Week 1 Progress

Last week I wrote a pretty straight forward post about my weight and how I feel about it. Today one week later I am here to report how it is going and what I will be changing to make it better.

I still weigh a thrilling 170lbs but I feel a little better about it because I know I am doing something to try and make it better.

1) Eating after 7:30pm...This has gone pretty well except for Tuesday night when we loaded out onto a sleeper bus. That night I ate half of a publix sub...which is one of my favorites...but only half instead of a whole which is a step in the right direction.

2) No alcohol for the next month...I don't know who I was kidding thinking I could go alcohol free while I was on tour it's kind of our only social interaction. I have however cut it back significantly. Instead of a beer every night after work I had drinks two night this week, once for an engagement party and once because the house crew asked us out.

3) 30 mins cardio at least 4 times a week. Friday 3-18, 2mile run for 30 mins. Monday 3-21 one 15min run and 2 15 min walks for a total of 45mins of cardio just broken up. Thursday 3-24 2.25 miles for 31 mins....Okay so I only made it three times this week but 3 is a good start better than zero.

4) Eating more healthy things and less bad things. I have absolutely eaten more greens and fruits, I have not however started eating less grains...sometimes break is hard to avoid when someone else purchases some of your meals for you.

Okay so on to what I'd like to keep working on this week/ what to add to the list to make it easier.

5) Write down what I eat/drink to see when the hardest times are for being healthier.

6) Specifically eat less sugar.

7) Educate myself on proper weight lifting techniques for someone my size and stature.  So that when I return to NYC I can start working on strength and on just cardio.

There you have it folks, my progress, my downfalls, and my plans. Have a great week.

Love,
F

It's now or never

For those of you that know me know that I have a fear of being fat...but that I also really like food and sweet things. Recently since I left on tour in January I have been neglecting the fear and following the food. Don't get me wrong I have eaten some amazing food on this adventure around the country but I have not done it responsibly nor have I done all the necessary working out to make sure I am my best self. Looking in the mirror the last few weeks all I see is someone I don't recognize someone who would never be able to run the NYC marathon in November if they keep up at this pace.

Today I weighed myself and came in at 170 pounds. This is the heaviest I believe I have ever been and I am not happy about it. So the plan is as follows for the rest of the tour...

1) No eating after 7:30pm unless there is a load out in which case a small amount of healthy
    food...greens, fruits, and a little dose of protein to keep the blood sugar balanced.

2) No alcohol for the next month.

3) 30 mins of activity at least 4 times a week but aiming for everyday. It doesn't matter if it is
    walking, running, yoga, kickboxing, whatever it is it will be 4 times a week.

4) Eating more greens, fruits, and proteins. While eating less grains, sugar, and fried things covered in     butter.

I am 30 pounds heavier then I want to be and will find a way to get back to where I want/need to be for best performance and to feel like my best self. You guys are my accountability group! I will try and write as much as I can during the next month to let everyone know how it is going. I am not gong to deprive myself of great local food I am just going to do it responsibly.

If this amount of information is to personal for you, you may not want to read as I continue through this journey for a new and better me. I've got a marathon medal to earn!  

Thanks,
F

Doctors Orders

Hello!

It has been a while since I have written anything about how it is going, well today is the day everyone learns what has been going on. In March I ran the NYC Half Marathon which was the greatest experience I have ever done. It was my first half marathon and I loved every pain staking minute of it. 6 miles thru central park, down 7th Ave toward Time Square, across 42nd Street, and down West Side Highway to the finish line. Since then I have been suffering from dehydration and weird dizzy spells.
I blacked out on the subway on April 25 let me tell you not the most fun I have ever had, But I had a really great best friend who took care of me and my things while I was down. He also got me off the subway, drank some water, and walked the rest of the way to work at a very slow pace. I made a doctors appointment for May 25...the soonest they could get me in.
When I went to see the doctor the first time he ordered blood tests, EKG, and an Echocardiogram. The blood tests came back with a slight touch of anemia, and the heart tests came back clear. They have now ordered a holter monitor test stating that I have an irregular heart beat that they want to see if it acts up in the 24 hours I am wearing the monitor. He also ordered more blood tests and a trip to the cardiologist.
So today I am a science project wearing the holter monitor 5 electrodes sticking to my skin reading everything my heart does. I will see a cardiologist on July 27 and hopefully have all the answers I need. I also will have more blood taken to check the anemia levels and we will indeed go from there.

