the balancing act.

each relationship in life has a different part of your heart. there are ones that take up small parts and ones that take up big parts. the small parts are usually easy to manage, while important dont usually take huge decisions. the big parts though, those are the sticky ones.

when i talk about big parts i mean things like family, best friends, and your significant other. somehow it seems like im not ever on the right side relationship wise. if i have a significant other the other important people in my life are dont so im a bit of an outcast. when i am single everyone else seems to be in a relationship, so i am still an outcast. how do you juggle it all? how do you stay on the same side as the big parts?

in a relationship the most important is that you and your significant other ban together. when richard and i first started dating he told me how much he wanted to keep the relationships with his best friends current and strong no matter what. he didnt want to be" kicked out of the group" just because he had a girlfriend. not wanting to lose my own self in the relationship i was on the same page! however it soon felt like he would do anything not to lose those friendships, even at the expense of us spending time together. this meant many saturdays spent by myself once we moved in together while he played with his friends. most of his friends were single at the time and i think he envied it a little bit. he also did have the best of both worlds, able to go hang out with his friends all day and then still come home to a girlfriend at night. the other issue we ran into was schedules. because he worked at night he couldnt hang out with anyone really during the week, so that meant the weekend was for everyone. i kept the crazy girl in as much as i could and learned i had to let him figure it out on his own. its hard to watch sitting on the sidelines, feeling like a second choice, and i did many a weekends.

slowly he came to the conclusion that he wouldnt be losing friends just because he had a girlfriend and that his priorities started to change. he also started to realize that the group didnt actually kick anyone out, he just didnt "need" them as much anymore to do the things he wanted. they are a fun group to hang out with and do certain things, but eventually you want to spend time with your significant other more.

while richard struggled with the guys vs girlfriend decision, i struggled with the lack of girlfriends/friends in las vegas. i moved back to las vegas after college and didnt exactly return to many friends. we had all moved on to different things since graduating high school, and i never thought i would be back here. plus making friends in high school and college was so easy, making friends in the real world is totally different. i had made some amazing friends in college and knew they would be a part of my life forever! but they didnt live here and i couldnt call them to go get coffee after work and talk about our days. we talk on the phone and visit when we can, but it doesnt satisfy the i have nothing to do, lets call so and so to hang out. it also makes it hard to balance hanging out with each others friends. i am still struggling a little bit (i wont lie) to find good friends in las vegas, especially good girlfriends. i was (and still am) at times jealous that all of his best friends live in the same place (except for mike just recently moving).

i have since discovered that the friends i met in college really will always be there, and they are the ones i always want to have. while i may make friends in vegas, they dont have to be the same as the ones i have. we dont all have to be best friends. plus people will come and go in your life and thats ok. richard has discovered that the guys will always be there. yes you still have to do your end of the work on a friendship. but its ok to not hang out for a couple weeks, they will still be just as good of a friend the next time you do. he and i have become so much closer in the last couple of months since coming to these conclusions. its ok to have outside friends/relationships, you should to have a healthy relationship. we are both still learning how to fit it all in. but us two are the most important:)

the week 12 recap.

this week i finally stuck to the plan!! i did increase the mileage a little bit, but i did all the right training on all the right days. yay me :) i realized this week that long beach is only 6 weeks away and started to freak a bit. i had a really good training week and it definitely helped calm my fears. plus i officially signed up for the race and we booked our hotel today! we are really going!

monday~4-5 miles.
4.72 miles =50:00 minutes/10:35 min/mile.

so glad i got to meet with my runner group this week! it was a scorcher this week all the way around. we were getting ready for an excessive heat warning tuesday afternoon through friday. i thought that meant a bit of a cooler run monday night, mmm not so much. i got a facebook message from our leader debi that i had to be her this week and she was expecting all these new people. turns out it was the same fearless four! we set out with jerry and richard way out front with derrick and i bringing up the rear. it was so hot we actually took a bit of a break at the top of the hill to keep from over heating and take in some extra water. the fasties up front even kept my slower pace which i picked up to meet a little in the middle on the way back so we could all finish together. it was cool to have new runners buddies at my pace.

this is what they say...

this is what it really is...

tuesday~8 miles.
8.85 miles =1:31:00 minutes/10:16 min/mile.

