Merry Christmas

I wanted to take a few minutes and wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I'll be back after the new year to post my resolutions!

Froehliche Weihnachten!

Quick Update!

Hey All,

I just wanted to let you know that I'm surviving in Germany! But for right now: GO ARMY BEAT NAVY!

More to come later.

Good Bye from America

This will be my last post in America before we cross the pond and begin our new lives in Germany. To all my friends and family, I will miss you dearly and I hope you will come visit sometime soon. To all my readers, I hope you look forward to reading new adventures as we begin and learn about a new way of life.

Moving!

It has been a busy week. I had movers packing up my house for three days last week, and I just wanted to share some insight with you all. There are three things I've learned not to have the movers send (just for peace of mind):

1. Things that are irreplaceable (i.e. race medals). I meant to pull these and stick in my luggage but completely forgot. Let's all hope and pray that the box with my (and my husband's) medals makes it.
2. Items that are replaceable but a pain to replace (i.e. contacts). Yes, you read that right. I sent all but two pairs (one month's supply of contacts). When our household goods won't be arriving until we have a place to live, which may take 2-3 months, I could be without for 1-2 months. So, I've placed an order with 1.800.Contacts to help me get by.
3. Items that you don't need now but will need when you arrive (i.e. my Ugg boots). It's not cold enough yet to need them here. But it will be pretty chilly once we get there and then start to get deeper in to Winter.

As a redeeming factor, I did remember to pull out my prescription medications.

You live and learn and I hope you all learn something from my experiences.

Life Happens

So, this is the point where my blog takes a massive turn and my running life and real life merge.

I haven't run in a week (since the half) because life happens...

This is a big week for me. Our movers are coming Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. So, it's a busy week and after it's all over, I will pretty much have nothing left in the apartment, except what is going into storage. So, I will basically be left with kitchen appliances.

I will keep you all updated on my travels.

Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon

I ran my first half on Sunday and it honestly wan't as bad as I thought it would be. 

I think I started out way too fast because I was dying at the end. I also didn't run the intervals I trained with. I think I really would have done well if I stuck with the intervals from the beginning. But that's neither here nor there.

On to the race itself! It started off with a performance by some knights from Medieval Times (which we missed because we were too busy chatting with ROTErs.) I think chatting helped easy some of the nerves because I wasn't standing there thinking about the race. Once the show was over, it was time for the race to start. The gun went off and Emma and I were moving! It took a bit to get to the starting line but we crossed the timing mats and were on our way. We passed a line of the knights and the king and queen right after the start and made our way around the mall, that took us through mile 1. Mile 2 we ran through an office park and saw Laura on the other side of the loop. Miles 3, 4 and 5 were just along the road. There were some bands playing along the route which was really nice to have that support. Some where around here, we were playing leap frog with Cath and eventually lost her. We thought we were done with the ROTErs at that point...but we were wrong! Miles 6 and 7 had us running a large loop around Broadway at the Beach. Mile 7 is where it all changed! Katie caught us. We thought she started the race ahead of us and we were on our own. We ran with Katie from miles 7-9. Around mile 9, I started to feel icky and dehydrated (even though I stopped at almost every stop and had Gatorade with me). I told Katie I was taking an extra break and to go ahead. She caught up with Emma and I was never able to catch up with them. Miles 9 and 10 I was running around Myrtle Beach High School and then some residential areas. Between mile 10 and 11 I hit Ocean Blvd and ran past the hotel. But I was almost there and at this point I was almost solidly walking as I had a blister forming around mile 5. I ran past a huge ROTE crew between miles 11 and 12 and even though I had my iPod turned up I could still hear them cheering. I felt like a rock star at that moment! After leaving them it was on to Mile 12 and then a turn around to hit the path to the finish!

I knew I had to kick it to the finish and leave everything out on the course. So, I replayed a song on my iPod and then when the next song came on (Knee Deep by Zac Brown Band), I gave it all I had. 

I finished in 3 hours 8 minutes and 57 seconds. My goal was just to finish as this race would be an automatic PR for me. But now, I have a time to beat!

I did go home with a heavier bag. Look at the size of thing...

...that can also be said for my blister. This was taken two days after the race too!

First Half!

My first half is in the books! I will be posting a race recap later but I'm done and I think my luggage came home 10 pounds heavier due to the pretty new bling I have!

One Week!

One week from today I will be experiencing pre-race jitters as I get ready for my first half. Right now, I'm nervous, excited and scared. I'm having the doubts of did I train enough and am I really ready? All these questions will be answered next Sunday morning.