What this means for my running life is...slower, which I didn't think was possible, and less miles. I will be running 14:00 minute miles and no more than 5 miles at a time. Till the end of July I will be running no more than 5 miles at a time at roughly 14:00 minutes a mile pace. Now this is a set back I don't have to stop running. I will be training for the Bronx 10 miler and for a second Ragnar from Cumberland Maryland to Washington DC. I will most likely not be running as runner 8 as this leg is 23 miles total. But I am part of a team and amazing team and I will cover the miles they need me to it just may be a little slower than I had hoped. This is not an end just a new beginning with a challenge.

-F

Not a Happy Post

 They say the first step in fixing a problem or addiction is to admit you have a problem. I have a relationship problem with food. I can justify any sweet treat in my life...other foods no problem I like fruits and veggies better than McDonalds and pizza any way and have for a couple of years now. The problem I deal with now is sugar. I use to say that it was fine I can eat cookies, pie, and cake every day because i was training for a half or a 15K or whatever. Now I am train for Ragnar starting on Monday and I really want to get faster and I truly believe that if I loose a few pounds and trim down a little bit it will help. I was running my best when I was 10lbs lighter I wasn't a speed demand by any means but I was running a 12:30-11:30 minute mile and now I am running a 14:00-13:00 minute mile.

I am not sure how to kick this sugar problem. I have tried to do 30 day detoxes of no sugar, the first week no meat, no dairy, no bread, strictly fruits, veggies, nuts, and anything that comes from the earth. Week 2 you could add back in meat. Week 3 add back in small amounts of dairy. Week 4 add back in bread if you want. All of the adding back in is optional, however processed sugar and sweets are always off limits. I tend to turn to sweets when things go bad, things go well, things are boring, and things are just normal. I eat them all the time.

I want to make my team proud of me and I want to be proud of me. I want to perform to the best of my ability and to know I have trained my best and my hardest and have given it everything I've got. I am working on a plan to make this better to make this happen, to make me the best me I can be. The best person, the best runner, the best friend, the best girlfriend I can be. When you feel good about yourself that confidence is felt by others.

75 Days till Ragnar!

Today

Today I ate over half of a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Today I got turned down for a grant to fund a project I wanted so badly to work on, which led to the eating of the cake. Today I felt sorry for myself, which led to the eating of more cake. Today I ate nothing but cake yellow with dark chocolate frosting. Today I felt ashamed of eating that much cake in one day and for not following my plan for becoming a better runner. Today I thought about all the things I have declared to do in my fitness goals and have fallen through because I didn't put the effort forward.
But today I did something amazing. Today I joined a team to run the Ragnar Relay from Miami Beach to Key West Florida. Today I joined 11 of people who I owe my best to. Today I threw away the rest of the cake I had eaten so much of. Today I vowed to give up processed sugar till thanksgiving where I will have pie and then continue to not eat processed sugar. Today I became the 8th slot runner meaning I will run leg 8 which is 7.9 miles, then leg 20 which is 6.2 miles, then finish with leg 32 which is 1.8 miles for a total of 15.9 miles in 2 days sleeping in a van and having a great time and crossing the finish line as a team. Today I agreed to a training program that starts next week. Today I became awesome!

Week 1 & Week 2 Recap

Week 1 Monday: Yoga videos...I was trying supliment in any way I could being in a place where I had no access to a gym or a set of weights.

Week 1 Tuesday: 3 miles run broken down into Run mile 1, run walk 1/4 miles for mile 2, run 3/4 walk 1/4 for mile 3. It wasn't to bad but I ran at 12:00 and even in California it is hot.

Week 1 Wednesday: Cross train. I did a 30 min walk down the beach. It is so pretty there I got in as much beach time as I could during the last week.

Week 1 Thursday: 3 mile run broken down into Run 1.25 miles, 1/4 mile walk, 1/4 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, 1/2 mile run 1/2 mile walk. Again at 12:00 it was hot and the sun was intense the only saving grace was that there was a breeze.

Week 1 Friday: 30 mins of cross train...I spent 30 mins walking on the beach, it was my last chance to see the Pacific ocean so I took my cross training there.

