the 8 weeks to nwm recap.

yay for being on time this week!! it was one i wasnt totally expecting, a few suprises that i think will be good long term.

sunday~rest

rest.

i got tons of sleep and then we spent the evening hanging out with my parents watching girly movies and big brother to finish out the weekend. it was fun!

monday~4-5 miles

4.72 miles = 45:49 minutes/9:42 min/mile

things have been a little nutty around here lately and i was beyond glad to see my runner friends on monday night. we had a really good run, the best in a long time. between all of our injuries lately we have a bit of a rough time up and down the hill. this one was smooth and felt really good. i was incredibly grateful to chris and jen for the great run!

tuesday~spin

6am body flow class

well i hit the snooze a little too hard and woke up with just a few minutes to spare. i thought about just rolling back over but knew i needed to do something. monday night i was having a weird tightness in the backs of my knees so running was probably not a good idea. instead i decided to try body flow! i heard some good things and its a combo of tai chi, pilates, and yoga. its really hard, ha! kicked my butt in a good way and i was super happy i went.

wednesday~4 miles

2.6 miles = 25:31 minutes/9:48 min/mile

this is where the week turned interesting! we had a few cool days in the forecast and it happened to fall on a run day. i headed out and had immediate pain on the front of my right knee, like bad/sharp pain. i thought about just turning around but the weather was too nice and cloudy i couldnt. so instead i gave myself a 1/2 mile to see how i felt, and it subsided so i decided to cut the run to an out and back quick 3. i got to the turnaround point and the sky decided to open up into a full on downpour!! not little raindrops either, huge fat ones. i had to get home, theres was nothing other to do than laughed to myself and headed back. there was no sign of stopping so i decided to cut out my extra loop which in hindsight i could have just done and it would have been fine. it was kinda fun to run in weather:)

thursday~body pump

rest

with the recent knee pain and past knee issues since like forever i decided it was probably a good idea to see a sports doctor. i did some googling (big mistake) and saw everything from a cyst to fluid needing to be drained to my new minimalist shoes were causing the whole problem. so thursday morning i arrived a 1/2 hour early for paperwork did x-rays and still waited 45 minutes to see the doc after my scheduled time. anyway, he looked over everything and did all the ligament tests which i passed, then came to the conclusion i was ok. i do however now need to visit a physical therapist for the next 4-6 weeks to correct some things and work on my form. he is also a runner so he gets it and seemed to understand what i was talking about. everything was great till i told him about the front of the knee pain and he made me hop on 1 leg. i had a ton of pain on my right knee and after some poking and moving around muscles he said the scary phrase. we need to get you in pt now, otherwise you might develop a stress fracture in your knee cap!! it was in the next 5 minutes i called my new pt friend.

does that look crooked to you too??

friday~rest

rest.

the doc said i could still run and cross-train so my 8 miler was still on deck saturday, which meant rest day friday.

saturday~8 miles

8.45 miles = 1:24:26 minutes/9:59 min/mile

i was a little nervous for my run with all the pain but taking 2 days off helped and i felt good getting out of bed. yesterday i stopped to buy kt tape on my way home from work because i thought that would help keep my knee in place and had heard really good things about it. so i taped up, got dressed and headed to the hills. surprisingly it went really, really well! last week my run was mostly flat so i wasnt sure how today would go, but it felt sooo smooth. i got caught at a stoplight with 2.5 miles to go and knew it was going to hurt when i started again. i kept trying to talk myself through it and with less than a mile left i took a tumble on a sidewalk lip because i was more worried how much further i needed to go rather than the uneven sidewalk. luckily i fell mostly on my side and wasnt go full force. somehow only my left pinky is really hurting. like bruised and currently under ice! oh geez.

if i could have even a pinky's worth of keri walshs
talent wearing this, i would have it on every day!!

totals for the week = 15.77 miles + 1 cross-training day

like i said, a week full of surprises. i think this week i became a real runner...i had my 1st real injury! the doc seems optomistic and i told him about nike and he wasnt worried at all, so neither am i (at least thats what im telling myself, ha!). 