Wine and Dine Relay Leg #1

This was my first Disney race so I didn't really know what to expect. Brian (hubby) dropped his brother and I off at EPCOT shortly after 7 and we were able to walk right on to the bus. Once we got to ESPN Wide World of Sports, we met up with ROTErs in the middle of the field. They were easy to spot in red and we made our way over there, running into a couple of ROTErs (Bob and Stephanie) on the way. We milled around with other ROTErs until it was time for relay runner #2 to head to the bus. My brother-in-law left me to head to the exchange point. I headed to the corral just before 9:30 and made a new ROTE friend. Rachel somehow found me in the corral and we started together. I lost her after starting and then just went along with my intervals. (Note to self: next time I do a Disney race spend time at the parks after the race, not before. My legs felt heavy from the start.) I passed Katie and Steve (more ROTErs) just before mile 3 and I just kept chugging along. I somehow passed Laura (another ROTEr) without knowing it but she called me out heading into Animal Kingdom so we ran together until the relay split. It was great having a running partner for a bit of the race. After leaving Laura, I "passed the baton" to my brother-in-law and worked my way on a bus to EPCOT.

Once in EPCOT, I met up with Brian and my sister-in-law after getting my free beer and going through bag check twice. We met brother-in-law shortly after he finished and I didn't manage to see any ROTErs at the after party. I got cold and had to buy a long sleeve shirt from the Run Disney booth and then we managed to do a full lap around World Showcase before closing. I had a few items but I should have had more as I was starving before breakfast. We didn't ride any rides and I only had a few drinks. Brian made fun of me for having a Bud Light as I was entering the park but when I explained what the options were, he understood. I would have liked wine as an option. It also would have been nice to have more shopping locations open, especially with the weather. We went back to the Run Disney store later and they were sold out of the long sleeve shirt.

But overall this was a fun race! I think the relay is the way to go because you don't have to run too far and then you get to enjoy the party. It'll be on the list to do again.

It's Coming!!!

I promise my race/expo/Disney recap is coming!!!! It was a ton of fun! But I'll give you all the details soon!

Direction

I feel like I've been pulled in so many different directions! I quit my job to focus on packing and moving and it's a good thing, there's so much to do. I was counting down the days to my last day at work and then with going to Virginia tomorrow and then Wine and Dine on Thursday. It's all just a tad overwhelming and I don't think it's going to slow down anytime soon. So, wish me luck!

Update!

Hi All!

I haven't updated in a while...I can't believe it was August 27 when I last posted. Where does time go?

Anyways, since then I have announced to friends and family that we are moving...to Germany, which is why there are European races on the list. We're nervous, exited and ready to see what is in store for us. (I hope the title makes more sense now that you all know too!)

My RP and I had a 9.5 mile run and an 11 mile run. I think the 9.5 went better than the 11 because we started at like 8 am (for the 11 we started at 4 pm). It's amazing what the time difference will do! We have discussed starting all runs in the morning so we can get a feel for what race day in late October will feel like. Although, it is helpful to have warmer training runs because Disney Wine and Dine is coming up very soon!!!! I'm so excited for this race. I get to see family and hang out with some very cool ROTErs! It'll also be fun to hit the parks one last time before leaving the country.


So, back to training runs. On the 9.5 run we tried Honey Stinger Chews, Pink Lemonade flavor. They weren't bad! It was kind of like a gummy bear. I will definitely try these again.

 For the 11 mile run...we tried GU. I had the Pineapple and my RP had the Mandarin Orange. It was interesting. We had them at about mile 6. From what I understand...maybe we should have put them in the fridge. The texture was not my favorite but I will give it another chance refrigerated.

This reminds me that if anyone wants me to review products. I'm happy to do so!!

Race Schedule

Last week I had a chance to sit down and draft my race schedule for the rest of this year and next year. So, here it is.

October 1, 2011 - Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon Relay (Leg #1)
October 23, 2011 - Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon
November 12, 2011 - Solider Half, Ft. Benning, GA*
February 2012 - Semi de Cannes, Cannes, France*
March 4, 2012 - Paris Semi-Marathon, Paris, France*
June/July 2012 - Hamburg Halbmarathon, Hamburg, Germany*
September 2012- Budapest Half, Budapest, Hungary*
October 2012 - Munich Half Marathon, Munich, Germany
October 2012 - Frankfurt Marathon 5k, Frankfurt, Germany
October 2012- Lucerne Marathon, Lucerne, Switzerland*
November 2012 - Athens Classic Marathon, Athens, Greece
December 2012 - Pisa Half Marathon, Pisa, Italy*

* Denotes tentative races. As you can see, several races are tentative because many dates haven't been set yet. I hope to do all of these races over the next few years.

A great international race resource is Run Abroad. If you would like to join me for any races or want me to be your personal cheering section. Let me know!

Have a great Saturday!

