a beef dinner for me. It was so tasty!


After dinner I laid out my gear for the morning. No stumbling around at 5:15 in the morning looking for anything! I decide to go for my Beef tank top vs the tee to wear over my Dallas Marathon shirt. Thought it might help circulate air more so I don't over heat. With all that taken care it was chiiiiiill time.



PRE-RACE
My mom and I typically show up at this shindig at 6:00 am each year, but we tried a 6:30 time instead. It wasn't bad. A little more traffic, but we didn't have to wait as long before the race started. I did feel a little rushed before the race because not only did I have my mom, but I had my work running buddies HC and JP (running the 15k) and my bestie JM and her family (running the 5k). So! I we found HC and JP right off the bat then we gear checked everything and hit the the best-ever porta-potties in the world. They are clean and include hand sanitizer.

 My mom pretty wanted to get in her corral pretty soon after that. After that I found JM by here corral and chatted for a couple of minutes to decide on a Finish Line plan. I knew that with her family also in the race she may not be able to wait for me to finish and meet my guy MS, but we would try. Once she was cozy in her corral I ran back to the Automotive Building to chill for a while with the others.

One last potty break I soon enough found myself in the corral pretty darn close to the start line, which was awesome. HC and I made plans to stick with the 11:30 pace group to see how it goes. We weren't sure if the pacer was going to do walk breaks or not, but we' at least try to keep up. As we talked strategy I was also keeping an eye out of MS cause he was doing is super speed walk to get to the start line (did you know it's at least a half mile to a full mile from the Start area to the parking log?). At the last couple minutes he appeared! 


RACE 
And we were off!
 
Miles 1 - 4
Well, staying with the 11:30 pacer was nice, actually. It definitely made sure that HC and I didn't run out too fast. We hit Mile 1 and there was no sign of the Pacer stopping for a walk break. We figured we'd keep with the group until we couln't any longer. Then we got to the first water and goodie station at Mile 2. HC was somewhere behind me and I started to walk a bit, but avoiding those who were walking and drinking. I had a very rude runner said to me "No walking in the middle." Uh. I wasn't in the middle per say. Anyway, he lit a fire under my butt I sped up to run near him for a while because I'm apparently passive aggressive with rude people. At least I didn't push him down. That would've been bad.
  
Right before Mile 4 I had to hit porta potty (also very clean!) that had no line. Ahh! At this point I was also getting tempted by the chocolate and marshmallow treats that they were handing out at the stations. But I had to tell myself "NO!" to sugar! I had some torn up blueberry muffins in my belt (I forgot to bring my Eggo waffles to my mom's). After passing through the water station I was reunited with HC who had lost track of the Pacer.

Miles 5 - 7
Once we got to Mile 5 we were on the Santa Fe Ave that mirrors the Santa Fe Trail, which was a familiar site for me since I had on a rare occasion hit the trail coming from White Rock Lake. There were a couple of hills that we decided to walk up cause I just knew it was going to burn my legs up and just slow me down at the finish. Until that point I ran up every single hill that I had faced, and I felt great, which made me happy since I was a little worried about them.

While on Santa Fe HC and I were discussing future races. We both admitted that a marathon may be in our future. She would like to do another winter one, such as the Dallas Marathon again. I told her that I was tempted with the BCS Marathon cause it's apparently flatter than Dallas, and I've heard good reviews from my friend JB. I know I have a lot of things going on this year that involves money, a trip to St. Louis, my trip to Vancouver for the SeaWheeze Half Marathon, and a vacation with my guy, my brother's wedding in Houston. A lot of stuff, but I still feel like I may be able to swing the money for registration for training. Hmmmm. So much to ponder! OK... now! Back to the race!

Miles 7 - 9.3 
Once I pretty much hit Mile 7.50 I was mentally done with the race. I was starting to get tired. I swear the temperature dropped and it got windier, which didn't help with you are sweaty like I was. I never got too hot, which was great. But I hate being cold just as much!

Once we were back on the grounds of Fair Park an I saw the 9 Mile marker then the 5k's 3 Mile marker I knew I was very close! So I dug in and ran up the last little hill. It was perfect timing cause I saw MS right there and he was taking pictures! Awww! That definitely made my smile a lot bigger when I ran across the finish line.