seems like i cant keep to my suggested mileage on my long runs! at least im going over and not struggling and having to cut it short. this week i stretched it a little further before work and definitely felt it all day. i pushed myself monday night at the runner group to keep up with the fasties and it was so warm. i also dont think i slept enough. i was hoping for a bit of a faster time and even got up earlier to beat the sun a little. it for sure helped, but as soon as it came up it upped the temp big time. when i got back i felt good and really hungry, always a good sign. plus i scored a really good power nap before work!

pure happiness in bag...no regrets after my run this morning!

wednesday~spin class.
6am spin class.

this week i worked up the sweat i always hope for! again, i know more sweat does not always mean more work, but sometimes it feels so good. the music this week was not so great and i still feel like my teacher is learning the ropes. but it was a good class.

thursday~body pump.
6am body pump class.

melanie was back this week and all was right in the class! it was packed this week and i ran a few minutes late which was just long enough to kick me out of my regular spot and get squished in the front. all i cared is that melanie was back and the class was tough!

friday~4 miles.
5.2 miles =50:23 minutes/9:41 min/mile.

i felt really great at the end of this run! such a strong finish to the week and so glad i added on the extra mile. i was hoping to miss the excessive heat warning by having my last outside run on friday. thankfully was lucky enough to score the only morning with a few clouds! they were right on the horizon and kept the direct sunlight off of me for my most of my run.

saturday~rest.

sunday~rest.

total for the week = 18.77 miles + 2 days of cross training.

this was a great training week and i feel like i finally have the training thing under control knock on wood. i say that now haha! these last few weeks have been pretty crazy with training and work and school. im feeling great about this training cycle and my 2 days off this weekend from work and everything else really helped me get things back under control!

41 days till the long beach half marathon!! 
 

the race season craziness.

i start making my race calendar in the beginning of the year. i like to have a plan, i like to know where im going and when race day is. i knew last year that nashville was an absolute must for me. next i had to start looking at the rest of the year.

my ultimate dream race is the nike womens half marathon in san francisco on october16th. 20,000 women running through the streets of san francisco? sign me up! however there are quite a few hoops to jump through. first you must stalk the website to see when the sign up will be, there is only a 10 day window. once you do you get to wait. and wait. and wait. finally about 2 months later they pick up a day and start notifying runners through email on an hourly basis. so then you are stalking your email. now there are about 40,000+ women that register for the half and full marathon with only 20,000 runners picked.

while i was (not so) patiently waiting, the las vegas marathon released their big draw for the year, the race was to be run at night on the strip! you would think living in las vegas i would have done the race in the last 2 years. but it just hadnt fit into my race schedule. i wasnt really sure that it was going to this year, but i was not about to miss the race being run this way for the first time! there was only a 7 week turnaround from nike to las vegas and i was a little nervous. i have never done a turnaround that fast. however i was not going to miss either opportunity!

i found out shortly after that i didnt get into nike:( i got the email the next day when they were notifying the non-participants. i had made a back up plan in running the five cities marathon and half in covina, ca on october 9th. i thought about going back to long beach but decided on this one instead. it was an inaugural race and was planned to be a bit smaller than i was used. i decided this was a good thing and was excited about a new challenge.

just when i was already to book the hotel, i got a sucky email stating the five cities marathon and half marathon is officially canceled! apparently someone does not know how to check a race calendar and they scheduled it the same weekend as long beach which has been running for 25+ years and is a massive race. five cities did not have the participation level they needed to sponsor a race. so after being really mad and a frustrated phone call to richard, i decided it was time to head back to long beach! looks like the 3rd pick for the race is a charm!

just when i thought i was done, run disney announced they were debuting a new race. they did a rather lame clue game in which no one guessed the answer too. all i cared about was a new race because seriously, disney does it right. all their events are awesome! finally after a few weeks they released the new race...an all womens race called the tinkerbell half marathon at disneyland on january 29th! well as soon as i found that out i was on the phone with my mom and were trying to say no, but it was just not happening. there is only an 8 week turnaround from vegas to tinkerbell. however there was no way we were missing a new all-womens disney race and it was so close! plus we already had outfits picked out before we even got off the phone. what can i say we are girls:)

so here it is, officially. my insane fall/winter race schedule for everyone to see:

in 6 weeks...

10/9/11-long beach international bank marathon and half marathon.

7 weeks later...

12/4/11-rock and roll las vegas marathon and half.

8 weeks after that....

