Niki's Neverending Adventure

Hey everyone!! How’s everyone’s Friday going?? Mine has been pretty laid back due to the awful weather we are having. It’s literally been raining since I got up this morning, a hard rain at that! My backyard is trying to flood! I hope it stops soon!! I’ve basically been studying Anatomy all day and I think I’m about done for the day. I have a test on Monday.

 

I did break free from studying around 11:30 to run!! I know I said I was taking a FEW days off from running but I was super ready and itching to run today so I did! I did a 5 mile Fartleck run (the 5-4-3-2-1 run that I like so much!) on the treadmill because I really wanted to watch Grey’s from last night and not only is it raining but it’s been super windy, like 30+ mph!! Anyway, it felt great! I really ran hard and enjoyed it!! I am taking tomorrow off and then planning to do my 11 miler on Sunday. I’m trying to mentally pump myself up for it now because I think that’s more than half the battle!

 

Is anyone else doing Bobbi and Caitlin’s POTM 2009 Challenge?!? I am and I’m super excited about it, that’s one of the reason’s I decided to do my 11 miler on Sunday instead of Saturday, so those 11 miles could count! For those of you who don’t read their blogs, it’s basically a Pile On The Miles Challenge that goes from Nov 1- Thanksgiving and you just keep track of how many miles you run. The point is to encourage you to run through the holidays to keep the pounds off!! Sounds GREAT to me! If you want to participate and haven’t signed up yet, I think today is the last day to sign up! So click here to get all the info to sign up!

 

Tomorrow is Race for the Cure and I am so sad I’m going to miss it because of my Anatomy class :( You would think a breast surgeon, who operates on breast cancer patients, would be nice enough to cancel class so we could participate in the race :( Oh well, there’s always next year! Hope ya’ll have a wonderful Friday evening!!

Posted in: on Friday, October 30, 2009 at at 4:57 PM 2 comments    

I had a really bad long run today and it’s put me in a bad mood :( Let’s start with yesterday. I had planned on doing my 11 miler yesterday. I hydrated really well Monday, rested, and was ready to go the next morning. Until, I woke up and realized it was going to be raining ALL DAY. Now, I guess I could have gone out in the rain and ran but I’m not a fan of running in the rain and Wednesday’s forecast looked great so I decided to wait one more day. First mistake, I did a treadmill run yesterday. I told myself that 3 miles shouldn’t mess with my long run the next day but I was wrong.

 

I even went to dinner last night with friends and didn’t stuff myself or drink any wine due to my plan for my long run the next morning. I went to bed early too! So basically, I was ready to kick 11 miles butt! Sadie woke me up around 7 am and I got up, fed her, let her out, and ate 1/2 half a cliff bar for pre run fuel. Mistake number 2, I laid back down in bed. As I laid there, all I could think about was how I DID NOT want to get up and run 11 miles. I thought about changing it to another day but kept talking myself out of it until I fell back asleep and didn’t wake up until 9:30!! Remember, I went to bed at 10 and I don’t do well with more than 8 hours of sleep. Just makes me feel even more tired.

 

So I finally drug myself out of bed around 9:30, got ready, and drove to my long run place. The whole time all I could think is that I don’t want to run, I don’t want to run. Now sometimes when I think like this, my mind changes once I start running, but today I was dreading this a ton more than usual. So, reluctantly I start my run. I felt ok the first mile except that my brain kept saying “I don’t want to be doing this, just go home”. And after fighting with myself for another mile or so I start to get frustrated. I felt mentally and physically tired. I was also STRAVING since I hadn’t eaten anything except 1/2 a cliff bar at 7 am and by now it’s almost 11! My legs were sore and heavy and I was just not into this run. So I told myself to just run back to the car and I could stop at the 4 mile mark. And that’s what I did. I feel like a long run failure.

 

I have been super tired this week. It’s not normal for me to go to bed at 9:30-10 and sleep until 9- 9:30 every morning this week! And I just haven’t felt like running the past couple days. I think I am getting a little burnt out on my training. This is my 11th week of training and I am doing a total of 16 so I feel like it’s ok to take a mini break this week. I am planning on taking off the next 2-3 days and reattempting my 11 miler Sat or Sunday.