POST RACE 
The finisher's shoot was very short. I got my medal. I got a cup of Nuun, which was perfect (I hate Gatorade!). MS gave me the biggest hug when we found each other. I wish there was a picture of that! We saw HC, but lost her while I was looking for my mom. I felt bad the next day about how HC was by herself, but she reassured me it was ok. Next time I'm going to do better.

Once Mom was found I got my cup of chocolate goodness. We got my gear from the holders of backs (aka gear check) then plopped down on the concrete floor. We pretty much almost spent an hour talking and laughing and recapping the race. All of this was great, but my mom and MS were getting alone and I could tell the "parental unit approval of boyfriend" was going well!

Just like last year I popped behind the curtain to change clothes instead of going to the bathroom, which I had already visited and was glad I didn't change in there. Then we made the trek back to the parking lot.

I got home just in time to take a shower before heading out to work for the next five hours. I was certainly very tired after the first three hours. Thankfully, my guy offered to make one of my favorite dinners, "Breakfast for Dinner," for me. He made pancakes, fried eggs, sausages, and hash browns. Total yum! A great way to end the day of running my first race of 2016!


FINISH TIME
01:46:00
I am very happy with this finish time!

WOULD I RUN THIS AGAIN? 
Yes! I will always consider the 5k since I run this race every year, but the 15k wasn't too bad. I was very happy with my run. So, yes, I'd run the 15k again.









Saturday, November 25, 2017

New Training Schedule

Source:
https://pinkinmylife72.tumblr.com/post/64729867344
Wow... so I'm almost a complete month back into running full time. I have a half marathon at the end of March 2018. Surprisingly, and unfortunately, this will be my first half marathon in a year! Yikes! I can't believe the wedding planning took so much of my life! Well! Leading up to this point I was in need a solid training plan to get me back into shape. So, for this winter season I'm planning to train with Galloway's half marathon schedule, for time goal runners.

Now, I'll just say that I already know that even with running 1 minute/30 second going up to 17 miles prior to the half marathon may be a bit much for my out of shape-ness. I've decided to keep track of the regular Galloway schedule in case I need to not go so far. There's no need to hurt myself before I get going.

I've been doing interval running this past month, and I gotta say that I'm feeling pretty good about it. Granted, I'm still recovering from slight shin and achilles aches after the honeymoon (if you're going to Boston, wear good walking shoes!). I've also done Galloway when I trained for my first half marathon many moon ago (try like 4 years worth of moons ago!), so I feel confident. I will admit that it was a little difficult to get me back to the interval style of running and to slow my speed a bit down (don't go hog-wild fast just yet!), but I'm liking how I feel at the end of each run. Nice!

Even though Galloway doesn't require it, I will be doing cross training on non-running days when I have time for it! 

Even with my days where I feel discouraged or off about something or anything, I know I can rely on the training to get back to a solid run and eventually a good foundation for that third full marathon. (Fingers and toes are crossed!).


Half Marathon Training Schedule for Time Goal Runners
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/half-marathon-training


Week   Monday   Tuesday (CD/Acg/p) Wednesday   Thursday Friday Saturday   Sunday
1 off 30 min run off 30 min run easy walk off 5 miles
2 off 35 min run/MM off 35 min run easy walk off 6 miles
3 off 35 min run off 35 min run easy walk off 7.5 miles
4 off 45 min run/MM off 40 min run easy walk off 4 x 800
5 off 45 min run off 40 min run easy walk off 9 miles
6 off 45 min run/MM off 45 min run easy walk off 6 x 800
7 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off 11 miles
8 off 45 min run/MM off 45 min run easy walk off 8 x 800
9 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off 13 miles
10 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off 10 x 800
11 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off 15 miles
12 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off 12 x 800
13 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off 17 miles
14 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off Easy 5 miles/MM
15 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off Goal Half Race
16 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off 4 miles
17 off 45 min run off 45 min run easy walk off 6-12 miles

2017 OMaD Week 47

Holiday Week! Aaaah! I decided about a week or so ago that I was not going to join some of my running buddies for the Turkey Trot because I didn't want to deal with trying to get to downtown Dallas and back. Also, running wise, I just got back into running full swing and I don't want to push myself too far just yet. Now, I can't wait to chill. Run a private 5k in my own park while my hubby (who is off instead of working brunch) finishes making our side dishes for our Thanksgiving Meal with my family! It's going to be fun!