1/29/11-tinkerbell half marathon.

rest, finally!

yes i know this is crazy! and it is 3 races in 15 weeks. i will also say i have promised my family when i am done with tinkerbell i will not race more than a 5k for at least 4 months. i can still run and train, but no races! there i said it, its out there for everyone to see:) this will be the most intense thing i have ever done. it sounds nutty now that it is officially on here. but it will be an amazing feat when i am finished! i have been bitten by the race bug! cant wait to take you all with me on this running adventure:)

the week 11 recap.

i know, i know i keep deviating from the plan, but some weeks life just gets in the way. i found out after making my training plan that my family was coming into town midweek for some r&r. so that meant i had to make some tweaks from the plan. i also had a big change to the race schedule this week! the five cities marathon and half marathon in covina, ca notified its participants that they would no longer be having a race. long beach, which has been running for 25 years, is the same weekend and five cities doesnt have enough participation to put on an event. i signed up for five cities because i didnt want to go back to long beach since i had run it once. but i decided maybe this was my sign to go back! so new path, same training plan:)

im ready!

monday~4-5 miles.
7.87 miles =1:18:15 minutes/9:56 min/mile.

going to bed sunday night i was still contemplating whether to fit in my long run monday morning or tuesday before meeting my family for dinner. waking up monday morning i decided to just go for it! i really like doing my long run in the beginning of the week. this monday it was a little bit warmer than i would have liked and i was hoping for a slightly faster time. but i was able to finish strong and pace myself well. i made it home for my power nap but didnt really enjoy it because i kept having weird dreams! i also realized this should be my farthest run before work. this one left me pretty sore and torn up the rest of the day.

tuesday~7 miles.
4.21 miles =40:40 minutes/9:39 min/mile.

i had thought about sleeping in that morning and doing the run at night, but i was meeting my family for dinner that night so i had to keep it in the morning. after feeling pretty torn up all day monday i wanted to take it easy on tuesday and keep it to 4 miles. the wind was blowin in my face basically the whole time and i was ready to get this run over almost after i started. i definitely remembered why i always run to my farthest point first so i cant chicken out on the rest of the distance! i was really glad when this one was over.

wednesday~spin.
6am spin class.

this week was a better class, but i still dont feel like i am sweating enough in this class. i know that more sweat doesnt always mean burning more calories. however i like to sweat it all out sometimes and start the day fresh. maybe next week...

thursday~body pump.
body pump=1 hour head to toe workout.

we had a sub this week that had NO idea what he was doing! he tried really hard, but his accent was super thick making it even harder to understand. the class also must have known we were having a sub because half of the regulars werent even there. like i have said before though, sometimes its about getting it in. plus this afternoon i had to go to "jail" at work to raise money for our scholarship program. my bail was $50 and people could donate money to bail me out or keep me in! i was all for it, and i got free pizza:)

my jail cell!

friday~4 miles.
5.2 miles =51:00 minutes/9:49 min/mile.

i woke up today determined to finish the week with 5 miles under my belt. i had big plans with my best friend tiffany to go to country fest at night and wanted to start the day right. to make myself finish the right miles i headed out on the 5 mile route on purpose. sometimes as much of a psychy thing as a physical thing. i was still pretty sore from my earlier runs this week and was definitely glad i had 2 days of cross training so my body could recover a little bit on the running side. i was actually able to finish the run strong and was super glad i decided on the 5 miles!

sometimes i think i should have been a cowgirl:)

saturday~rest.

sunday~rest. 

total for the week = 17.28 miles + 2 days of cross training.

this week was pretty tough after that early week run. i hadnt really gotten enough rest the night before or the whole weekend with the bachelorette party, which was totally worth it. i was super glad i got my long run in on monday though. i might not have been able to put the miles in by doing it tuesday. now off to book my hotel for long beach!

48 days till the long beach half marathon!

the week 10 recap.

this weekend was kristins bachelorette party in phoenix! i was so ready for a girls weekend with some of my favorite people. so i had to get all my training in during the week! it was time to get serious about my mileage and add another one on to my long run.

working for the weekend!

monday~4-5 miles
4.72 miles =50 minutes/10:35 min/mile.

i met up with my runner group monday evening to see my temperature gauge tipping the 110*. we hadnt had a week this hot in a long time and it definitely showed in my time. i was planning on doing this mileage and glad that i stuck to it. once i got to the turn around point i actually had to sit down in the shade for a few minutes because i felt a little dizzy and knew my body was overheating. good thing it was downhill and flat all the way back to the shop. i felt fine once i got back and took in a lot more water. these are the things you have to be careful of in the summertime.

tuesday~6 miles
body pump=1 hour head to toe workout.