48 days to the nike womens half marathon!!!

the 9 weeks to nwm recap.

wow this is super super late this week! i feel like i have been playing catch up everywhere else, why not here too:) it also wasnt the most fantastic training week so i was happy to see it go.

sunday~rest.
rest

gladly spent the day sleeping in, enjoying the pool, and the last day of the olympics. ps i cant believe theyre over and we have 2 wait 2 years till the winter ones!

monday~4-5 miles.
4.72 miles = 47:45 minutes/10:06 min/mile

i wasnt feeling great from the beginning, i dont think i had eaten enough throughout the day. luckily chris was there to brave the 110*+ temps for the day. it was just about getting in the miles for both of us. we made it!

tuesday~spin and swimming.
5am spin class
600 meters = 25 minutes/67:03 pace

class severely kicked my butt since i hadnt been in a few weeks. i was drenched the whole class, but in a i needed it way! afterward i hopped in the pool after scoring a lane before it got really busy. i really like swimming right after, i feel strong and accomplished:)

wednesday~4 miles.
rest

life got in the way tuesday evening and i didnt get to bed till about 1a. there was no way a run was happening at 5a after that kind of evening so i slept a little longer.

i had to remind myself of this a lot this week!source

thursday~body pump.
6am body bump class

since missing wednesday, there was no way i was missing thursday too! glad i went to work out some of my frustration. i felt better after:)

friday~rest.
rest

i had great plans to clean and be accomplished after work since i didnt have to train, but my inner rebel and the couch won out. sometimes you just need a break.

saturday~7 miles.
7.87 miles = 1:15:36 minutes/9:36 min/mile

decided to stay in my own neighborhood this week and run on the relatively flat road instead of the super mean hills in green valley. it was nice to run on familiar territory but wasnt the greatest run ever. i ducked the sun most of the time which was nice till my knee started bothering me for about the last half. it seemed like i stepped off the sidwalk weird and tweeked it funny. heat insued later that night and it felt better. plus this delicious zesty lime shrimp and avocado salad helped :)

yum!

totals for the week = 12.59 miles + 2 days of cross-training.


it was incredibly long week in just about every aspect school, work, love, life, training. i was so so glad to see it all go by sunday when i hit the reset button!

source

52 days to the nike womens half marathon!!

(as of sunday 8/19)

the 10 weeks to nwm recap.

theyre back!!! i really missed recapping my weeks when i trained and ran et. it almost felt like i was hiding things from everyone. so i have decided the weekly recaps needed to make a return. now back to the countdown...

sunday~rest.

rest

my time clock was a little screwy all day with the super late night et race the evening before. but everything was made better with this night-time treat :)

YUM!

monday~rest.

rest

i gladly took monday off from my runner group and everything else. i totally enjoyed my post-race treat of raising canes (YUM), even if i had to do it while doing homework. oh and the olympics of course. i also started considering a big step up for my saturday run...a 10k yikes!

tuesday~rest.

rest

a few post-race treats continued with a stop at starbucks on my way to work for a caramel frappucino. it was delicious! but i promise the treats are disappearing soon lol.

wednesday~4 miles or rest.

rest   

i was hoping to hit the road again wednesday morning, but my alarm was quickly turned off and i rolled right back over. thursday would have to be the day back instead.

thursday~4 miles.

4.22 miles = 40:12/9:31 min/mile

it felt so good to get back out on the road. the hot, hot heat was not my friend in an excessive heat warning. but to be running again was worth all the sweat.

friday~rest.

rest

friday is always my rest day, but this one was also my rest day before a last minute decision to race saturday!

saturday~6 miles.

