Cold day #2

So school has been cancelled again today. It's flipping freezing here (the temperature is -1* F. So no running for me. 

Well, there's no running for me until next Wesnesday. Over Christmas break, I tripped going up the stairs at my In-law's house. My foot is still hurting, so I'm trying to stay off of it. It's really tough since I have a lot of walking to do at school and coaching ice skating. I'm just hoping that it's a minor injury (I don't want to be in a boot). 

SMART Goals

A very long time ago, I learned about SMART Goals in taekwondo class. It helped me break down my larger goals into smaller goals and helped make them attainable.  So here are my Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Trackable goals.

1. Break a 2:10 half marathon.

This goal is simple and specific to getting moved into earlier corrals for next year at the Princess Half. I can definitely be measured and tracked by a race performance and my training. 

2. Drink more water.

This is going to be the one I struggle with. I strongly dislike the taste of plain water.  I need my water to be flavored or ice cold.  Luckily, I'm a Nuunbassador so I can get Nuun products to enhance my water without adding any extra sugar.  

3. Get back into figure skating.

Once I get into a place where I don't have a car payment, I intend to put some money aside for skating lessons, paying down the student loans, and possibly a house payment. I really miss skating for myself. I love coaching, but there is nothing like the feeling of learning something new and challenging oneself. 

4. Eating healthier.

So most days I rush around and grab a protein bar for breakfast and something stupid for lunch. I really want to develop better eating habits so I lose weight and  perform better in all aspects of my life.

That means buying the right foods and doing meal preparation earlier.

Those are my four small, SMART Goals for the year.  

New year, New goals

So this post should have come out yesterday, but I got distracted by cleaning. 

It's a new year, and I have new goals

1. Write the blog daily. 

I am hoping to write as blog post daily. I have some fun ideas to add to just the running part, so you get a glimpse into my daily life. 

2. Stay hydrated and drink more water. 

Being a #nuunbassador for the year means I am going to need to drink more water. Luckily, Nuun is a sugar free option to make my water taste better. 

3. Keep running (at least 600 miles this year).

I ran 490.8 miles in 2014.  I am hoping to hit 600 miles this year with fifty miles every month. Since I will be training for at least 2 half marathons this year (and a third in early 2016) this should be easy enough to hit. 

4. Work on nutrition. 

I am going to be working on my eating habits in it's to perform better in running and skating. 

5. Pay off my car and student loans so I can start taking skating lessons again. 

It's been two long years since I had a skating lesson, and I would like to be able to do that again. I'm not sure what way I'm going to go with my skating, but I'm leaning heavily towards just doing ice dancing. 

New Record and exciting news

On Saturday,  I ran my first race since the Monumental. I ran the Jingle Bell 10K downtown. I met up with some of my Team In Training friends, and had a great race! The course was better this year and they had more water stops! I had a great time, and even though I didn't train much for it, I ran a Personal Record of 59:24! 

And now for the exciting news...

I am a nuunbassador! What is that? I am an ambassador for a hydration product called nuun. It's pretty great stuff that helped fuel me through some tough workouts during the marathon training. They are little, sugar-free electrolyte tablets that you can dissolve in water. There are some awesome flavors, like watermelon and pink lemonade, that make staying hydrated easier. Well, at least for me since I have a hard time drinking plain water.

It's been awhile...

Just a fair warning, this post might be long...

I've been thinking about my first marathon for a while now, and I finally am ready to share my feelings about it.

October 31, 2014: Race Packet Pickup & Expo

     I was super excited for this weekend and my parents went with me to get my bib and other race things. The expo wasn't as big as the Mini Marathon's was but it was still good. My mom and I went halfers on some runningskirts capri skirts and I bought a pair of socks.  After the expo, we went to the mall to kill a little time before our Team In Training Inspration dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory.  

     At the dinner, we were treated to various presentations and guest speakers. And at one point, Maggie, our campaign specialist, started reading one of my posts from my fundraising page. I broke down in tears writing it, and had to fight back the tears as she read it.  Someday, I'll copy it here. I was also named Indiana Chapter's Rookie of the Year, and my friend Janet won the spirit award.

     I also want to mention how crappy the weather was.  Last year it wasn't cold, but it was very rainy on Halloween. Luckily for me, it was snowing this year. Yes I said snowing in October. Being from PA, this was very common for me growing up. 

November 1, 2014: Race Day

     All of the Team In Training participants met up in a hotel lobby about a block away from the start line. Our coaches gave us a lot of last minute advice and at about 7:30 am, we headed out into the cold to get to the start, do bag check, etc. I stuck with my teammates and got around the five hour pace group leader. My A goal was to finish. My B goal was to finish inbetween 4 hour and 45 minutes and 5 hours. I thought that it was a realistic goal based off of my half marathon times. I figured that if I ran even 11 minute miles I would accomplish my B goal. 