originally i was scheduled for my long run of the week, but i decided to do it wednesday before work. so i had to switch it up for body pump class. the tuesday class is taught with 2 instructors each doing 1/2 the class. melanie is my normal teacher and she did the 2nd 1/2. i am not really a fan of the 1st instructor, but this week she was actually really good this week. plus i got my power nap in after:)

funnel cakes, yum. this is why i have to workout haha!

wednesday~spin class
6.73 miles =1:09:00 minutes/10:15 min/mile.

i woke up wednesday feeling really good for my long run. i did this one outside instead of the treadmill. it was a great choice! the run felt tough enough to push through but smooth. i added on to my 5 mile route and ended up making it further than 6 miles to get all the way home. it still felt really good. and still scored about an hr and a 1/2 nap after before work!

thursday~body pump class
6 am spin class.  

since i moved some things around this week i decided to try out a new spin class. the original teacher was not there so the 1st teacher of the day subbed in. of course her specialty was rpm class, which is so not my favorite. its an interval training class that i dont feel like i get nearly the workout like a regular spin class. sometimes though, its about getting it done!

friday~4 miles
5.2 miles =50:15 minutes/9:39 min/mile.

i had been feeling really good about my training this week so i woke up friday morning hoping i would still feel that way and be able to do 5 miles. i took the route that i really designed for that mileage and i dont even know where the 4 mile cutoff would be, mostly on purpose. i felt pretty good the whole way and the last 1/2 mile i got an extra burst of momentum. my hip started to throb as soon as i stopped and i was afraid it was going to be paying back all day. after my shower though it felt a lot better and i was able to walk around with no pain.

saturday~rest.

it was low-key and had zero drama, it was soooo fun!

now thats what i call rest:)

sunday~rest.

total for the week = 16.65 miles + 2 days of cross training. 

it was a good training week! my long run was really good and felt positive about the way i am going to my next race. this may be a bit different than my original training plan, but i am getting it all in and thats whats important:) also this weekend i got confirmation that kinna is going to come to vegas for the 1/2 marathon in december! i am so stoked to have another friend to complete the race. plus this will be her 1st, such an awesome thing to be a part of!

55 days till the five cities 1/2 marathon!!

the 2 year anniversary.

being the hopeless romantic that i am, i had been looking forward to our anniversary for awhile. richard actually brought up the ideas first! now by brought up ideas, i mean asked what i wanted to do. we had a bit of a different idea of what we were each thinking. i wanted to get away and stay somewhere like lake las vegas for saturday night. richard was thinking lets stay in town, take the money and see a show. i liked both ideas, i was a little more hopeful for mine because it would be a chance for both of us to relax after a crazy month and a half. i did really like the idea of seeing a cirque-du-solei show, as i had never seen one before. i just wasnt sure we were going to have the money to see one.

we do live in a pretty cool place!

the other thing i was struggling with was the gift. when you are searching for an anniversary gift it shouldnt be something they need, it should be something they want, if even that. and not something you can ask them what they want. i decided a few weeks ahead that i was going to help richard upgrade to 2011 with a new phone. he had the very first touchscreen phone from sprint and was badly in need of a new phone, plus it was time to get a new contract anyway. i had gone back and forth, because it was a little expensive. but i had saved the money and was ready to spend!

the 18th was a monday so we had decided to celebrate the weekend before our actual anniversary.  somehow i scored the weekend off so we were able to spend the whole weekend together. richard had planned out our saturday night and i was ready for an evening alone with my love. i was still trying to figure out when/how to get richard his gift. i couldnt go in and pay for it on my own because i didnt know exactly which one he wanted and i didnt have his account info. so i decided to try and have him help me figure it out before hand. well that went extremely awry.

a few days before our anniversary richards phone started to die. and by die i mean couldnt send a text unless someone else sent it first. then it went really down hill. it got to the point where his phone didnt even turn on. so he went to the sprint store to try and get a replacement, but i was afraid they would talk him into a new one. so as he was leaving that morning i had to tell him the surprise. i was a little sad to have to tell him so early, but so excited to get him something he would love. his response was the exact opposite of what i expected, he said he already knew, and i had been giving it away all week. i was super upset and felt like i should had try to keep a better secret. i also got the complete opposite of the happy/excited face. i woke up from my power nap pretty distraught and not sure he even wanted the phone. i kept feeling like my surprises just were good enough.