 

I hate having awful runs, I really do but I realize that’s what makes your good runs so great! Right now my body is tired and achy like I ran 11 miles! I don’t know what’s up!! I think a couple rest days will make me feel a lot better! Thanks for listening to me vent!!

 

How do ya’ll decide when you need unplanned rest days?

Posted in: on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at at 1:18 PM 5 comments    

Ok, so here’s the dress post! Sorry I’ve been mean and made ya’ll wait but it’s worth it :) I’m going to start by saying I absolutely am IN LOVE with my dress!! I was getting worried I wouldn’t find one I really LOVED but luckily Low’s Bridal in Arkansas came to the rescue!! My mom and I went last Friday and just had a GREAT time. It was a very different experience than the other bridal shops we went to. It was actually an EXPERIANCE vs just shopping if that makes any sense at all!! The store is located in this cute little podunk town and I would probably say this bridal store is the main attraction!! Here’s what it looks like:

 

 

Apparently this was an old hotel that was converted into the bridal store and it is beautiful inside!! After we found and purchased my dress, my mom and I went and ate at this little cafe that had really good soups and sandwiches!! I got chili and half a chicken salad sandwich! YUM!!

 

So, onto the dress!! The dress I purchased is by Allure Bridal and I am in love!! Luckily, they let me take a bunch of pics of me in the dress after I bought it, so I would have something to show ya’ll!! And don’t worry, my fiancé doesn’t read my blog so he won’t see these :)

 

 

I wanted lace all along and ended up getting it! I was also super happy to NOT have a strapless gown! When your boobs aren’t that big, it’s hard to hold up a strapless gown! Plus, this is much more comfortable than any of the strapless gowns I tried on :)

 

 

I think the back is my favorite part!! Notice the lovely sports bra tan… guess I will have to work on that next spring/ summer!! I just LOVE low backs and the button detail. Not sure if ya’ll can tell, but the buttons go all the way down the dress to the floor!

 

 

Sorry about the butt close-up but it’s the best way to see all the detail!!

 

 

I am not a “beading” fan but I love the small amount there is on my dress! Gotta have a little bling :)

 

 

I completely fell in love with this headband when I tried it on and told my mom “I HAVE TO HAVE THIS!!” Luckily she agreed and it was still within our budget for the headband and dress!! I think it just matches perfectly with the detail on my dress!!

 

So, what do ya’ll think?? All I can say is that I am in love with it!! It’s so true when they say that you just know when you have found the right dress!! I definitely knew!!

 

I hope ya’ll enjoyed the picture fashion show of my wedding dress!! Let me know what you think!!

Posted in: on Monday, October 26, 2009 at at 2:51 PM 20 comments    

I can’t believe I am already at week 10! Only 6 more to go until the half marathon. I think I will be ready :)

 

Like I said in my post yesterday, I have kinda been slackerish this week because I was BUSY!! So here is my week recap:

 

Monday: 10 miles

Tuesday: 4 miles

Wednesday: off

Thursday: 4 miles, fartleck run

Friday: off

Saturday: 2 miles, strength training

Sunday: 6 miles

Total: 26 miles

 

My run today was tough! I really pushed myself and did 6 miles in 58:52. That is an average pace of 9:49!! I was pretty accurate on my mile splits too! Check them out…

 

Mile 1: 10:05

Mile 2: 9:58

Mile 3: 9:43

Mile 4: 9:41

Mile 5: 9:45

Mile 6: 9:40

 

It was actually pretty warm outside when I ran today and I ended up being a sweaty mess! I want my 50 degree temps back!!

 

Well, that’s all for now. I promise I will post wedding dress pics very soon! I know I’m mean for making ya’ll wait… I’m sorry :)

Posted in: on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at at 5:09 PM 4 comments    

Sorry I’ve been MIA this week! I had my BFF Jaime in town and it has just been go go go! We did lots of shopping, eating, and just hanging out! She left today, and I spent the whole day after class cleaning! Now, I’m tired! I just made Erin’s Pumpkin Chip Muffins and they are AMAZING!! I halved the recipe and added in a couple more spices (allspice, nutmeg, and a little vanilla) and they turned out wonderful! Definitely try these!!