November 19 - 25  

Day 323:  4.51 Miles - I had a solid run today! I was planning for at least a 4 miler, but was debating on 4.5 or 5. I decided mid-run to do 4.5 so that it'll be around the 10% increase from last week. I found that I was pushing myself a little too fast during my intervals last week. Thankfully, it kinda happened naturally, but I had the mental set to start out slow and run negative splits. It worked out! I felt great! I think eating a good protein and carb dinner helped a lot. I felt like I could've gone onto 5 miles easily, but I had made up my mind and I had pushed at the end. I even bumped my interval from 1min/30sec to 2min/30sec during the last mile when I felt like it.

After my run, I chilled with the hubs who had some major allergy stuffy nose and headache. We had Pho for lunch before I headed out to do a volunteer gig for the Beef Team with the Healthy Kids Running series, which was a lot of fun. Back home for dinner M and I had Korean food, which was the first time for me. Omg... I like bulgogi! Yum!

Day 324: 0 Miles - Day off! I got to meet up with my bestie JM, which was the first time for seeing each other since the wedding! We had fun slurping down ramen then walking around Target (that store is dangerous!). I got to show here all of my honeymoon photos while we sat in Starbucks. I had my first sugary coffee and sweet (chocolate covered graham cracker) in a long while. So much fun!

Day 325:  3.10 Miles - Slow run in some respects. My body just didn't want to go fast in some respects. It's all good, but I felt off. When I got home I wanted to eat junk food. Like candy. But I made myself eat and apple with peanut butter. Then when it was time to do some TV vegging with the hubs with some herbal tea. I took a couple of sips and I was out like a light while M watched The Punisher. 

Day 326: 0 Miles - Day before Thanksgiving! Aah! Pretty much all day I was psyching myself up to bake my very-pie-completely-on-my-own. I'm happy to say that making the family pie crust dough was so easy, and so was prepping the apples (granted, M helped with that). I did blind bake the pie crust, which is something I have never ever done before, but I got to say that it worked out great and that it made a great difference.

Day 327: 3.11 Miles - I got in a quick run in the morning. I was really wanting to go for 4 miles, but timing was not great since I also had to help make some side dishes for the family meal. It was nice and quiet at the park, which was really nice. Back home, M and I roasted some sweet potato with caramelized onions, Andouille sausage (all mixed together... yum!) and some caramelized brussel sprouts. So, good! We got to my parents house a little late, but it was all good. Our holiday was relaxing and fun. M didn't have to be the chef much that day. He just made the gravy and carved the turkey, which by the way, my mom roasted the turkey in a Egg bbq (only in Texas) - it was awesome! I had two cinnamon rolls, which was a lot of sweets in one sitting for me, and 1.5 slices of pie and one scoop of ice cream. Overall, I didn't really over do it. I felt proud about that!

Day 328:  0 Miles - Today was a rough day. I couldn't get out of my head that all the work I've been doing for the majority of this month is not ever going to workout and I will never lose weight or get back to lighter size. Anyway, I felt discouraged. I was also frustrated that pretty much greedy people shopping everywhere ruin the fun in a lot of respects to enjoy time with friends and family. For example, do not go to a Starbucks on Black Friday. Everyone needs refueling in their shopping frenzy, and this is the place to go. I did breakdown had another cinnamon roll at my parents house.

For dinner I made a delicious salad from the Run Fast. Eat Slow. cookbook - arugula, roasted asparagus, blueberries, toasted hazelnuts, feta cheese, and roasted salmon with a balsamic dressing. Yum! M liked it. 

Day 329: 0 Miles - Work day. Boo! I'm ready for the weekend!

Total Miles this week:  10.72 Mile

Miles to Date: 344.28 Miles

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

2017 OMaD - Week 46

Wedding-planning free and now focused on getting back into shape and into running mode again! 

November 12 - 18  

Day 316:  4.02 Miles - So today I was determined to go past the 5k distance and go for 4 or 5 (depending on how I felt). Also, I made myself turn on the interval training on my Garmin. I started out with a 2 min/30 sec interval and it wasn't too bad, but I probably should've started out with a 1 min/30 sec interval instead. I did switch to the 1/30 half way through the run, and I liked it a little better. I could pick up my pace and cadence a bit more for that 1 minute run before resting. I'm definitely going to give this a try more when I increase my mileage. I've been a little reluctant to do the intervals since this was what I started out with, but I know I need to start at the beginning. I did the 4 miles in 50 minutes, and I feel happy about that! I worked myself hard enough that I crashed for a nap after breakfast.