Week 1 Saturday: Travel day! I flew back to St. Louis on this day so there was no working out involved.

Week 1 Sunday: 4 mile run...We did 4 miles but not in a run. The temperature was 105 degrees and 110% humidity...which meant we did a combination of times walks and run for the first 2 miles, and then walked the second 2 miles. I chose to get the distance in even if I couldn't run.  

Week 2 Monday: Stretch & Strengthen...Was replaced with lap swimming in the pool...when you have a pool I say use it. It's a great full body workout. 

Week 2 Tuesday: 3 mile run. I had a procedure the morning of this day which kept me from being able to run, however it didn't keep me out of the pool so I did lap swimming in place of running on this day.

Week 2 Wednesday: Cross...YOGA! I was at home this week and I have a yoga class that I really love to take so I used my cross training day as an hour and fifteen minute yoga class.

Week 2 Thursday: 3 mile run. Was a 1 mile run and a 1 mile walk with 1 mile missing. I got up at 8:00am to run and it was already 100 degrees outside. I decided after mile 2 it was not worth risking passing out to get the last mile in, so I hoped in the pool and swam a few laps.

Week 2 Friday: I took my rest day

Week 2 Saturday: Party Prep and 5K race day...No cross training

Week 2 Sunday: 4 mile run. Yesterday we ran the Trails for Tails 5K down on the Katy Trail to raise money for 5 acres animal shelter and to honor a friend who passed away earlier in the summer. So the Race and extra mile went like this...1 mile run, 2-3-4 miles 1/4 mile walk 1/4 mile run.

So after the 2 weeks I am getting more time under my belt and spending more time running than walking...that's the goal. The goal for this half marathon is to finish in under 3 hours and to decide if I like training for this distance.

-Felicia

Week 1 Day 1

 

All right so today started day 1 of half marathon training, though not a running day still an important day. So today was Stretch & Strengthen seeing as I am still in California and haven't set up a way to these non running workouts I chose to find a couple of good yoga videos. I am not a huge fan of yoga videos I would much rather be in a yoga studio with a teacher telling me what to do, demonstrating, and walking around giving me pointers on how to be better or if I am doing it wrong, but we work with what we've got.

The first video was a power yoga video about 11:00 of work and focused on balance and core strength which is something I need to work on.
Power Yoga Workout to stretch and strengthen-Fullbody workout-class fitsugar. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EkjlkYVzpA

Vinyasa Flow Workout-Yoga Workout-class sugarfit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvN_KRcweL0

If you copy and past the links you can check out the work outs! I will most likely be doing these 2 videos for the next three weeks, maybe I'll add one more to make a half hour workout, but until I get settled in NYC and find a yoga studio I can afford once a week here we are.

Happy Monday everyone!!!

-Felicia

Training Proogram Selected

As the title says I have selected a training program. I have decided to go with the Hal Higdon Novice 1 training program. I looked at a bunch of options and decided that this one fit into my everyday life and was the most flexible when it came to having to move runs around. Because I work freelance sometimes my long runs need to be on Fridays and sometimes they need to be on Saturdays and this program allows me to move long runs around between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday due to the fact that scheduled Friday is a rest day, Saturday is cross training, and Sunday is long run.

This week we are in right now my long run will be tomorrow Saturday and I am hoping to hit the 2 mile mark so that when I start in on the Higdon training I am right up to mileage. Next week my long run will be on Friday because on Saturday morning I will be driving to LosAngeles to see the Chinese Theater as well as the walk of Fame and then flying back to Missouri.

Ok so I have included the plan I will be following as well as the link to the Hal Higdon website because he has a bunch of training programs for all different distances.
http://www.halhigdon.com/ 

 Have a great weekend everyone!

-Felicia

Welp here goes nothing

All right so this blog is back in action! This afternoon I did a crazy thing and set a goal for my end of year race. I may not meet all of my 14 in 14 races this year but I will run my first half marathon! That is right you heard me correctly I have officially registered for my first half! So what that means is that this blog has just become my outlet of all things good, bad, and other wise about training for this half.
About my new adventure... I will be running the NYCRUNS Running Festival of Lights on November 23 in Sore Road Park Pier in Brooklyn, NY.

 

Th rest of this post for the most part is going to be clips from the website about the race.