 

I have been a little slackerish on my running this week. I ran every day I was supposed to but I just cut back a few times this week. As long as I get my long run in I’m happy! And I already did that this week!! I decided I need to really start being good about strength training so I can have rockin arms at my wedding! So that started today! I ran 2 miles on the treadmill and then did some arms and abs. It’s been a while since I’ve done any strength training so I will probably be sore tomorrow!

 

So I may or may not have gone dress shopping yesterday… and I may or may not have purchased my wedding gown! Think I should share?? :) And yes, I am leaving ya’ll hanging… :)

 

Have a great night!!

Posted in: on Saturday, October 24, 2009 at at 9:16 PM 3 comments    

I have been really busy today studying for my Chemistry test tomorrow!! And I feel so tired… not sure why! I tried to take a nap and that just made me feel even more tired :( I skipped my run this morning because I was so tired and couldn’t get up before I had to go to my review class. And I have just been dragging this afternoon. Needless to say I think I am skipping my run altogether today :( I always feel so guilty doing that! My legs are appreciating it though because they are tired and sore from the 10 miler yesterday!!

 

Onto the running poll…

How many days a week do you run and why??

 

I have been running 5 days a week for this half marathon training but last week I only did 4 and I think my body LOVED it! So it’s making me question this 5 day a week running! I was just really amazed at how fresh my legs felt this week after more days off! So I was trying to get some insight! Have a great rest of the day! Off to finish studying:)

Posted in: on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at at 3:03 PM 7 comments    

Hey friends!! I’ve had a SUPER busy weekend and have been playing catch up all day!! I had a blast in Nashville and was totally exhausted when I got home Saturday night due to only sleeping 2 hours Friday! And this was due to staying out way too late dancing the night away at The Stage in downtown Nashville with all my school friends! I haven’t had that much fun in a long time and was definitely worth only getting 2 hours of sleep!!

 

I found out that Vera Bradley was having a big sale this past weekend in Memphis so I decided I would check it out since I love Vera Bradley!! And to my surprise, my favorite pattern, Puccini, is being retired so everything was 40% off! Yay! I bought myself a new purse!!

 

 

Cute right?!? I made the strap long so I wear it across my body. It’s nice and big without being huge so it’s perfect! Plus it was 40% off!!

 

I didn’t run Saturday or Sunday and my body really enjoyed the time off!! Today I did my long run. I did another 10 miler and it was easier this time but still a little tough! I made it though! I ran it in 1:44:xx which is a 10:28 min/mile pace! That is 22 secs per mile faster than last week so I am super happy about this run!! The weather was awesome! About 50 degrees and sunny! Great running weather!! My tummy was a little messed up for a few hours but don’t worry, I definitely have my appetite back now!!

 

I have a fun week this week and I am so excited! My BFF Jaime is coming to visit Wednesday and my mom and I are going to this HUGE wedding dress store in Arkansas on Friday to do some dress shopping and HOPEFULLY find my dress! So I am pumped! Just have to get through my last Chemistry test on Wednesday morning!!

 

I am glad some of my classes are winding down. I had my pharmacology final last Thursday and made a 98 in the class! My first A in Anesthesia School! And then Wednesday is my last Chemistry exam so I am so happy about that! I am making it through grad school! Ha :)

 

Well, I think that’s enough for now! Hope ya’ll have a GREAT day!

Posted in: on Monday, October 19, 2009 at at 7:22 PM 6 comments    

Hey guys! I have 5 mins to post so I’m gonna be SUPER fast!! I am going to Nashville in a bit for a Nurse Anesthesia conference with my classmates! Should be fun! We are coming home either tomorrow night or Sunday so I will be MIA until then.

 

Just wanted to do a little running update on my past 2 runs. They were good. Yesterday I did a speed workout. I did a warm up and then 10X400 with a 90 second recovery for a total of 5 miles. Man I tell ya, speed workouts are tough! But, I really enjoy them!

 

And this morning, I woke up SUPER early, 5:00am, to run a quick 4 miler on the treadmill. I did my 5-4-3-2-1 Fartleck run to keep my mind occupied! I am really surprised how good I felt today running since it’s my 4th day in a row!! I am taking tomorrow and Sunday off and then doing my long run on Monday this week!!

 

Well, gotta go!! Excited to drive up there with friends! Have a great weekend!!