6.24 miles = 57:34 minutes/9:13 min/mile

i decided monday night after some help from friends on twitter to go all in and sign up for a 10k since i needed to do 6 miles anyway. this race, the police and fire 10k, holds a special place in my heart because it was my very first race ever 3 years ago. i got there pretty early with plenty of time to wait. i ran into a few people from my monday night runner group and was glad to have some friends to stand with! we lined up and were off soon. it was at an outlet mall on las vegas blvd so the course took us on an out and back around the mall, then through a few neighborhoods, and back along on the mall. 

only in vegas do we have these at the finish lines:)

i felt good throughout the race even as the sun was coming up and almost 90* at the start. i forgot my garmin so was going all on feel. theres a pretty good size hill that is fun to run down but not so fun to climb back up. now not nearly as awful as the et one the week before, but enough after not running a lot this week. i came in just over my pr time at 57:34 but was really happy with my time. ive never run so far a week after a half marathon before and was pleasantly surprised with the results.

we all stuck around for a bit after for the awards and glad that we did...3 out of the 4 of us won 1st place in our age groups!! ive never won my age group before and could not be more excited!!

1st place feels good!

the super pretty flowers my parents gave me when
i met them for breakfast after for my win!

total for the week = 10.46 miles + 0 cross-training.

even though it was a week mostly full of rest it was a good one. plus a 1st place in my age group is always a good way to end the week! glad to be back at it :)

49 days to the nike womens 1/2 marathon!!!

the et half marathon 2012 race report.

this past saturday i was lucky enough to finish my 8th half marathon!! it wasnt something i had originally planned on, but took form sometime in may. i realized after my funk that to wait and run my next half in october was just too long to wait so i found the et 1/2 marathon which happened to be local! now by local i mean based in las vegas but the actual race was located about 2.5 hours away in rachel, nevada. and by rachel, nv i mean on the extra-terrestrial highway, right outside area 51! oh and it started at 1230AM. it was an adventure in the making.

at 645p richard and i headed over to the hard rock hotel to meet the race people so we could hop on the bus that would take us right to the start line. you have the option to drive, but i would have never actually found it and this was just sooo much easier. plus everyone else was there too so it was more fun. we got there much earlier than we needed to, but worked to my benefit as i found out my garmin was dead about 20 minutes before we left the house! luckily i brought my charger and was able to find a plug while we were hanging around before loading the buses. it was kinda nice to be early and not have to rush at all.

right at 830p they rounded us all up to head to the buses. it was like a mad dash to find a good seat because all 10 buses were packed full of runners and spectators! as we settled into the ride richard happened to notice what row we were in...

coincidence anyone??

at about 1015p we all started to wake up because we noticed our bus slowing down. not really knowing what time it was we all went into panic mode as we hadnt really eaten our prerace food or had enough water. soon the director was coming on our bus asking for empty seats, turns out there was a huge something that had hit the 1st buses windshield! it looked like a massive boulder had been thrown straight into it and glass had actually made its way to half way back on the bus. luckily no one was seriously cut, just a little shaken. mind you we were out in the middle of nowhere and it was dark as all get out. so they dipersed the runners amongst other buses and off we went again.

right on time we arrived at the "black mailbox" where the full marathoners and 51kers would take off. it was much chillier than it had been in vegas and the air was so clean! it was also the 1st time we had really seen where we were, literally in the middle of nowhere. ::confession:: i am legit scared of the dark. no, not kidding, like really scared. what was i thinking doing a midnight race in the desert! we loaded back on the buses and headed 7 miles down the road to the 1/2 marathon start.

it was a quick start, no sooner than we were off the buses, were they lining us up to start the race! luckily ours was a straight shot down the highway to the little al'einn inn where breakfast awaited. as we started we all noticed it was quite a bit windier than we expected. then we realized the hill mountain we had to climb. i say that because the first 6.5 miles were straight up with an 800 foot elevation gain. oh.my.lord. it was the hardest hill mountain i have ever climbed in a race. i took more walk breaks than i wanted to, but there was no way i could make it all the way up without them.