The route claims to be fairly flat the only downside I see to it is that it is a double loop which means you are looking at the same scenery for the whole time...something I usually try not to do so that I don't get bored with what's around me and start focusing on the fact that my left leg hurts or my right side aches a little or my left foot fell asleep a mile back...but I will start early incorporating this into the training plan. 

Alright well there you have it the details of my first half marathon. Training will start for real at the top of next week. This week I will find a training plan I like and I will try to increase my short run to 2miles. 

-Felicia

Week 4

Wekk 4 went great the weather was perfect and it just felt good. It left me feeling happy and confident that I could do this. I finished stations 6 and 7 of We Get LOST in Running during week 4. I am very close to finishing the We Get Lost in Running Series which means I am going to need some more virtual runs/races to enter. Virtual races for me are like setting goals. Though there is no one else there to run with me it is my way of setting a distance goal and a training period to meet said goal. i have also found that in my line of work doing big races in person is almost impossible because I very rarely know where I am going to be for an extended period of time.

I started week 5 today and will be starting it again on Wednesday. It didn't go well so I am going to try Week 5 Day 1 all over again. I had to walk the last running section because I was feeling over heated and like a hunk of metal instead of a person. But this will not get me down I am determined to finish Couch to 5k before I leave California for the summer!

Well time to shower and head to the beach! I hope everyone has a lovely Monday.

-Felicia

Only Time Will Tell

I have been away for a while I know the third year of graduate school was killer! But it is over and I can happily say that I now have 2 MFA degrees one in lighting design and one in scenic design! However I can also say that I am not the 9 mile runner I was before year three started, which is a little sad but sometimes you have to postpone one goal to reach another. Now that graduate school is over I am on to my next grand adventure and right now that means living in California.

Let me tell you if you have not ran in a long time California is the place to start over! The weather is always amazing you don't have to deal with those 100 degree days or the fact that it has rained 12 days in a row. I have been here since the middle of May and can tell you it has not rained one time since I have been here and that it has been 65-70 degree and sunny every day! (I am getting spoiled) I have decided to start over from my beginning which was the couch to 5k app back in 2011. I chose this path to start over because it worked so well for me the first time. Couch to 5k for me was an easy increase in time and distance that led me to being a 9 mile runner.

My goal for the summer is to finish the couch to 5k program as well as to get a  full running 5k back under my belt. Right now I just finished Week 3 Day 3 of an 8 week program so I am well on my way. My next goal following the running a full 5k is to get said 5k under 40:00 this is something I want to do more than I can explain.

I will say life is tough right now I live in a three hour time difference from all of my family and my other half which means talking to people is almost impossible on a regular basis. I also have found that the only time I really find me is when I am running all the rest the time I am worrying about how my relationships are holding up in this weird time warp I feel like I live in.

I don't think I will be an every day blogger again for a while but I will try and post at least once a week about my runs and the cool things I get to do in California!

-Felicia 

Coming back

I have been gone for a long period of time from this whole writing thing. I have also been gone from the healthy eating and running thing...This month marks my 2 year anniversary of running!

Two years ago someone told me that I was getting fat and I needed to do something about it before they left...so I did. I started running I found a home and friends in the running community. That person is now gone from life and I still am a runner. I run now because it helps to keep me sane and to help me feel better about myself. I have been out of running for a few months due to injury, ice, and thesis graduation, but all of those things will be done and over on Friday...MEANING I GET TO START RUNNING AGAIN ON SUNDAY!!!! Ok lets be real it will be Monday, i will take the weekend to sleep and catch up on the mountain of homework I am behind on...But still excitement is upon us!

-Felicia

2014 Goals

I have been putting off writing this post for the last 7 days...and here is why it is yet again another new year which means another set of new goals...and lets be honest most people don't stick to there New Years Resolution. But I shall write them any ways and ask that you guys help to keep me on track.

Goals:
1) Run my first half marathon
2) Loose the extra weight...close to 20-25lbs.
3) Graduate with my MFA
4) Write more meaningful posts
5) Finish 14 in 2014
6) Learn more about plant based eating and what works for my body to feel/work it's best

As of today I weigh 161lbs and by this time next year I would like to weigh 135-140lbs. Also as of today I am on regular 2 mile runs and as you can see I would like to run a half this year...I need to find one that I like/will be around to do and register because then I will do the correct training to make this goal possible.
This year I finished 13 in 2013 and loved every second of it and this year I am registered for 14 in 2014...I will be doing mostly virtual races due to the fact I move around so much right now it is hard to know if I will be around the time of a race happening.


