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

New Plan

Today I tried something new...water work out! I was a little hesitant at first I didnt think it would be as difficult as my runs or strength training...I am here to say I was wrong! This morning I did 30 first position jumps, 10 minute run, 10 laps, and a 5 minute water tread and I did it all twice. Let me tell you I can feel every muscle in my body right now. Water cardio is no joke! This workout will be worked in twice a week most likely on Mondays and Fridays.

The week will now look like this:
Monday: water cardio
Tuesday: run & core
Wednesday: yoga
Thursday: run & core
Friday: water cardio
Saturday: run & core
Sunday: rest day

I am in the process of finishing my race and training schedule for the summer and fall. We are definitely doing the Fircracker 5K on thr 4th of July, this one will be nothing but fun. 3 of my cousins are also registered and we are pushing 2 munchkins. Things in the possible column include the Cardinals Care 6K in August in St. Louis, Hot Chocolate 15K in November in Columbus, and the Mickey Jingle Jungle 5k in Disney World. We are putting off the goal of a 13.1 race for this year mainly because I cant find one I want to run that I could possibly be ready for. I will however be entering the raffle for the Nike Womans Half in DC.
Thats all for today every one have a great weekend!!!

-Felicia

Two Runs One Post

Two runs one post. 

Tuesday I ran Station One of the Get LOST Running series and lets just say i might not be as smart as I thought. As you all I am sure know a 4K is 2.5 miles, and as you can see I apparently thought it was 2.9 miles. (And can I just say those last 4/10th of a mile where killer) 

The point of the series is to run trails, or beaches well since I live in a land locked state that makes a beach impossible, however the amount of flooding in the state of Missouri has also made trails impossible right now which means I ran the neighborhood. The neighborhood is full of old trees that provide shade on the wrong side of the street from the side walk. Have you ever noticed that the sidewalk is always in the sun no matter where you are. I will say though with the rain we have had the heat and humidity have stayed away which I praise the Lord for because in July it will not be that way, you will instead hear me whining about how hot it is and how I wish it was winter time again.

 The other thing about this run is that I was trying out some new clothes. Yep you heard right I finally broke down and bought a few new pairs of running short and tops. The shorts I think I hate but I trying to get use to them but the top I love. The shorts are to short for me my thighs rub together when they get hot and I hate it! My sister suggested that I go buy a pair of biker shorts of another fun color to wear under them which would indeed solve the problem. The top on the other hand was awesome! It is bright colored, fit well, and has vents in all the right places. I will indeed be wearing this one often this summer!


Run number two was this morning. This morning started out a little rough sometimes you just have days, but I laced up and put on my new tank top.

This morning I covered 3.1 miles or a 5K depending on how you like to talk about it. The first 2 miles weren't so  bad my legs felt good and my breathing was pretty solid. The last mile however everything just fell apart. Does that ever happen to you? I couldn't breathe and my legs felt like I had tied bricks onto my feet. But I pushed on, something yoga has taught me in the last few weeks is that if you can breathe through the pain and discomfort on the mat/road you can breathe through the pain and discomfort of life. This might be my new motto. We shall see. 

 

 The other thing this morning is this great new Nike tank top I bought! (Not sure why the picture keeps loading sideways) Tank tops are a new article of clothing for me when it comes to running. I must say I enjoy this one. It is super soft and kept me dry through my whole run though I did find when I got home that the shirt itself was soaked!

Everything I bought I bought at Marshall's...it was a bad day for my checkbook but I great day for summer running! Have a great day everyone!!!!

-Felicia