How I Started Running

I was on the track team in middle school and for one year in high school. I ran short sprints and relays, and my favorite races were the 4x100, and the 100 meter hurdles. I was good at those, because they were short distance and only a quarter of the track. Not to toot my own horn, but I was pretty fast.

I also ran the 4x400 relay, however it was my least favorite because back then I thought an entire lap around the track was pure madness. There are a few reasons why I quit track after one year in high school, mainly because it interfered with our competition calendar for cheerleading.  If I ever had a regret, quitting track would probably be it.

After that, I wasn't a big runner at all. I remember taking a class in college, Boot Camp Fitness, and we had to run a mile and a half, and I thought it would be the death of me. I got bored while running and counting laps around a track was not interesting to me at all.

So in 2009 when my brother mentioned he was going to run a 5k with some friends and asked me to join, I immediatley laughed and said no. I didn't even know how many miles that was, but it sounded far and I was not interested. Then he told me I could walk it and that there would be beer at the end. So I asked how far was 5k exactly. 3.1 miles. After some convincing I finally agreed and the only thing I was looking forward to on the day of the race was the free beer at the finish line.

But then something happened on that race day when all those people showed up in their running shoes with numbers pinned on the front of their shirts and sports watches to time their progress, it was like something lit a desire in me that I never even knew I had. When the shotgun went off and the race started, and I turned on the ipod I borrowed from my brother and started jogging with a thousand other people, there was so much positive energy and excitement inside me. I had shown up fully prepared to walk most of the way. However, I surprised myself and ran most of (as well as really enjoyed) those three miles.



My First Race, Palace 5k April 2009 (I'm the one in pink)

  I was so excited about my accomplishment, that I convinced my friend Karah to run another race with me the next month. In May we ran the Tails and Trails 5k and after that she and I both were officially hooked on running races.

We started running together twice a week with the hopes of  improving our time for future 5ks. We ran a handfull of those for about a year, then Karah suggested we up the anty and attempt to run a 10k.

Our first 10k was this past April, the Springtime Tallahassee 10k. We trained for months in advance having two motivators, both of us wanted to lose a few pounts for my (then) upcoming wedding, and we wanted to cross the finish line having run most of the 6 mile race. We crossed the finish line, had a celebratory adult beverage, realized 6.2 miles wasn't so bad, and in the following few weeks, we set our next goal. We would run a half Marathon in October.



Springtime Tallahassee 10K, April 2011

  There were many times while Karah and I trained for the half marathon that we both thought we had lost our minds. There was one time I remember in particular, it was an early Saturday morning and I drove out to Havana where Karah lives and we ran an 8 mile track that took us around the Havana Golf Club. It was a  warm Hot summer day and we had her two kids in the double stroller, and at about mile 4 I remember feeling like it would be impossible to complete all 13 miles of the half marathon. 

We pushed through our training plan and on the day of the run it paid off. But what really is rewarding about this whole experience, has been spending time with a wonderful friend who I admire very much. We set goals and hold each other accountable all while enjoying the company of a good friend.



Apalachicola Run for the Bay Half Marathon, October 2011



So... what's our next goal you ask? With the time change and now that it gets darker outside earlier, we are going to try to improve our time on short runs, with the intent of improving our 10k time from last year by 10 minutes this coming March! Stay tuned for updates!

13.1

If you had told me three years ago that I would be able to run 13.1 miles, much less enjoy it, I would have said you have downright lost your mind.

But my running partner (and one of my best friends) Karah and I went down to the little fishing town of Apalachicola this past weekend, and early Sunday morning we ran our first half marathon, The Apalachicola Running for the Bay Marathon.


A good luck basket of goodies from my sweet husband!


Krysti, (who is Karah's sister) Karah and I rode down to the coast (which took not quite 2 hours) in  Krysti's jeep with the top down. It was such a nice drive! The weather was fantastic and we rocked out to great music the whole way down.

We stayed at the Apalachicola River Inn on the second floor overlooking the bay. It was really a fantastic view! That evening we had a few drinks and a delicious dinner at Tamara's, listened to some live music downtown at the blues festival, then Karah and I called it an early night and walked back to our room to get some good rest before the big race the next morning.



That bridge in the background is the one we ran across and back for the race, The Gorrie Bridge

  We got up at 6:00am Sunday morning and got on our warm running clothes since it was a chilly 56 degrees. Armed with our iPods, we tracked across the street to the starting line at about 6:45 and stretched really good while we waited for the 7:15 race to begin.

I hope I never forget the feeling I had watching the sun rise over the gulf while running across the Gorrie Bridge that connects Apalachicola to Eastpoint. It was so moving, and the whole way across and back I thanked God that I had legs to run, eyes to see the sunrise, and breath to breathe in the salty ocean air.



I also have to add that a lot of my motivation and adrenaline came from the OUT OF THIS WORLD play list I created on my iPod. Music really motivates me, and I get really bored with repetitive songs, so I took careful consideration when arranging this play list for the big run.

One of my friends, Kristin, suggested I check out GirlTalk, a mash up DJ who combines songs everyone loves. She sent me a link to download for free. I am skeptical of anything that you can download for free, but I have to tell you, it did not disappoint. The beat is incredible and it kept me pumped up all the way until the finish line, and I think I even could have kept on going! So shout out to Kristin for the phenomenal suggestion!