I hope every one had a lovely holiday season and hit the ground running!

-Felicia

A Year this Weekend

This weekend marks one year since I ran my first race. Yep that was the coolest feeling in the world. However in the last year I have had some peaks and valleys in my running. Peaks include completing my goal of 13 in 2013. This means that between January 1 and December 31 I have run at least 13 virtual or registered races. The valleys have been sickness, and a knee injury keeping me off the road.

One of my favorite things I started this year is the Get LOST in Running series. I have earned the medals for the first 3 stations which hang in my house. These 3 medals are a total of 16.8 miles! This series for me has been a great reason to stay motivated. These three medal where each one race for me so one day I completed the 4K, one day I finished the 8K, and one day at the end of the summer I ran the 15K.

 

In continuation in this series I have one medal sitting on my dresser that I want to take out of the package so bad! It is a 16K which is a total of 10 miles! I am so far from being able to run 10 miles at one time right now coming out of this valley I am in. So my plan for this medal is to make it my training medal. This means that as I build in my miles on my weekly runs they will add up to the 10 miles. and help me get to the ability to run the full distance at one time for station 5.

To finish out the original series I have to finish stations 5 and 6. Station 5 is a 14. 3 mile run. My goal is to make this my first half! I want to make station 6 which is 26.1 miles break into 2 half's. Upon finishing the original 6 stations means that I have earned the series medal, however Joe added the last 4 stations from the show

into the series so for me until I finish the last original 3 stations and the added on 4 stations will I truly have earned the series medal.

When all is said and done this series will equal a total of 88.3 miles! This series allowed me 3 races (maybe 4) virtual races in 13 in 2013 and will give me 6 races (maybe 7) in 14 in 2014. Oh right my goal for next year is to run 14 in 2014 like I did in 2013! My other goal is to run my first half marathon before next November, and to break my PR of 39:00 minutes on my 5K. With goals in hand, which I will elaborate on more in a different post, I am ready to start my second year in racing.

-Felicia

Well here we go.

It's been a while since I have been here I have missed my digital running family a great deal, however I had some things to sort out and am happy to say I am back. I spent the summer running, running, running, on ground and in swimming pools as well as lifting light weights and core work. I had lost 15lbs since April-August and was feeling strong and confident in my body.
When I got back to school all those things went down the drain! We are 7 weeks in and I (till yesterday) had not run in 3 weeks! 3 WEEKS! That is ridiculous!!! I was choosing sleep over running with how crazy my schedule had gotten trying to design 2 thesis, be a student, run the electrics shop, and have a social life I chose sleep. And I believe most people would be behind me all the way on that decision. However in choosing sleep I have gained 5lbs back (the ice cream and beer might be helping) and lost a great deal of confidence I had built. So Sunday night I decided I was going to get up Monday and run 1 mile that is all I needed to do 1 mile...and I did: 

Is it record breaking...nope but it made me feel better and right now that is the only thing that matters to be honest. Also it made me decide that I wanted to run 25 mile minimum this month. For some of you that is a days worth of running, for some of you that is a weeks worth of runs, but for me this month it's a months worth of running and I am ok with that. My body is kind of starting over and I don't want to push it to hard to fast and end up laid up on the couch with an injury.
So the goal is a mile a day for a month. That means at least a 7:30am wake up call on week days and weekends (which is way later than it was this time last year) which isn't that bad. The other goal for this month is to post about my runs and let you know how my body is feeling, how my spirit is developing, and how my confidence is growing...hopefully all of those things will be true.

 Today is Tuesday which means run 2 happened this morning yep that's right I am 2 for 2 woohoo! This mornings run was faster than yesterday, I didn't really push for it to be that way, however it was colder this morning so maybe that's why. Some where around the 3/4 mile mark I started to notice my legs getting tired which is great! Yep sounds crazy but it is nice to know they are still down there. As the day progresses I am sure I will find my quads to be a little sore which maybe a consistent thing for the rest of the month. My spirit and willingness are good and ready to tackle as much of this challenge my body will let me tackle.