Day 317: 0 Miles - Rest day... well, pretty much was a rest day. I didn't do any workouts in the true sense. I did help the hubs reorganize our kitchen to make room for our kitchen wedding gifts, which was a workout. After that we sent a giant order of photos ready to print at Walgreens, and we ran over to Michaels to get a photo album. All said and done, by 11:30pm today we have a honeymoon photo album and it is awesome!

Day 318:  3.10 Miles - My usual 5k this morning, but I did 1 min/30 sec intervals for the most part. I felt good. Not too tired at the end of it like some of my other 5ks in the past where I tried to run the whole thing. Different parts of my lower legs do ache a little, and I'm making sure I take care of them. For this run I got up right around 6:30am so that I was out the door sooner than later to get ready for my dentist appointment later that morning. I'm happy to say that my plan worked out great, and I plenty of time to stop by the apartment to get clean and eat and be ready for work. Score! However, by the it was time for work I was ready for a nap! 

Day 319: 0 Miles - Rest day and a busy day at work. I had to wear inpractical work shoes for a meeting and it suuuuucked! My shins were not happy! I typically break the dress code an wear Converse with arch supports, and my supervisor is OK as long as I don't get caught. But a meeting at different location changes all that.

Day 320: 3.11 Miles - My run the morning wasn't has easy as the one on Tuesday. I blame my achy legs. I had the day off today, and I spent it with my family. It was nice to spend time with them and not be anxious or busy with wedding stuff. Life is getting back to normal.

Day 321:  0 Miles - I did not want to go work today. I feel out of sorts emotionally. I basically wanted to be in pjs in bed and veg on TV. Part of it is that I'm missing our family doggie, Emme. In some respects I'm glad I've cut out eating candy or sugar, but today I wish I could let myself slip. But I know I can't.

Day 322: 0 Miles - Rest day. Got a lot of stuff done at work. At home I made Salisbury Steak from scratch, and it was soooo good! 

Total Miles this week: 10.23 Miles -

Miles to Date: 333.56 Miles

Saturday, November 11, 2017

2017 OMaD - Weeks 42 - 45

OMG! Where has the time gone! I can't believe that I've missed out on almost a month worth of postings! Things have been cray-cray over here, but it's all ends beautifully!

In the time that I've been away I tried my best to fit running and workouts in.. however the closer I got to our wedding day... the less time I had.

I'm happy to say that I'm married to my best friend and almost stress free!!


October 15 - 21   

Day 288:  3.18 Miles - A good 5k in the park. Nothing special to report.

Day 289: 0 Miles - This was a crazy day! First thing in the morning, M and I got our marriage license! Eeeeeh! S$%T got real, man! We celebrated by having breakfast at Cindi's New York Deli and Bakery. Yum! After that we had our final meeting with the wedding venue. Then! We went to the State Fair! So much fun! We got our Fletcher's Corny Dog (SOOOO GOOD! I could've eaten 3 of them, at least!), a Tamale Donut and I got a pineapple and chocolate swirled ice cream cone! 

Day 290: 0 Miles - No running today. I honestly can't remember why! 

Day 291: 0 Miles - I got up early to go to a special work training this morning, which meant I got out of work early later in the day. I met my mom at our wedding venue to test some things out. She then took me shopping for a new pair of jeans for our trip!

Day 292: 0 Miles -No running today. I was starting to get tired. I worked an event in the afternoon, so I was crazy tired when I got home.

Day 293: 0 Miles - Today, was the day for a breakdown. I basically worked on printing some wedding stuff during the day, and tried to cut the papers on the work's paper cutter (totally allowed) and it was messing up. Basically.... I broke down in the car after work. I was so upset that I couldn't get my wedding errands done. I went home and bawled my eyes out and called my mom. I ended up going to her place for help and M met me there after he got off of work.

Day 294: 0  Miles - Today was better... but I was very tired so thankfully with my mom's help there wasn't much I needed to do.

Total Miles this week: 3.18 Miles -

Miles to Date: 305.12 Miles


October 22 - 28    

Day 295:  2.51 Miles - I tried to run today, but I was breaking out in what seems like hives when I was running. I think it was stress, sweat and a reaction to a different lotion I've been using. I swear the itch on my skin was worse than chigger bites! I had to cut my run short to get home quick to shower.