Posted in: on Friday, October 16, 2009 at at 7:10 AM 4 comments    

Today I had a 5 mile recovery run and it went ok. My legs felt really tired. I don’t think I have fully recovered from that 10 miler yet! I felt like I was working pretty hard and just not going that fast! Oh well, guess that’s what recovery runs are supposed to feel like! Hence the word RECOVERY :) I did 5 miles in 51:31 which is a 10:18 min/ mile pace. Good for a recovery run I suppose.

 

Onto the Wedding Dress fun!! So I am still currently hunting for a wedding dress. Well actually, I haven’t really been shopping again since the last time but I am addicted to Say Yes To The Dress on TLC and have been scouring wedding magazines!! I have an appointment next Friday to got to Low’s Bridal in Arkansas! It’s this HUGE bridal salon with TONS of dresses! I have heard great things about it, which is why we are making the trip down there! I am SUPER excited and am hoping I find “my dress” there! So a couple weekends ago, my mom and I decided to get her wedding dress down from the attic so I could try it on! It is beautiful! I had some awesome ideas on how I was going to wear her dress and make it my own (cut the sleeves off, make it backless, etc) until we realized it is pretty yellow looking and there are a lot of stains on it that the cleaners apparently missed when they cleaned and preserved it for her. Too bad, that could have been such a fun idea! Anyway, I loved trying it on and was SUPER surprised it actually fit! My mom was tiny when she got married!! Here are some pics:

 

 

Perfect fit!!

 

 

 

 

I absolutely love how light weight it was and the accordion like style!! It was so comfortable too! Now, if only I can find a comfortable dress that isn’t strapless!! Do ya’ll know how many strapless dresses there are out there?? A million! Everything is strapless! And while I’m not against strapless by any means, I just think dresses with straps tend to be more comfortable! That being said, I may end up getting a strapless gown! I’m not ruling anything out! Just wanted to share some fun pictures!!

 

What kind of wedding dress did you have or would you like to have??

Posted in: on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at at 6:03 PM 4 comments    

That’s right! I ran 10 miles today! Wohoo!! It has been years since I’ve run double digits! I am just ecstatic :)

 

The run itself was tough. Not really sure why. My 9 miler last week was great but this week I struggled from the very beginning. Maybe I was dehydrated but I can’t think of anything I did differently than last week! Guess it just was one of those tough run days! Oh well, I made it through! I did have a side stitch from mile 4 on that was super annoying to deal with. I hate those!!

 

I ran 10 miles in 1:48:22, a 10:50 pace. For as tough as it felt, I thought I was going A LOT slower than a 10:50 pace, so I am happy with that! Hopefully next week it will be a little easier :)

 

My tummy did not feel very good after my run today so I haven’t really been that hungry. Maybe it will hit me tomorrow! I did feel super weak after my run, nauseous and lightheaded. I think I may need to add a sports drink or something instead of just some sips of water to my long runs. I might try that out next week.

 

Other than that, I have been studying and doing school work ALL DAY! I am finally finished for the day and enjoying The Biggest Loser. I heated up some Chicken Chili that I had frozen and it was so yummy!! I might treat myself to some ice cream for dessert! I think I deserve it! Haha! Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday! I wish it would stop raining here but I think it’s gonna be around for most of the week :(

 

Oh yea… so it ends up I got 3rd in my age group at the 5k on Saturday! Guess I should have stayed for the awards ceremony!!

Posted in: on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at at 8:12 PM 8 comments    

Hey ya’ll! Hope everyone is having a GREAT Sunday! The weather here is GORGEOUS!! I was even able to wait until after church to do my run and wasn’t hot at all! Wohoo! Love the fall!!

 

Here’s my training recap for this week:

 

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 9 miles at a 10:02 pace!

Wednesday: 5 miles, 5-4-3-2-1 Fartleck run, strength training

Thursday: 5 miles, 2min hard 2 min easy Fartleck run

Friday: Strength Training

Saturday: 5k race- Time: 27:23!! 8:48 pace

Sunday: 6 miles at a 9:40 pace!!

Total: 28 miles

 

I am super happy with my training this week! Today’s run was awesome too! I did 6 miles at a 9:40 pace and felt great! My time was 58:01, faster than I’ve ran it ever! Now, I just wish I had a 10k to enter around here!!