However this challenge is going to mean more laundry for me...because I only have 5 pairs of running clothes :( Wish me luck and I will see you tomorrow!
-Felicia

UGH!

So not having a goal, a running partner, accountability person has made me LAZY! When I started running a year ago and  for almost the entire first year of running I had a person to compete with, someone to talk to about the failed runs and the successful ones. Someone who understood what it meant to cover a new distance or beat a time record. It has been almost 4 months since said person chose to walk out on this responsibility.
Since then I  have hard a terrible time in working out how to get back on my running/nutrition feet. With that being said it is time to get back up and dust myself off and start all over again. It is time to get up with the sun and get my runs in while it is cooler outside...if I can train while working full time or being in school full time there is no reason why I can't do it during the summer when I have hardly nothing going on. Lazy is not my style but pushing through and conquering things is so here we go today's run is the last of the Lazy kid runs.

I ran the 1st mile, walked mile 2, and ran/walked the 3rd. Well not a great day or great run/walk. It will however count as 3 or 9 miles for station 3 the 15K in the We get LOST in running. I was aiming to do this station in one run but till I get my running legs back under me for real I will be breaking them up.  How are things going out there in running cyber world?

-Felicia

Firecracker 5K Recap

This weekend part of my family ran the Firecracker 5K hosted by Big River Running Company in St. Louis. We had perfectly amazing weather it was 70-75 degrees and sunny for the whole race! I woke up on the 4th and was in so much pain in my stomach I almost didn't run. I was sure what the problem was but I was doubled over till the race started. I chose to run without my water which was not my smartest move, however I survived just fine. The exciting news about this race is that I got 2 PR's!!!!! Yep I ran my fastest mile ever and my fastest 5K ever!


Mile 1 was my PR mile! It clocked in at 10:45!!! Holy crap I was moving! When runkeeper chirped at 5:00 minutes and I was almost at .5 miles I decided in that second I was going to push it as long as I could and as fast as I could. It was a pace I knew I could never keep for the whole race so I hit my goal and slowed down a bit. My dad and I stayed together for the whole race...sometimes I think he pushes himself super hard to keep up the whole time to make himself better and stronger. Also mile 1 was pretty much a hill slow and steady that ended right around a water station.

Mile 2 I took a little slower and was decently flat. Dad and I chatted through most of this mile joking about the church on the corner about how we would need the good Lord to pull us through to the end. We also joked about needing the old person's home when we were finished, it was a good time. that ended with another water station. We took it as a run walk mile and averaged around 13:14 time.
Mile 3 was up hill and a loop back down to the baseball stadium. which was an easy trek up and back down. The cool part was that you finished the race running the bases and crossing home plate. The uncool part is that the last 0.1 mile was all in sand! Sand at the end is a cruel punishment and makes it tough to finish. However we finished mile 3 in 12:47. 

My goal for this 5K was to finish in sub 40:00 and I succeeded!!!! I finished this 5K in 39:44!!! That is roughly 2:00 faster than I have been getting! I was so excited I couldn't even contain myself! We sprinted the third base line to make it in time for the PR but I wanted it really bad and we were so close! I did learn that if I could PR with the way I felt then I maybe training to slow. So starting next week I will be picking up the pace as much as I can...aka bleacher days will also be speed run days...YIKES!

 

PreRace photo with my cousin and his wife. Looking right into the sun hence the squinting face! 

 PreRace photo with my dad.




                                                                                Post Race photo with my dad on the third base line.

All in all it was a great race and we had great weather. It was nice to run with the family even if we all run at different paces and finished at different times. We still got to hang out after, drink beer, eat a hotdog and talk about how it went for everyone. How did your race weekend go?

-Felicia

Lots and lots of Things!

Ok so I am so far behind on blogging it isn't even funny. In this post we will cover 2 runs, foodie pen pals June, a Runnerbox, the new running schedule, and the new shoes I bought. At the end of the summer I will recap all the cool medals I have coming in this summer. I will recap every "real" race in a post and virtual races I'll try and add to something else.

Two runs here we go! This first run is labeled as a walk because well i forgot to change it back after walking with my dad the night before. I did a short 1 mile run to warm up my body before I kicked it into gear with and upper body and core workout. I am working on getting down to under a 12:00 minute mile. It is a slow process but I am hoping to get it there before the end of the summer with Thursday's being speed work and bleachers starting next weeks. Next we have a 2.5 mile Saturday morning run before work with a little core work. It felt great! I enjoyed it for the first time in a while. It was also beautiful outside.