 



Coming to the end of the bridge, I spotted my mom down on the ground taking pictures. I waved so she would know it was me!



Almost done! This was the final down hill section of the bridge.





Coming in strong for the finish!

Done! Ah it felt so fantastic to cross that finish line!

Miss Morgan was there to cheer me on across the finish! So glad she told me about this run and glad we both finished it!

Karah coming down hill off the bridge



And Karah crossing the finish! Way to go girl!

Me with two of the girls who were bridesmaids in my wedding!



My running buddy Karah



We did it! 13.1!


I ran 13.1 miles in 2:30:03, which was a pace of 11:28 per mile. I finished 16th in my age division and 136 overall. I am so proud of Karah and myself for accomplishing this goal!

Now what's next??? We have decided to work on our time, and try to be at least 10 minutes faster by the next Springtime Tallahassee 10k, which is usually sometime in April. Personally, I would love be running a 9 minute mile by then!

Cheers!

"Monday Morning you sure look fine, Friday I've got travelin' on my mind..." - Day 19

Here is a list of things that are on my mind this Monday morning-

1. Fleetwood Mac is on my radio (hense the title of this post)

2. Today is the beginning of a four day work week for me and I feel fantastic!

3. I am so proud of Karah, my running partner, and myself for accomplishing our goal of running 8 miles on Friday! We ran until the sun went down and pushed ourselves to go a little longer and run by the light of the street lamps to achieve our 8 mile goal. Proud to say we did it and have another long run scheduled for tomorrow evening. We are about 20 days away from our big half marathon run, so we need all the encouragement we can get!


via Pinterest.com

4. I am still dreaming of the beach this past Saturday. It was gorgeous! We stayed later into the evening which proved to be rewarding. Tabs and I were treated to a show by a group of dolphins. They were jumping out of the water and were swimming pretty close to the beach. I had never seen one jump while I sitting on the beach. It was so cool! We also saw this sailboat around the same time that the dolphins were turning their tricks. I wonder if it was stirring up fish or something?


phone pic from my droid

 5. Sunday was fantastic. I caught up on all my girly DVR'd shows, did laundry, cooked spaghetti, cleaned the kitchen, took a nap, and got some reading done. I am currently reading Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch. I have two more chapters to finish, then maybe I will post a book review.
 

via Google

 6. I am using annual leave on Friday and skipping town to have a weekend visit with my BFF down in Mt. Dora! I am so excited to visit her and see all the updating she has done to her home, go antique shopping, enjoy long lunches and just see her in general! I haven't seen her in about 7 months, since my wedding! It has been too long, and these two peas in a pod are overdue for a fun girl weekend. 
That's all for this Monday!

Cheers,

"F" is for Friday, and Failure - Day 16

which I have been a big one for skipping two days of posting. So sorry. I don't know what I got caught up doing to be honest!

BUT... let's just relish in the fact that today is the beginning of the weekend!! Time to get your party shoes on!


via Pinterest

So what's on the agenda for this weekend you ask?


 via Pinterest

Well it starts off with an 8 mile run after work today! Can I tell you it has been over a week since my last run, and I could definitely tell when I buttoned my jeans this morning! If I am going to be in any condition to run a half marathon at the end of October, I need to quit procrastinating and get on the work-out ball, both figuratively and literally!

Next up, after about an extra hour of sleep on Saturday morning I am off to the beach with my friend Tabs for our ceremonial the last beach trip of the year!

So sad that summer is really over, but I am so excited for this trip Saturday because the weather is supposed to be phenomenal! Upper 70's and I plan to spend every minute I can soaking up some sun, reading, relaxing, maybe sipping on a cocktail with my toes in the sand. Tabs and I are both beach bums to the core, so we mourn the loss of summer each year and make a point to spend one last day at the beach sometime in the fall before it gets too cold. Last year on our bye-bye-beach day we stayed until the sun set, and I literally had tears in my eyes on the way home! I swear I am such a water baby!

There are so many good football games on this Saturday, and I am hoping to get home in time to catch the evening games! Alabama and Florida are playing in the Swamp, my least two favorite teams ever. I can't say that I am pulling for one over the other, doesn't much matter to me, I am just glad one of them is guaranteed to loose!

You know exactly where I will be on Sunday morning... on my couch with a cup of coffee and watching the news! After which I will catch up on all my girly DVR shows while I have the house quiet to myself!


via Pinterest

 I hope you do something extra special this weekend!

Cheers,

Busy with a Dash of Random- Day 8

I've been buried deep under a pile of notes taken while conducting interviews for my current project, so I don't have much to say today. Other than my fingers are cramping from so much re-typing my notes and my keyboard is not ergonomically friendly. Is that the right term? My point is, my hands hurt and my keyboard isn't in the right position for massive amounts of typing.

Any way, it's a rainy Thursday here. I normally run twice a week but yesterday I copped out of what would have been the second run this week. It was just too humid and was threatening rain. Didn't end up raining until early this morning though. Oh well. Except for the fact that I have a half marathon coming up in EXACTLY one month and need to get cracking on my training plan! Eek!

I need more motivation.

That's all for now!

Cheers,

REM