Ommmmmmmmm

Wow is all I can really say.

I spent last weekend up at the Sivananda Yoga Ranch getting my spiritual side on. It was by far one of the more amazing weekends of my adult life. I have always been a casual yogi, but that is a changing! I came away feeling so serene, strong and happy! Not to say that running doesn't do that, but I have been getting bogged down with the negative parts of running - mainly my slower than usual times, feeling like I can't keep up....blah, blah blah! It's almost like I need a little break. So I'm honoring my inner self and am going to focus on some other workouts for awhile.

I'm loving my yoga practice so I am sticking with that for a minimum of 4x a week, mixed in with some spin and sculpt classes. It's going to be gorgeous this weekend, so I may opt for a short run on Sun...maybe 3 miles, hell it might even be 2, whatever I feel like doing! What a concept!!

Where Does The Time Go?

OMG! I am travelled out, stressed and a little puffy.

My grand plan of having a killer workout month is not going as well as planned...it's not as terrible as it could be though. The last 2 weeks have been chock full of business and personal travel. I managed to get a few workouts in while in Minneapolis this week, but that for sure doesn't negate the amazing dinners I had.

20lbs is the goal. I KNOW I can do it.

I'm headed up to an Ashram this weekend, I'm hoping the vegan meals, meditation and yoga will bring me back to focus!!

Ahhh...November

I love the fall, crisp evenings, Uggs, gearing up for ski season. I also love the running, I generally feel my best, never get heat sick and can blow my nose in my gloves. Love it!

Sadly, I have not done too much running, I've mainly been hitting the gym for spin and sculpt classes. This weekend was a bust, had plans of trail running and a race and bailed on both. I guess life and my travel schedule got the better of me and sleep was more important. The good news is that I was up and out by 6am this morning for my killer sculpt class, tomorrow I may head out now that it's light in the morning. Even if I get in 3 miles I'll feel better....

I have also decided that this winter I will work on speed and(additional)base building. My first half marathon is I believe in early April and I want to be so ready for it, I don't want to just run it, I want to PR, and a killer PR at that! This will also require that I slim down. I've gained 10lbs since last fall. My jeans are tight. Not good. I'm on it though....Novemeber is my time for starting fresh...

2 Races, An Age Group Medal And My 100th Post!

Wow, what a weekend (ok, this is an old post, it was actually 2 weekends ago)! I ran a local 5k, the 5k that I PR'd last year, which needless to say left me not wanting to run it this year (hello ego!!). I decided last minute to head down, and I'm so glad I did. Although I didn't PR, I wasn't that far off. The course was through my neighborhood which is along the water and was completely flooded in parts - like slow down and pull you pants over you knees flooded. I'd like to say it added some spice to the race, but in realty it just sucked!! I did well, and was pretty happy with the race. On Sun I participated in my first Duathlon.....so fun!! I placed 3rd in my AG, which rocked, considering the course was a mess and my times, especially on the bike were super slow. All I can say is Nor'Easter. Literally. The rain and wind at times were so bad that I 1. feared for my life and 2. thought, man am I crazy! I'm happy I competed though, it an amazing experience and I will for sure do it again.

Ok, so for the 100th post part, wow! I can't believe I have been writing this blog, pretty continuously for as long as I have. At first it started off as a blog for my event with Team in Training, then turned into a blog about my torn ACL and weight loss journey, and now, well, it is what it is. I love this blog, the friends I've met, the comments I receive and leave for others. I started out not expecting anyone to read, and still can't believe a few people out there actually want to hear how a race went, or a random run. It's amazing! I do have to say, I miss blogger TFH (training for a half). She was my first commenter, and I religiously read her posts everyday. I'm not sure what happened,if anyone out there knows, let me know!!

Entenmann's Half

Tomorrow is the Entenamann's half marathon, 5k and 10k...
As long as the rain is not torrential I am going to run the half. It's super low key, and just 2 towns over, so no 4am wake up call! Plus free baked goods at the end, what's better than that!!

Recap!

The Hampton's Half was killer! I'm so glad I signed up for this. I originally though I would be running with some friends, but ended up going solo which was ok. I knew some people from Team in Training that were there, so I at least had some people to cheer me on (thanks Vinny and Robin). All in all it was a good time. I was a little shocked by the hills/inclines, I had read on the FB discussion board that there were some gentle rollers, no biggie, right? But there were more than a few rollers, my quads are still screaming! I'm OK with elevation, I kind of like it. Plus I had ran the Kings Park 15k course the week before, which is hella hilly, so I was prepared. (and to be honest the rollers were long gradual inclines, which I think for me are worse than hills).

The course itself was pretty sweet. Beautiful scenery, some trails, lots of woods, a brief run by the water (I think the full participants had better water views). Some may find this boring, and there weren't tons of spectators (but just enough to feel some love out there), but for me it was perfect as I tend to get into my own zone on long runs.

The beginning of the race was good, although I probably went out a little too fast, I think I was sub 10 for most of the first 6 miles. I ran with a pack and felt confident and strong.

I was feeling a little lethargic around mile 8, right when we came out of the woods, but then I was back to my good ol' self. Miles 11 to the end were a little hard, but I kept a steady pace. Coming through the finish shoot I completely forgot to give the bullhorns and a smile, I was done, pooped, cooked....no more energy.

The swag bags were really nice, aside form the finishers medals we got a pair of too big flops, a beach towel, t-shirt and a nice drawstring bag. Nice schtuff if I do say so myself! Actually, this might be the nicest medal I have ever earned!!

Overall, it was a great day and I am happy with my PR. I was hoping for tight 10 minute miles, but the "rollers" got to me. Next weekend is the Entenmann's Half which is totally flat, I'm hoping to PR yet again (crossing fingers!!)...

**image from the HHM Facebook page

Holy Shit That Was Hilly! Hampton's Half Recap and a PR!

Ok, so I though the half was going to be flat, or relatively flat. Wow I was so wrong! Great race though! And I PR'd!! Race report to come, I'm pooped!!

Race stats:
Hampton Half Marathon
Finish: 2:17:45
Pace: 10:33
Weather: Sunny, crisp, 59ish degrees