 

On to other news… I picked up a 6 pack of these today:

 

 

It’s a Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale by Blue Moon! I am sipping on one now and it’s really good! Never tasted anything quite like it! But, I feel very fall-ish drinking it!! Brown Sugar Rubbed Salmon is on the menu tonight so I better get cracking!! Have a great night :)

Posted in: on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at at 5:34 PM 7 comments    

Whew! Today has been a LONG busy day!! First, let’s do the race recap!

 

This race was AWESOME!! It always is, this is the 3rd year I have run in it. Before I started school, I worked at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital so I am a BIG supporter!! It was nice to see some of the old patients and co-workers at the race!! So, since I didn’t let ya’ll in on my goals for the race last night, I will now!! I really wanted to go out and run HARD! And my first goal was to run under 29:00. And my second, more harder to achieve goal, was to run 28:xx. Well, I blew both out of the water and ran a 27:23! Wohoo!! I really surprised myself! That is an average pace of 8:48 min/ mile!! I usually have trouble with this race because there are a ton of hills, but since I now live around a ton of hills and train on them, I was really able to tackle this course!

 

Mile 1: I was running with a friend at the beginning so we chatted the first mile or so. This race was really jam packed so we were swerving around people a lot. The first mile went by so fast I couldn’t believe it when Garmie chirped “one mile” at me! I was trying to run the first mile between a 9:30- 9:45 pace and I hit it right on with 9:43 for the first mile.

 

Mile 2: There were a lot more uphill's on this mile but I just chugged a long. My friend dropped back at about the 1.5 mile mark so I turned on my IPod and started jamming out! I was so glad I had uploaded some new tunes!! My mom was able to snap a quick picture of me right at the 2 mile mark.

 

 

Sorry it’s a little blurry but it will do! Look how funny my hand looks! Haha. My time for my second mile was 8:41. I was really pushing it here, especially when I crossed the 2 mile marker and knew I had only 1 more mile to go!!

 

Mile 3-3.1: I was really pushing hard this last mile and was flying past a lot of people! It felt so good to still have a little energy left so I could really run fast!! Lots of hills on this mile too but I knew the course so I was prepared! Plus, I really do enjoy some hills!! I ran my last mile in 8:17! Here are some finishing photos!

 

 

The retarted hand again, I guess this is just how I run! You will notice it in some of the following pics also!

 

 

Here I look like I’m about to fall over sideways!! I was actually running super hard but I felt great at this point!!

 

 

Look at that determination face! I like this one!!

 

 

Just finished!! The clock time said 28:10 but we had a super slow start!! Garmie said 27:23 for 3.1 miles and that’s my official time!!

 

I had a blast today!! The weather was really chilly, like 53 degrees, but felt good by then end of the race!! The t-shirt I wore is my good luck race shirt!! For some reason when the weather gets colder, I like wearing plain cotton t-shirts to run in vs. special dry-fit or cool max running shirts. Weird I know!!

 

They also had some super yummy food afterwards!! I got a Cherry- Vanilla Bagel from the Panera stand and a few orange slices! It was AMAZING! I would definitely eat that bagel again!! They also had hot dogs, pizza, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, donuts, pretty much everything you could think of!! It was a very fun time and I can’t wait till next year!!

 

On to my yard work that I did today…

The rest of the day was spent mulching my yard, building more flower beds, and planting some fall flowers!! So glad my parents were there to help me! Al lucked out and had to work today so we got it all finished without him! Haha :) Here are some pics of our hard work!!

 

 

This is one side of my front yard. Planted all those pansies today! Check out the pretty mums I have back there!! Here is a close up of the mums…

 

 

I just LOVE that color!!

 

 

Here is the other side of my front yard! I am so happy with our work! Now, my next job is to tackle the back yard!!

 

Well, I am spent! I am so ready to just have a relaxing night catching up on my DVR with my Sadie girl!! Here is a cute little pic of her also!

 

 

She is such a sleepy head! Haha!!

 

Hope ya’ll had a GREAT Saturday too!! Please share any fun activities!! :)

Posted in: on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at at 6:23 PM 6 comments    

Today has been a super rainy day! It was even raining so hard at one point that my mom and I got stuck in Home Depot for quite a while! And, Home Depot is not that exciting of a store to be stuck in for a long period of time!! We were at Home Depot to buy some more stones for my planters in my yard. Well, I bought more of the ones I thought I had but it ends up I bought the WRONG color! Agh! Oh well, I can use those in the backyard and my parents, being the cool people that they are, are willing to pick up the RIGHT color stones on the way to my house tomorrow. Crisis averted!! They are coming to help me finish up my flower beds and to mulch them.