Later that night was my Bachelorette Party. My friends took me to an Escape Room, which was loads of fun. We totally did a great job solving the puzzles, but we were in a room that needed more players so we didn't make it out in time. But it was so much fun! After that we had a totally delicious dinner and drinks at Mesa Maya. Yum!

Day 296: 0 Miles - I honestly can't remember what I did today.

Day 297: 0 Miles - I remember going to work and having a pizza party with my coworkers.

Day 298: 0 Miles - This was my last day of work. I was working hard on getting things prepped for people would be filling in my spot for me. I also printed out all of the wedding programs and cut them out by today.

Day 299: 0 Miles - First day off! From what I can remember, M and I went to get M's hair cut and to pick up his suit and we worked on packing things. We had a awesome BBQ dinner with Mark's aunt and cousins from Ohio.  We did go to the grocery store to buy a butt load of food for our rehearsal dinner (potluck) and to make rice cripsy treat wedding favors.

That night was full of stress, a lot of tears, a lot of frustration, a lot of everything. I ended up with a stress migraine. Because of misunderstanding with my bridesmaids, M and I were up till 4am working on the rice crispies.

Day 300: 0 Miles - The day before the wedding! That morning I stopped by my mom's to see if they needed any help with the flowers. Then I came back to my place to meet up with two of my friends/bridesmaids. Our wedding rehearsal was in the afternoon. We drove to downtown Plano and got some much needed coffee (let me tell you, I love the Dirty Chai at XO Coffee). The weather was crazy that day! It was 80 degrees on Thursday and today it was in the 50s. It actually started to sleet on the way to the venue!

Our rehearsal went really well, and we all felt confident! We all dispersed ways to only meet up again at my parents house for a potluck rehearsal dinner, which was a lot of fun!

After the dinner, my friends and I stayed up late with my mom, aunt and sister-in-law to make the bouquets. It was a late night, but it was fun. I love my SIL for the fact that she knew how to do bouquets!!!!


Day 301: 0  Miles - IT'S HERE!!!! WEDDING DAY!!!! Aaahhh! I work a little later than expected. I decided on the fly not to get my nails done with one of my bridesmaids cause I was tired of driving everywhere. My two other girls, who spent the night, and I had coffee then went shopping for accessories for their hair. While I got my hair done they bought some cardigans for their dresses since it got so cold.

Every so often M would call since he and his dudes were in charge of decorating the venue. They did an awesome job!

After getting my hair done, I checked into the hotel that M and I were staying at that night. A nice little special touch! Then the day was starting to be a little bit of a blur in some respects. We got to the venue and into the bridal suite. It took a little longer than expected to get ready so we didn't have as much time for bridal pictures as we expected, but it was ok.

The ceremony started a little later than expected, but that's OK I guess. I remember walking in with my girls through a bar next door to the venue (that was an experience!) then the venue staff did a great job helping us with staging walking down the hall to the ceremony room. They weren't their for coordination but to take care of the facility, but they did this anyway! So awesome! I remember seeing my dad practice his "Her mother and I do" in the hall" while I was around the corner. I waved at my soon-to-be Brother-in-Law who was helping with our music. He was so worried that he would mess up, but did amazing! I remember the venue girls fluffing my dress a little, and my dad and I started walking in.

I fixed my eyes on M and the ceremony went to by so fast and yet not fast at all... I wanted to giggle I was so happy. I nearly cried during my vows. It was awesome!

After the ceremony we took pictures outdoors and then we were back inside. The reception was great! It was so hard to talk to everyone - we had about 60 or so, but maybe less. We had a great buffet dinner. There was a Polaroid camera photobooth. Cake was awesome! We had glow stick necklaces for everyone to play around with when we exited the venue. It was a lot of fun! I can't believe it happened!

 We stayed in our hotel. We were so tired that we basically got into PJs and talked about our day leading up to the wedding and at the event. Then we passed out in bed! :P

Total Miles this week: 2.51 Miles -

Miles to Date: 307.63 Miles


October 29 - November 4   

Day 302:  0 Miles - First day as a married person! Whah?! M and I got donuts and cappuccinos near our hotel after we checked out. Mmmm. We got home and started packing for our honeymoon. I actually needed to do a load of laundry too. We took the kitty cat Jackson down to my parents house, and we got to see my siblings and aunt one last time before they headed home. We ate dinner at Afrah Mediterranean.