JUNE FOODIE PEN PALS!!!!!!

This month my pen pal was Jackye Clayton and she was awesome!!!! She sent me all kinds of things from her home state. At this point I am super excited to try everything! I love chocolate and I am way interested to see how it mixes with bacon in a chocolate bar. Also who doesn't like scones I think I might add some chocolate to it and make dark chocolate ones for half the batter and leave the other half plain to taste the original. I am so excited!!!

Third thing, have you ever heard of RunnerBox? I hadn't till one showed up in my mailbox today. Last week I registered to run the Summer Sunset Run which is a virtual race! One of the prizes was a RunnerBox. Can I just say all of the stuff they get in that tiny is magic! I am super excited to try some of the things I have been looking to try but didn't want to buy a bunch in case I hated its. Nuun has been on that list for a long time and there are 2 tablets in the box, the other thing is the pro bar bolt chews which help with energy during a long run. This is great!!!

July 4 Fire cracker 5K race with some of the family
July 6- 4.5 Miles
July 9- 6 miles
July 11- 3.5 miles with Bleachers
July 13- 4.5 miles
July 16- 6 miles
July 18- Summer Sunset 10K
July 20- 4 miles with Bleachers
July 23- 7 miles
July 25- 3.5 miles with Bleachers
July 27- 6 miles
July 30- 7 miles
August 1- 4 miles with Bleachers
August 3- 6 miles

This is it for July the goal is to not miss a run and to stick with the miles designated, however I understand that sometimes that's not possible. If my legs need a break then I will run less miles. The other goal is to be able to run the 3rd and 4th stations of Get LOST in running by the middle of August...so that means being able to run a 15K and 16K.

Lastly my new shoes!!!!!!! Ok so for almost a year I have been running in my Asics GT-2170 and have loved every second of it (minus the fist few weeks) Breaking them in was a tough process but once I got them broke in and my muscles adjusted to the new way of my foot fall they have been an amazing pair of shoes for my first running shoe to own. However they have several hundred miles on them which means it is time to break in a new pair! And for this years running goals I have chosen the Mizuno Wave Inspire 9! They fit amazing and have a little bit higher of an ankle which I am hoping will keep my ankles a little more stable than my Asics did.

Tomorrow for the firecracker run we will being wearing the Asics but for the next few weeks speed/bleacher runs which are a little shorter will be done in the Mizunos. Super excited!!!

-Felicia

Today is Random

 SPARKLES!!!! Yesterday I bought the fabric to attempt to make a sparkle skirt for the 2013 Firecracker 5K on the 4th of July. I also purchased some red sequence to make a head band out of. I promise to take pictures for you all to see.





On to more running news. This morning I found a pretty decent 5 mile loop starting and ending at my front door. The best part for me is that it is a loop and not an out and back. Out and backs for me are really boring which means I stop trying where as with a loop there is always something new to look at. The other good things about the loop is that if i get bored doing it one way I can do it backwards. As you can see by the photo I didn't run the whole thing, however I ran more of it than I walked so I am calling that a win! My legs feel good, we will see how they feel tomorrow. Also this run means I finished Station 2 in We Get LOST in Running! I should be getting Station 1 and Station 2 medals in the mail this weeks!!!

So the reason you are seeing it twice: I am now using both apps. I am trying to decide which one i like better. I like Runkeeper because I have a few other friends to compete with and it records my splits, but I like the Nike + app because it gives motivation while running, and it is quick while it gives you your stats while your running. So for now I will keep using both of them.

Lastly this little guy showed up in the mail last week! I was super excited to get it. As stated in an earlier post this set of races where done internationally and I had a great time!

Have a great week everyone!
-Felicia

SO SO

This is all I have for you today. One terrible run on Wednesday slow and steady did not win over the heat and the poor eating habits. Also I have chosen to switch to Nike+ running app to give something new a try. I haven't worked out all the bugs (aka choices) yet but so far I really like it.

Second things I have today is my new favorite poster:

This pretty much sums up me and my attitude these days. Working through a lot of things laced up and on the pavement.

The last things I have today is this:

Try and remember that every one! Have a great weekend and keep running!

-Felicia