 

Before all the yard work fun though, I have a 5k race in the morning! Yea! I am super excited! And even more so that my mom said she could come and cheer me on! I love having supporters! I had a wonderful pizza dinner so I am fueled and ready to go in the morning! I don’t think I plan on eating anything before the race because I know my stomach will act up if I do. I do have a few different time goals if my head but I’m not going to share them just yet! Want to see how I do first :) Wish me luck!!

 

Do ya’ll have any fun plans for the weekend?? I am actually kinda excited to work in my yard tomorrow because it’s going to be a beautiful day!!

Posted in: on Friday, October 9, 2009 at at 8:53 PM 1 comments    

I am so excited that I have 5 days off from school! It’s our “unofficial” fall break! Luckily, our director moved some classes around so we could have a mini break and it is much needed! Unfortunately, I still have some studying and school work to get done so it won’t be a total break from school. But I will take anything I can get!!

 

My foot felt a little better this morning when I woke up and throughout the day. I am hoping these arch supports are working. I tried to wear my tennis shoes around the house instead of going barefoot to give my foot some more support and I have been stretching and icing like crazy today! I am hoping tomorrows rest day will also help it to be totally ready for Saturday’s 5k! I can’t tell ya’ll how excited I am to race again! It’s been almost a year since my last race! And that is mostly due to my ankle injury last winter.

 

I had another good treadmill run today. I thought that was the best choice because it’s a softer surface for my foot and no hills since they are supposed to aggravate it. I did 5 miles again, 2 mins hard, 2 mins recovery. Was a good run, felt a little more tired than I did yesterday. I think I juts like the 5-4-3-2-1 run better than the intervals I did today!

 

Tomorrow I have a bunch of errands to run then am going to be relaxing before the race on Saturday! I am thinking pizza for dinner will be my pre race meal! What do ya’ll eat the night before your races? After the race my parents are going to help me mulch my yard so that will be another good workout! Happy early Friday to everyone!

Posted in: on Thursday, October 8, 2009 at at 10:19 PM 5 comments    

Ugh, my foot that has been plagued with what I think is plantar fasciitis is still bothering me! I have been trying to be good about icing and stretching my calf out but it still hurts. The problem is, it DOESN’T hurt while running so I am continuing to run! It hurts mostly when I get up in the morning and when I’ve been sitting for a while. Anyway, I think I’ve decided it is my shoes :( Unfortunately, I don’t have a ton of funds right now so I really don’t want to buy new shows yet since I just bought these a couple months ago. I just now figured out that I do overpronate and the shoes I have are for neutral runners. So, that’s probably most of the problem. After some research, I decided to buy some arch supports specifically for plantar fasciitis and I am hoping these will help so I don’t have to buy new shoes… Guess we will see! I ran with the arch supports today and they felt fine! Does anyone have any suggestions or some shoes they like for overpronaters?? I’m usually a Mizuno or Asics kinda girl!

 

Anyway, I did have a good run today!! I didn’t get to run until this afternoon because I was in class all day, so I decided to run on the treadmill and catch up on some shows on my DVR. I did my favorite Fartleck run, 5-4-3-2-1 for a total of 5 miles. My foot felt fine during the run and I made sure to ice it a couple times tonight. I’m just hoping I don’t make it worse for my 5k Saturday morning by continuing to run on it. I am planning on running tomorrow and taking Friday off so I hope that will be ok. I have a big issue with missing my training. I just feel so guilty, even if I’m taking off for injury prevention! My brain tells me not to run and to rest by my heart says keep running! Haha! I would love any advice ya’ll have on this specific issue or just on injuries in general!! Hope ya’ll have a good night!!