Day 303: 0 Miles - M's Dad picked us up dark and early this morning to take us to the airport. Going through ticketing and security was a breeze. We had egg bagel sandwiches while we waited for our flight. We landed in Boston and I got to drive through the highways out of Massachusetts and into New Hampshire and into Vermont. The fall colors were ah-mazing! 

Day 304: 0 Miles - We love Vermont! We stayed in Woodstock, which is a gorgeous little town. We stuck close to our inn and enjoyed the town. Did some shopping. It was so nice!

Day 305: 3.11 Miles - I went for a run through a cover bridge on the carriage roads that were part of the Billings Park/Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park that went up the side of Mount Tom. It was a lot fun and so so so quiet and secluded! Later in the day M and I went to a maple syrup and cheese farm. It was so cold and fun! We brought home a lot of stuff from the farm! :P Oh! And I ate apple pie with cheddar cheese for the first time!

Day 306: 0 Miles - Another nice quiet day. We ate our last dinner in Woodstock at the Simon Pearce restaurant. We got to see the glass blowing forges below the restaurant. Fun! I ad creme brulee for the first time for dessert!

Day 307: 0 Miles - I was sad to leave Woodstock. I loved our stay. So did M. We ate breakfast at a diner and went to an antique mall in Quechee before driving into Boston for last part of our stay.

Day 308: 8  Miles - Ah! Boston! We walked the Freedom Trail today, which took all day instead of a few hours like we expected. It was a lot of fun though!  I'm totally counting 8 miles this as an exercise it my body totally felt the trek. The trail is 2.5 miles long, but add in leaving and going back to the hotel (2 miles) and somehow all the weaving around we ended up with 9 miles that day. For dinner I had my first ever Lobster Roll and New England Clam Chowder!

Total Miles this week: 11.11 Miles 

Miles to Date: 313.05 Miles


November 5 - 11   

Day 309:  4.0 Miles - I ran in Boston! I ran from our hotel through the downtown to Boston Commons. Not even halfway through this 0.80 portion I lost GPS and didn't get it back until I was in Boston Commons. I ran part of the Commons, but more so in the Public Gardens. I saw the Make Way for Ducklings statues and I took a lot of pictures. I did run on part of the Commonwealth greens, which was gorgeous! I didn't lose GPS on the way back to the hotel, but it totally thought I went on a crazy route and said I had my fast mile (8 min/1mi), which I'm doubt really happened. It was a lot of fun, my feet only hurt a little bit after the long we had the day before.

After getting back to the hotel to get clean, M and I got my donuts ate Kane's Donuts and walked into the city. We found the Boston Public Library, which I heard is gorgeous inside (it was closed unfortunately cause it was Sunday morning). I was more excited about seeing the Boston Marathon Finish Line, which was right next to the library! It was awesome! Mecca!!!

We got back to the hotel to chill before checking out. In the time before we left for the airport we did stop by a massive Old Navy and I bought a new cardigan. Airport ticketing and security wasn't as easy going home as before, but it wasn't horrible. My parents picked us and took us home.

Day 310: 0 Miles - Our first day back! We did gobs of laundry and started working on the

Day 311: 3.17 Miles - I thought it was a little warmer than what it said it was on the weather app (windy, especially) so I a little under dressed. It was a good run, and it was nice to be back at my old park, but I do kinda miss a different scenery. 

Day 312: 0 Miles - Rest day. I'm not quite ready for gym work just yet

Day 313: 3.10 Miles -This was a little bit of a harder run that Tuesday, but it was nice and cool out, and dressed just right. It was good to get a run in before going back to work for the first time in two weeks! Thankfully it was a quiet day! I had a lot of emails to catch up on.

Day 314: 0 Miles -It was a Staff Training Day. I was going to go to the gym to work out (burn off the junk food from training), but the elliptical weren't working and the other gym with the spin bikes was being used for soccer practice. So, I just walked around for 2 miles. Since I literally sat all day long I'm not counting the 2 miles because it's what I would've done at least if I was working normally.

Day 315: 0 Miles - Rest Day at work. I did sneak in some time to work on my training schedule for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon that is happening at the end of March 2018. :-)

Total Miles this week: 10.28 Miles -

Miles to Date: 323.33 Miles