**Benning is out because DH will no longer be there....

8 Miles

Sorry, I haven't updated for a while but I have been keeping up with my running. My knee hasn't been bothering me lately (yay!). So I ran 8 miles last Sunday. Thank goodness I was in Michigan so the weather wasn't too bad and it was flat!!! I was pretty happy with my time too. I've been following a 2:1 interval and it's been working for me in the hot summer heat.

With my 8 miles I used my new Fuel Belt...

It's the Revenge R2O and it's love at first use. The bottles are so easy to take out and put back in (one handed). The belt did not budge once. It was love at first use, so much so, I had to get one for my RB too. I also got the medium sized pouch to hold some energy products...which leads me to my next topic: Energy Products.

I purchased a couple Gu gels, Honey Stinger chews and a Clif Shot Block. I haven't tried them yet. Every time I thought about it I felt kind of icky. So, next time. But over all I felt great after 8 miles.

Until next time, happy running!

Raffle

Hey Y'all! I just wanted to let you know that my friend Heather at Running with Sass is having a raffle to help raise money for Team in Training/Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. If you want to donate for your chance to win AND help a great cause click here!

Slacker

Wow! I've been a slacker with regards to running  :( and blogging :( I just feel like I've been so busy lately and have barely had time to breathe. So, here's a quick update. My knee has been bothering me and I've taken a few days off (my last run was Sunday the 17!?!?!). But I did bike this weekend, so I don't feel too bad. My knee isn't bothering me too much today so I think Emma (my RB) and I will be going out for just a 30 min run today and see what happens.

By way of blogging....well, I have no excuses. I'm online all the time but to my two readers out there (that's stretching it too), I'm sorry. I promise I'll be better.

Half Marathon

So, as you guys know my longest run has been 6.5 miles but that didn't stop me from registering for the Myrtle Beach Mini-Marathon....this will be my first half. I'm so excited to see my ROTErs again (and a little bit nervous because it'll be my first half).

6.5 Miles!

So, yesterday I had my longest run ever. 6.5 miles...two 5ks...quarter of a marathon...half of a half marathon. I'm impressed with myself. Granted my time wasn't the best but I'm still proud of myself.

It was tough but I did it.

But let me ask cyber world a question...Do you like having a running buddy or do you like going it alone?

Happy 4th!

Hi All!

I just wanted to wish you a Happy 4th! Be safe and let's not forget all the sacrifices that were made to make this happen!

5 miles!

So, yesterday I had a 5 mile run. It wasn't bad. We went early enough to stay out of the heat. Afterwards, we hit the pool. It was awesome to hit the pool after the run....so refreshing! My time wasn't bad, could have been better if I didn't get stopped at a few major roads and almost hit by a car. But I still want to cut 8 minutes off the time for Wine and Dine. I've already made improvements. I cut four minutes off my 8k time from last month. YAY!!

So the car story, I was crossing a street in the crosswalk with the light. There was a sign that says "No turn on red when pedestrians are in the crosswalk" (where I was at the time). I'm sure you can see where this is going...I was in the crosswalk and a car attempted to turn on red....This lady on a bike starts yelling at the driver of the car who clearly did not know what was going on. But I survived and crossed the road without getting hit.

Happy Monday all!

Big Run

So, I'm doing the Jeff Galloway program and I have a 5 mile run tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous, not about the distance, but about the heat. Brian (my husband) and I are going to try and accomplish this as early as possible so it'll be as cool as possible. But it's still going to be hot! We've been discussing getting a fuel belt for me because the runs only get longer.

Any suggestions on belts from those veteran runners out there?

Happy Running!

Busy

Hi All!

I've been busy the last few days but I will get an update later today or tomorrow.

Have a great FRIDAY!!!!!

Nothing Much

So, not too much is going on today. I have a rest day from running and we (my husband and I) decided to take the week of off P90X. We've survived 6 weeks of the regular program.

But, good news I got my Kaboom sparkle skirt today (made my Monday). Feel free to check out Sparkle Skirts. I haven't run in it yet but I can't wait to do so!

Have a great Monday evening all!

Today's Run

So, I'm following the Jeff Galloway running plan for Wine and Dine (I'm running the relay with my brother-in-law). So today's run was 4 miles...and I felt awful. My pace was only two seconds slower than my 5k last week, which isn't bad considering I basically added an extra mile. But between the heat and the lack of hydration, it was bad. My computer said it was only 67 out when I don't think the temperature had updated. It was over 80 when I returned home.

So lesson learned, drink lots of water and run earlier in the day.

By the way, I'm leaning toward running the Myrtle Beach Mini. Any thoughts on the course? Any likes or dislikes?

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. I've decided to blog about my journey of running and living. I'm training for my first half marathon (not sure which it will be yet). But, here's my journey...