     Miles 1-9: I ran these and felt great. There was plenty to see on the course and lots of people to talk to. My family was at cheering me on just after the first mile marker. Jesse ran most of these miles with me and helped me keep my splits pretty even. He dropped back around mile 7 as I continued to run and wave at the cars that were stuck in traffic.  

     Miles 10-15: These went pretty well, but I was starting to wear down. I had to take more walk breaks, but overall it wasn't bad. I came close to hitting my personal record for the half marathon. I honestly don't remember much of this part because there wasn't much to look at.

     Miles 16-18: the start of the uphill portion of the race. It was challenging, but I managed to stay close to my goal pace and toughed it out. I also ran through Greek row on Butler's campus.  It was cool seeing all of their houses. This part also ran through Indianapolis Muesum of Art, which is one of my favorite places to run.

     Miles 19-25: This was the absolute worst part of the entire marathon experience for me. I feel that this was because my training never hit the magical 20 mile mark and my fueling strategy needed work. I was super nauseous for most of these miles and I would run, feel sick, walk, feel better, try running again, feel sick, and so on. It was a vicious cycle that wrecked my goal pace. I am really thankful for the Team In Training coach that ran with me during this section.  I probably would have DNF if it wasn't for her. She managed to get me through until Mark (our Indy area coach) and then Scott pushed me through until mile 26.

     Mile 26-finish: I found a new friend who was going to get a PR in the marathon, so we decided to run together. She would get the crowd pumped up for me finishing my first marathon and I'd get them to cheer her on to her new PR. Our last Indy area coach, Leah, and Maggie were cheering us on about a half mile from the finish. This was the final boost I needed to get through. I crossed the finish line with a jump (not sure how in the world I managed this) and my mom caught an awesome picture of it.

This pretty much sums up my marathon experience. It was the most intense, interesting, difficult thing I have ever done. I spent months training, battled through some stupid injuries, battled "the suck", and finished with strength. I am unsure about completing any future marathons.  It might take me a while before I even consider it. But I am now part of the 1% of people who have finished a full 26.2 miles!

And then there were 10

Just 10 days left. Ten days stand between my first marathon and me, and I am ready. Well, almost ready. I'm thinking about updating my iPod, but I am trying to wait until payday. I am super excited for race weekend, since it is the first time my whole family will be here in Indy. Unfortunately, I will just be getting back to school from our lovely two week fall break, but I'm hoping to squeeze in so much needed family time when I can.
Training wise, I hit taper town last week, and have been trying to remain injury free.  This has been the biggest issue for me through the entire training cycle.  I think I have it all figured out, but only time will tell (between the Tendinitis and old injuries coming back to haunt me, it has been an experience).
The best part of this has been training with Team in Training.  I've only been in Indy for a year, but this has been a rewarding way to explore the city and meet new people. Plus, I get to run for a cause that is very near and dear to my heart.
The worst part of this has been the amount of energy training has zapped from me.  On my last real long run, I was exhausted. I have a lot going on in my life between work, private tutoring, coaching learn to skate, and training. Plus we crammed in a trip to Chicago to visit friends (unintentionally during the Chicago Marathon). It's been a lot, but I know it won't get any easier to do. I'm just grateful for the experience.
It's truly humbling, and I'm not sure if I'll ever run another marathon. You'll have to ask me after the race. Maybe I'll have something to prove after, or maybe I'll just stick with halfs.  Anyway it's time to get off of the Internet and get ready to run.

Fundraising, Training, and Tendonitis Oh My

First of all, I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who has donated to my Team in Training™ efforts. Yinz are awesome, and I couldn't do it without you! 

Marathon training is hard. I don't want to sugar-coat it for those of you new to running. It truly sucks everything out of you. It's kind of like being on your period for 16 weeks. I am exhausted, cranky, sore, and emotional.  I'm injured. I've tried to push through, but last weekend it was too much.  I was supposed to complete two and a quarter hours (roughly 12-13 miles) with Team in Training. I cut it short-way short-after 3 miles. I'm mad at myself for cutting it short. I'm upset that I'm injured. I'm frustrated with where I am in my training. I'm terrified that I won't be ready. The little doubt monster has been creeping in..."drop to the half marathon, you know you can finish it." I'm doing little stuff-like buying new shoes-so I can get out of the slump.

But there are times of joy when I'm out running. Times where I feel like I could run forever. Times when my feet make music when they hit the ground. Moments, however fleeting, of pure happiness. Moments when I think about how amazing finishing the 26.2 miles will be. Moments when I think of the people in my life fighting cancer.  They are strong people who never back down. They give me strength on the days it is difficult to run.

I also feel that during all of this training, I've become a real runner. I don't always run with music anymore. I run with my team, enjoy conversations, listen to the sounds around me. I hear my footsteps, my breathing, the cicadas making horror-movie music (They are really freaking loud and creepy sounding here in Indiana).

This is my new moto for the marathon. I'm currently in a wave of pain. (Thanks! www.rungiarun.com)