we decided to go to the sprint store that saturday since we were going to spend the day together. we also had to have a not so fun conversation about me wanting him to be surprised and show me that and him hoping that i can reel in the little bit of crazy girl i let out sometimes. we both realized as amazing as our relationship is and we that we do have an incredibly strong base, but there is always something to work on. now it may not be huge, because both these were not, however if you dont talk and take care of something like this quickly it can blow up into something huge.

when saturday rolled around it was perfect. we went to the sprint store and spent 2 hours finding the best phone for him. and he took me out that night for dinner and to my favorite place, the bellagio conservatory. we got to get dressed up and spent the talking and laughing together, just the 2 of us. we bonded over a death by chocolate dessert at jean phillipes behind the conservatory.

beautiful:)

seriously yum!

once we got home we spent the night curled up on the couch watching things on our dvr. when we finally decided to go to bed that night i had gone into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. after i was finished i went to crawl into bed discovering richard scrolling through all the apps on his phone saying in awe that he could never get through them all. i knew he loved the phone:)

sunday was a little up and down with the womens world cup game. and i broke my anniversary present:( i am literally the worlds biggest klutz and knocked it on the floor to see it instantly break. richard was more upset about the broken pieces then i have ever seen him. i thought he was going to storm out, he couldnt even look at me. i kept telling him i could fix it with glue, they were very clean breaks, and apologizing over and over again. he just didnt believe me and that put him in an awful mood for the game. we almost stayed home for the game because of the mornings events. finally, almost right before we left, we both stopped putting up walls and let our guards down to accept the other persons apology.

a new snow white for my collection:)

we ended up meeting our friends downtown and i am so thankful we did. we got a few drinks in ourselves and had something else to focus on. the women's team ended up losing the game and it was pretty awful. but it made us get over the argument from the morning. i was pretty upset after the game and richard was right there to help me. it was so much more than a game for me.

after a rocky few days before it was a great weekend together. even with the little mishap sunday. we seem to do these little hiccups around big events. sometimes you forget how long you have been together and what that should mean until you have something like an anniversary come up. that tends to bring up serious feelings that you didnt know where there. as long as you can talk about it to each other, you can make it through anything. communication is the key:)

2 amazing years together:)

the week 9 recap.

this week i upped the ante and added my 5th day a week of training. this week is always a bit of a learning curve and a week of adjustments. i am almost always more tired this week and have to relearn the balance of sleep. i am also always hungry this week, and it major league kicked in on friday! this one was no different.

monday~4-5 miles
5.12 miles =52 minutess/10:09 min/mile 

i met up with my runner group on monday for another hot one! now i know that i say hot, but i really mean it. when we started it was about 104 degrees and right about the same when we finished. this week though, it did feel a little cooler! we gather at absolute nutrition on stephanie and 215 to head up paseo verde and back. this is actually a pretty tough route. it is a hill straight up to green valley parkway where you turn and head up .15ish to make it an even 5 miles. i have found a runner partner that keeps about the same pace, plus there is no way i can keep up with the 7 min/mile guys in the front. i am perfectly fine with my 10 min/mile in the back:) there was only 3 of us this week but we were hoping that people are going to start training for the las vegas marathon soon so we can have a bigger group!

tuesday~5 miles
4.22 miles =41:26 minutes/9:49 min/mile

funny that i think this is a cool morning.

i scored a rare semi-cool morning so i took full advantage! according to the training plan i was supposed to do 5 miles for my long run this week. but after doing just a hair over 5 monday night my right hip flexor was giving me some serious issues. i decided to keep it easy and just do 4 miles. finally after about 3 miles it loosened up and i might have been able to push the extra mile, but i didnt want to push too far. 4 felt good and the temperature was great!

wednesday~6am spin/eliptical
6 am spin class

i love spin! i really do. i found the greatest spin teacher in my very 1st training cycle and went religiously every tuesday evening. then she decided to go teach at unlv because it was full time instead. ever since i have struggled to find another good one. heather was great because she seriously kicked your ass in an hour but didnt yell and scream at you the whole time. she made you push ridiculously hard and the best part was watching the little teenie boopers that thought they were so cool to take a spin class drop out before class was over because she was hardcore:) i went completely without spin my last training cycle and was determined to find one this go around. the biggest problem i was running into was the times class were scheduled, they just didnt fit in. so i decided to try a class on wednesday morning even though i didnt start work till 11a that day. it was pretty good, it will do for now. best part was the 2 hour nap i scored after i was finished! i came home, drank a special k protein shake (best post workout fuel!), took a shower, and crashed hard for 2 hours. i woke up totally refreshed and ready for work.