Posted in: on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at at 9:12 PM 2 comments    

I am just so happy about my long run progress!! I woke up around 6:30 am and had 1/2 of a Banana Nut Bread Cliff Bar for my pre run fuel (really good flavor by the way!!) It was still mostly dark out and gloomy so I decided to go back to bed for a little bit. Well, I didn’t wake up until about 8 am and I knew I had to get up and run. I was really procrastinating this run because I just didn’t feel like doing it! I think the gloomy weather was really throwing me off!! So, I finally got up and motivated and got to the park where I do my long runs a little after 9 am. Luckily, we are still having some great temps here so it was only 63 degrees! The first couple miles were tough, I just didn’t really feel into this run. I felt like I was working hard but Garmie kept telling me I was going super slow :(  So,  I decided to not look at Garmie anymore and just run! And that was smart!! After the 3rd mile my run felt great! I felt strong and happy that I was out running! I saw a lot of familiar faces, and by that I mean that I see the same people running/walking every week when I do my long runs! Ha! I am so happy I decided to do this run today, it was PERFECT! So here’s my stats:

 

Time: 1:30:14

Mile 1: 10:47

Mile 2: 10:15

Mile 3: 10:09

Mile 4: 10:05

Mile 5: 9:49

Mile 6: 9:52

Mile 7: 10:07

Mile 8: 9:49

Mile 9: 9:19

Avg Pace: 10:02!!!

 

Holy cow ya’ll!! I can’t believe my average pace was 10:02 for 9 miles!! Last week it was 10:25 for 9 miles and that was a huge improvement from the week before!! I just keep surprising myself! This is what makes me totally LOVE running!!

 

Saturday is my first 5k of the season! Yay! I’m so excited!! I am one who doesn’t like to run 5k’s with anything in my stomach, anyone else like that?? I notice most of ya’ll out in the blog world do eat a pre race meal but not me! I would hurl :) Ha!

 

Has anyone tried Pirate’s Booty?? (Sorry the pic is so small)

 

 

I saw it recently on Allison’s blog and thought it looked super yummy!! So I bought some at Kroger the other day and finally tried it today! It was SO GOOD!! I tried the Aged Cheddar flavor (that’s all they carry at my Kroger). It’s like a mix between popcorn and cheese puffs!! I recommend ya’ll all go out and try it! It’s a wonderful snack!!

 

Well, that’s all for tonight. I am excited for The Biggest Loser to come on!!

Posted in: on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at at 6:20 PM 2 comments    

Hey guys! Hope ya’ll had a good weekend! I am feeling a lot better today although still not 100%. It is freezing here today and has been raining all day too. Yuck. Hope it gets nicer for the rest of the week. Anyway, here is my training recap for this week:

 

Monday: strength training

Tuesday: 9 miles

Wednesday: 4 miles

Thursday: 5 miles; 6X800 with 2 min recovery

Friday: strength training

Saturday: 4 miles

Sunday: 5 miles; Fartleck run 5-4-3-2-1

Total: 27 miles

 

So glad I got all my runs in this week, even though I haven’t been feeling so hot!! Today’s run was done on the treadmill because of the rain. And I had to make it fun so I decided to do a Fartleck run. It was a good run overall. It’s amazing how much better my allergies are when I’m running, it’s like everything just clears up!!

 

Well, I have a long day at school tomorrow so I’m going to bed! Goodnight!!

Posted in: on Sunday, October 4, 2009 at at 9:58 PM 5 comments    

Hey guys! Hope ya’ll are having a good weekend!! Well, I feel like crap… I think my allergies have gotten the best of me :( Either that or a cold so I’m really hoping it’s just allergies!!

 

I was a little nervous to head out on my scheduled 4 miler today since I wasn’t feeling so hot but I thought I should give it a try, especially because it was so beautiful outside!! I told myself that I would just see how I felt and then go however far I wanted (keeping in mind I was scheduled for 4 miles). To my surprise, I felt GREAT! And especially speedy!! So I decided I could definitely pull off the 4 miles and I was even gonna go as far as to really push it and run FAST! Well, fast for me :) So, I ended up doing 4 miles in 37:10 with an average pace of 9:18 min/ mile!! Wahoo!! That’s the fastest 4 miler I’ve done since I’ve started my half marathon training! I am so happy with myself for even attempting to run while I’m sick, let alone run super fast! Yay!!

 

After the run, I ended up feeling a lot worse. My head is just pounding and all I want to do is go to bed! So that’s what I’m gonna do!! I have a 5 miler scheduled tomorrow so we’ll see. I feel 10X worse than I did this morning so I’m really not sure that running would even be a good idea at this point:(  Boo, but you never know, I could wake up feeling fine! That’s what I’m keeping my fingers crossed for!! Goodnight!