we had been warned about possible animals on the road, of course my biggest fear was snakes. so you needed to keep your music reasonably low and a headlamp/flashlight on at all times. this did not sit well but i played by the rules and actually had a set of headphones with only 1 ear working so it was perfect for this race. i would love to say i settled into the race and just didnt worry about them anymore, that would be lying though haha. as we got to the top of the hill mountain the wind finally subsided just in time for the downhill of course. i stopped for a minute to refill my waterbottle and noticed my music wasnt playing the same way. i tried fiddling with it for a minute only to realize the other earphone had now died! that meant running the 2nd half of this race in the dark on a very lonely highway with no distraction.

after walking for a minute i decided i had to get going and started flying down the hill. i was trying to get around other people partially to not be in the middle alone and it felt sooo good to not be climbing anymore! you could see the little al'einn in the far distance and it was motivating. from then on many of played leapfrog catching up then falling back with one another. i stayed toward the middle of the road with my headlamp bright so i could see anything that popped out. i kept hearing things in the bushes which totally freaked me out! this race was on one very lonely highway.

finally it felt like we were getting close as i hit double digit miles and passed the really cool extra-terrestrial highway sign i really wanted a picture of but there was no way i would start again if i stopped. my legs were definitely starting to yell at me and i was ready to be done. i finally hit the 12 mile marker and started making some deals with my body. my garmin was not showing me a friendly time after that climb so i readjusted my goal a few times and headed in as fast my little tired legs would take me.

i made the only turn toward the finish line at mile 13.05 and couldnt be more excited to see that timeclock, even with a not so nice time flashing. i crossed the line to half marathon #8 with a huge smile plastered on my face!! it was really dark and hard to find richard who had stayed on the bus that took the specators straight to the end. i saw a few friends and grabbed some water then spotted him. i recapped the race in true "just finished" fashion and was really having trouble breathing. luckily he had my inhaler which i actually had to use for only the 2nd time ever after a race.

finally, a ufo!

the only 1 i actually saw!

we walked/hobbled around for a few minutes then headed inside for the runner breakfast supplied by the race company. now richard had started hearing some not so good things about the food, but i needed something. thank goodness there were bananas and apple slices at end of the line. all the food looked terrible and i was extremely glad i had packed my own peanut butter and jelly sandwhich to eat! soon we headed backed to the bus we trudged, we were ready to go home since it was already about 330a.

finsh time:
2:18:41!!

for as unadventorus as the ride was up on our bus, it was 10-fold more crazy on the way back. 1st it was either all or nothing with the airconditioner. i had brought warmup pants and a pullover, best packing choice ever next to the sandwich! still on that bus after sweating for 2 hours then getting cold i was freezing as was everyone else on the bus. plus this one wasnt nearly as nice. it was missing arm rests, the bus driver kept drifting into the grates on the side of the road that woke everyone up, and then it was blazing hot and stunk after he finally turned the air off for a bit. it took even longer to get back and we were all sooo thankful to finally arrive safely at hard rock 3 hours later.

food later that day was interesting. i was starving all day but not getting to bed until 8a i was more tired than anything else. plus i had to save up some calories for the dinner we were meeting my parents for later that night...

the oo lookie sundae!

the famous frrrrooozen hot chocolate!

all at the world famous serendipity
at caesars palace.

overall it was quite the adventure and something i can cross off the list! i dont need to sign up next year for this one, but glad i went outside my comfort zone a little to do this race:)

the july 2012 running recap.

total run mileage: 81.14 miles
highest weekly run mileage: 22.38 miles
# runs: 14
# rest days: 10

# xtraining workouts: 7

favorite run: my double day that turned three times in 24 hours. it also happened to be fourth of july and i did my 1^st 5k on the holiday! sandy found us one at night that took place at the top of the city so we stuck around afterward for some delicious food at roadrunner and were able to catch a great view of all the fireworks!

total by chance we ended up as red, white, and blue!
and we had light-up tiaras :)

most hardcore run: the last long run of this cycle, my 10 miler. it has been a really hot and humid summer and no matter that i was up at 4am for this one, it was just too miserably hot. the other issue: my lack of inhaler, that one was all me. but now i have one and feel great:)

current reads: im a big slacker. i started the second book in the fifty shades of grey series and havent finished it. the plan to read over my school break didn’t really happen haha.