thursday~body pump
body pump=1 hour head to toe workout

after my entertaining class with my dad last week i returned to my usual class this week. the last few times it hasnt been very full, this week it was packed! and we got a new release which meant new music. this release is friggin tough! i upped my weight a little bit, but this one made me sore the rest of the day. it was a good sore, like a "i worked hard for this one and its good to push myself in cross training a little bit" sore. by going to this particular class at 6am i have also worked a post workout 1/2 hour power nap into thursday mornings. seriously, this is where its at!

friday~4 miles
5.2 miles =49:35 minutes/9:32 min/mile

my new toy:)

this run felt really good! with my 2 days of cross training it gave the runner side of me a few days off and time to recover while still working my butt off. wednesday i went to rei (my new love)and finally bought myself a water bottle. i have been carrying a regular bottle all summer during my runs because its so hot but havent been super happy with having to actually carry it. i considered the belt, but couldnt convince myself for 2 reasons:
1. i didnt want it to bounce around on my butt with the bottle
2. i didnt want to look fat. i wont lie, it was a big reason. im such a girl:/

so i have been looking into other options and reading other blogs about what they use and finally decided on the amphipod water bottle for $19.50+ tax. it is seriously soooo comfortable and light. it also has a great little pocket that could fit a gu pack, or keys, or in my case an ipod perfectly. frees up your other hand and doesnt make you unbalanced. my only suggestion is do not fill it with ice and water. my hand was tingly for about the 1st 1.5 miles because the bottle was so cold! but the water was so good, i might have to play around till i find a solution.

saturday~rest

sunday~rest

total for the week = 14.54 miles + 2 days of cross training.

this was a great training week. i added my 5th day with ease and relearned my sleep/food balance that always happens right around this time. my long run was super easy this week since i have already been there for a few weeks:) its a major confidence booster and makes me ready to take on my next weeks training!

62 days till the five cities 1/2 marathon!!

the training plan.

runners very much have a love/hate relationship with training plans. some days they are great and keep us on track. other days they are the bane of our existence, making us getting out of bed and not party as hard at a friends birthday. some use it as a guide, some use it as a bible.

personally i use mine more towards the middle. to follow it to the "t" is the ultimate goal, but sometimes it just doent happen. i start the training process 4 months before race day, im gonna use my upcoming october race for timeline purposes. so heres what the basic breakdown looks like:

4 months till race day (june) = training 3/days a week.
   ~that usually looks like 2 days running and 1 day cross-training
3 months till race day (july) = training 4/days a week.
   ~during this month i typically add another cross-training day.
2 months till race day (august) = training 5/days a week.
   ~add on that last day of running.

this training cycle though, i did it a little different. in june i chose to run 3/days a week, adding 1 cross-training day in july, and my 2nd cross-training in august. this is where you stray more to the guide side of the training plan. something just felt right about running 3 days in the 1st month, so i went with it. here is what my training plan week by week looks like for this cycle:

  

click to view!

i didnt really realize how crazy this is until i sat down and wrote it all out again. i got this instant feeling overwhelm and panic looking at the excel spread sheet. i had to take quite a few deep breaths and close the workbook for awhile before opening to look at it again. once i opened it again i was able to look at how much i had already done. i think that is very important. while august and september look terrifying on the graph, i am already done with june and july, and i survived. its a tough cycle and trying to fit it all in with life is the biggest challenge.

with each training cycle comes some sacrifices...
2 months before race day-august 1st
   ~give up starbucks, alcohol, and fast food.
1 month before race day-september 1st
   ~continue with the first 3 things and give up pizza, anything fried, and ice cream.

it sounds drastic, i know. but the reward is so worth it. feeling so clean and healthy in that last month is super important. i had a run last week when i ate mcdonalds the night before a run and my stomach was screwed up for the whole day. its hard to give up those things, yes. the alcohol isnt too hard except for when i go to bars, etc with friends. pizza is by far the hardest! i love pizza, seriously i do. and it is everywhere. all the time. ice cream is a very close second, mostly because i love it so. but the clean feeling is so worth it in the end, i promise!


my love.

a runners training plan is deeply personal. i go into my races wanting to finish them. the goal is to not get picked up by the bus (if you are not keeping pace there is a bus that will come to pick any stragglers and you do not officially finish!). i care about my time, but i dont plan for one. i dont do speed work to improve my time. or push my body to the ultimate extreme for a minute off my previous days run. i run for me:)

3rd place in my age group!!