Still Kicking

I had thought my brief stint at blogging was over. With moving to a new city, traveling for a billion weddings all summer and learning a new job, the blog too a backseat to pretty much everything in my life--including house cleaning. So when I found myself with a Saturday with NO PLANS (woot!), I thought I might as well post.

Sadly, I haven't done a race since May. I began training for a half, but ended up derailed because of life (read: 6 weddings this summer and all of their related events that were all out of town). So a half remains my next race--hopefully the Shamrock Half in Va. Beach or the Rock N Roll in DC, which are both in March.

I am also considering getting a running coach. Now I know I will never be setting the world on fire with my running, but I'd like to be the best runner I can be within my ability level. That best might be someone else's worst,  but I'm OK with that. After reading a few other bloggers, they all have seen a miraculous improvement with a coach. I saw an improvement this year just by joining a running club, so I hope this takes me to another level.

Anyone have any experience with coaches--the good, bad, ugly?

Registering is Half the Battle

After talking, talking, talking about running my first half-marathon, I have officially registered for it! The Rock & Roll Half in Philadelphia on Sept. 18. I know that's so far away, but summer is hot and I have this little thing called my wedding in August, which is sucking up a lot of my free time.

I've heard mixed reviews about Rock & Rolls--I know they're super crowded, but I just needed something local and after August 20, and this fit the bill. I printed out this insane training program from Runners World. Not insane as in "difficult" or "tough" but insane in that it's a 25 week training program (hey, I like to be prepared) and I've actually already in week 5.

I would love to hear other people's first half experiences and thoughts on Rock & Roll races in general.

Back in the Swing of Things

As usual, I have been a bad blogger but I have also been a bad runner. Work has really had me burning the midnight oil, and I've basically been using that as an excuse for not running. Today I told myself excuses were for wimps and that I needed to make running a priority again. I have a plan to run a half marathon in the fall (postponed from an initial spring plan) and I feel good about it.
Training is back on!
Also back on 30 for 30. (It may be like 30 for 60 at this rate.) This entry calls for me to put my ipod on shuffle and list the songs that pop up:


Heal the World by Michael Jackson (Haha, I can see people swaying and singing in my mind.)
Tilt Ya Head Back by Christina Aguilera and Nelly
She Shook Me All Night Long by ACDC
Two Words by Kanye West
Most Girls by Pink
Blue by Eiffel 65 (Why did I download this and continue to store it on my ipod???)
Another Day from the musical Rent
Lord Only Knows by Beck
It Feels Like Christmas from The Muppet Christmas Carol (Best version of the film ever!)
You Spin Me Right Round by Billy Idol

Man, my ipod is hilarious.

Running is Expensive

Now before you inform me that running is actually free (minus the shoes and the gear), I’m talking about races. Up until now, I’ve been doing 5ks and I ran my first 10k in November. These short races only run me about $15-$30. Half-marathons in my area do not seem to be as affordable.

The fact that a half marathon is going to run me close to $100 at this point is somewhat my own fault. It was about $60 back when registration opened in the summer. However, last summer and even last fall, I wasn’t sure I could run a half. I only really made the decision in early December, but put off registering because I had so many gifts to buy. Fast-forward to Jan. 31 where I sat on my couch poised to register for the Longbranch Half Marathon, when my brain suddenly held my finger back from confirming the entry. Couldn’t I buy something more fun with that amount of money? Clothes? Accessories? Did I really want to spend $95 to sweat and pant along for 13.2 miles? I kinda didn’t.

So here I sit on Feb. 1, with the price going up again, debating. Can I just map my own 13.2 race and run it for free and then spend $95 on clothes as my “medal”? My fiancé says there is something about running a race with other people and the crowd cheering you on that makes it worth the money. I am not sold. Yet.

I came up with a few cheaper options; however, I don’t think my friends will be as interested in watching me run in these locations:
http://www.halfmarathons.net/usa_half_marathons_pennsylvania_lehigh_valley_half_marathon.html

http://www.halfmarathons.net/usa_half_marathons_delaware_running_festival_half_marathon.html
http://www.halfmarathons.net/usa_half_marathons_pennsylvania_oddyssey_half_marathon.html

Am I being really cheap? Should I just suck it up and pay? How much do you think is too much for a half?

Half Marathon Training Begins

Today marks my first official day in half-marathon training! I'm excited, nervous and exhausted just thinking about it. I'm kinda training in an odd way. I don't plan on running a half until May (the Northeast is not kind to runners in the winter), but I will finish my training around the end of March. I plan to just keep building the mileage in the middle and then taper off at the end of April. So many of the training plans I looked at have you never actually completing 13 miles until race day. I know that I want to have run 13 miles at least once before race day. It helps me mentally feel that I can complete the race knowing I've done the distance before. For example, when I trained for the 10-k in the fall, I ran more than 9 miles so I knew that 6 miles was attainable. I don't think I'll take it to that extreme for the half, but I'd like to run 14-15 miles before race day.

I still have not taken my Garmin out for a run! Lots of snow and temps below 30 have kept me on the 'mill.

Hope your winter running is going well!

New Year, New Training Plan

I hope everyone has had a relaxing holiday! Much like the rest of the world, I have running resolutions for 2011 too. I'm limiting  it to two semi-realistic goals:
1. Complete a half-marathon
2. Run a 5k in under 30 minutes

I'm using a training plan for the next 6 months courtesy of Rachael at Snarktart that involves running, cross-training and core workouts. Cross-training tends to mean "do less" or "optional" in my books, but I'm going to make a conscious effort to actually cycle or even walk (the elliptical does strange things to my knees). To that end, I'm looking at a bike after work today.

And I got a Garmin for Christmas so I cannot wait to run outside with it for the first time (it's been me and the treadmill for the past 2 weeks).

Running Wardrobe Malfunction

Nothing is more irritating than too-big running tights on a run. I think I must have stretched them out in the washer or something because the Nike pair I wore on Thursday were falling down the entire time I was braving the cold and all I did was hike them up with every step. I think I need to invest in the drawstring kind. I didn’t give anyone a show, but had I not hiked up those tights, I definitely would have been showing waaayyyy too much skin!

Aside from the running tights, this run was tough! The wind was whipping and it was about 20 degrees. I just never seemed to get my breath. I ended up only staying out for a mile and going home.

Today is a treadmill run after work. I haven’t done more than 3.5 miles in all of December, so I need to bang out 4 today at more of a comfortable pace for me (11:30). I’ve been really focused on speeding up my 5k time before I start half-marathon training in January.

Speaking of the half, if anyone can point me to any training programs you liked, please do!

Halfway Back on the Wagon

So with Thanksgiving last week and having run that darn 10k at the start of November, I was a complete running slacker for the past two weeks. I ran once last week and it was only 3 miles. I had plans of starting half-marathon training ASAP, but after realizing that both races I was looking at (Longbranch Half and Pittsburgh Half) didn't occur until May, I thought I could maybe blow the start of the training off until January and concentrate on picking up my pace.

So today I decide to wake up early and get in a quick (and I mean quick) 2 miles before work. Getting up when it's cold and cloudy was beyond devastating. So much so that I almost didn't go out even after I my running gear on. So I drag myself outside and I plan to warm up slowly for a half mile and then run faster for a mile, cool it down for a half and then pick it up for a half. Well, the picking up part did work, but the recovery part deteriorated into a walk instead of a job. I swear it ended up taking me like 25 minutes to go 2 miles-GAH!

I am seriously someone who always needs a training plan. Left to my own devices, I complete weird runs in weird times. But I did run, so I already matched last week's best effort.