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: the very sneaky 1 piece of extra dark chocolate im giving myself everyday. i recently turned my food upside down but there was no way i could completely give up chocolate!

current obsession: the olympics!! the opening ceremonies were not the greatest thing ever, but the competitions are fantastic:) i will watch just about any thats on!

my new shirts!

current drink: water, a lot of it. i have also discovered a new love for green tea. read how good it was for runners because of the antioxidants of course and have been hooked ever since!

current song: i am sooo ousting myself here…the new justin bieber song…

current wish-list: a new iphone. well the new one that apparently doesn’t come out till september. hey, it said wishlist;)

current need: my money to stay where it is allocated, ha! being an adult is rough sometimes, and each time i get just a little extra and decide to do something responsible with it, an emergency like a tooth needing to be fixed comes up. so now i have a plan to chip away at it all and get them taken care of, as long as things stay going where they are supposed to! oh to be an adult.

current triumph: since turning my food upside down in the middle of july i have lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks!! heck yes, and i have big plans for the next few months until the nike half:)

current bane of my existence: this humidity. i live in the desert people, our version of humidity is when it reaches 10% outside. this 30-50-75% stuff is just wayyyy too much.

current goal: to not be afraid for the alien race! that sounds silly i know, but i am scared of the dark and there is a potential for animals out there. i know theres going to be a lot of people so my plan is to surround myself with others so they cant get me! you think im kidding.  

current indulgence: see my shame-inducing guilty pleasure, seriously.



source



current excitement: my race Saturday! its something i have been pretty quiet about and not sure why. but it is almost here and i feel ready!

july foodie pen pal.

is it really august tomorrow?! wow. where did this crazy month go? this month makes it my 5th month in the pen pal world and its so much fun! heres the way it works if you havent heard...

*each month you are paired up with a new blogger or reader in a different part of the country.

*on the 5th of each month you will receive your penpal and have 48 hours to contact them.

*now who you send to will be sending to someone else, so it is almost a pay it forward thing!

*there is a $15 limit on the package you send and it is filled with all your favorite things. local favorites, healthy or splurge snacks. emails are exchanged to find out about dietary restrictions (diabetic, gluten-free, vegetarian, etc) and if there is anything you just plain dont like. it may be 1 large item or a few small items, up to the sender. and away you go!

*you must also include something written like a note or card or recipe, its up to you.

*by the 15th of the month you must drop it in the mail and at the end of the month everyone posts on the same day!

luckily kristina had attached the tracker to my package because it was mia for a few days only to find it hidden in my apartment complexs office. i think they keep things on purpose at this point! once i finaly got it i was instantly in love, its like she read my mind. from the time i sent the email with food preferences to her and the time the box showed up things in my diet/food had changed and it was like she knew. i was first excited about the pancake mix with matching syrup! a. because i love pankcakes and b. it was multigrain and organic! abd yes, it even says on the package to use this specific syrup, i love it. there was also some homemade strawberry jam that is super delicious and some hot sauce with avocado for my spicy tooth!

oh yeah!

it was so diverse and i loved it! i even put the pancake turned waffle mix to use the first opportunity i had...some how a few chocolate chips snuck in there, but i didnt mind :)

i also got to send my package up north to leila, check out her reveal to see what i sent! oh and if you havent signed up, head over to this page at the lean green bean blog and sign up for next month!


yum! yum!