Posted in: on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at at 9:04 PM 3 comments    

I love cookie dough. Seriously, I would rather eat the dough than the actual cookie!! That being said, I have to really keep myself under tight control when I’m making cookies to not keep eating the dough! I usually allow myself a few small bites but sometimes it’s just too hard to resist! Case in point… this afternoon I decided to make some chocolate chip heath bar cookies and I really tried to limit my cookie dough bites to a couple but that ended up turning into a lot more than a couple! Oh well, it was worth it! Any other cookie dough lovers out there?? I need to find something to do with my cookies because honestly I don’t even want them all! Haha, just made them for the dough:)

 

No run today, it was a rest day. So, I took Sadie on a nice walk in the beautiful weather and did some strength training. I’ve been icing and stretching my foot like crazy hoping it will feel better!!

 

Tonight Al and I are going to a Bridal Show! Apparently we won some honeymoon vouchers!! Not sure how, the only thing I can think of is it was one of the papers I filled out at David’s Bridal a few weeks ago. So we have to go to this cookware demonstration at the Bridal Show tonight and then we can claim our prize! I’m interested to see what these vouchers are about!! She mentioned something about one being for an all inclusive Caribbean vacation and the other for a free 3 night hotel stay with a bunch of different locations to choose. Just hoping one will work with our honeymoon we’re planning! If not, looks like we have some vacations to go on after we get married because they are good for a year and a half!!

 

I wanted to share the yummy oats I created this morning!! I made some Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and it was so good!! First I chopped up and apple, combined it with about 1 TBSP water, sprinkle of brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. I microwaved that for a few minutes until the apples got soft.

 

 

I then added that to my normal oatmeal base and viola! Yummy Apple Cinnamon Oats!!

 

 

I will definitely be making this again!! Well I hope everyone has a great Friday night!!

Posted in: on Friday, October 2, 2009 at at 5:13 PM 3 comments    

Happy October!! Can’t believe it’s already here!! October just screams fall and I am so excited for it! Plus I have a few fun races planned this month :)

 

On to the “uh oh” part of this post… I think I have developed a slight case of the plantar fasciitis :(  My right heel has been sore for a few days and I thought I just did something to bruise it. However, I noticed it is mostly sore in the mornings when I get out of bed and is fine while running and throughout the day. So after doing some thinking and research, it seems like plantar fasciitis may be the culprit. Now, it’s not bad by any means, hasn’t kept me from running on it yet, but has gotten me a little worried! I don’t think it’s from my shoes because I have been running in these for about 7 weeks now and have had no issues until now. I think the main cause is running hills and increasing mileage, of which I don’t plan on changing unless this gets worse! Haha:) Also, calf tightness can cause this and guess who has the worst calf tightness ever?? Me, always. Not a day goes by without calf tightness. So, I am icing a few times a day, stretching my calves and foot, and working it out/ massaging my foot/heel with a tennis ball. It doesn’t even hurt enough for me to want to take ibuprofen yet ,so honestly I don’t think it’s that bad! But then again, I don’t want it to get worse. Anyone ever had this injury before?? Insight would be wonderful:)

 

Onto my run today (told you this wasn’t going to stop me from running! ha)… I did some speed work on my treadmill.

 

6X800 with 2 min recovery for a total of 5 miles

 

My heel/ foot felt a little sore the first 1/2 mile but after that, no pain at all. These intervals got a little tough towards the end but I pushed hard and got through! I also took Sadie for a nice little walk in the beautiful fall weather afterwards!!

 

I am so looking forward to fall and everything Pumpkin!! I also am looking forward to some leftover chili for lunch today! Wohoo! Love that stuff!!

 

And this afternoon is the dreaded presentation. I am planning on practicing it multiple times before I go so I feel totally prepared. I am just so ready to have it over with!! At least I have something to look forward to tonight! BUNCO! And it’s Italian themed so that glass of wine will be much needed when I get there:)

 

Also a plus, is that my class tomorrow got cancelled! So a day off! Yes! Hope ya’ll are having a wonderful fall October 1st!!

Posted in: on Thursday, October 1, 2009 at at 11:00 AM 4 comments