St. Augustine Half Marathon

(Insert standard disclaimer about how long it's been since my last post. Didn't want to go all of 2018 without one).

I was looking at my running log that dates back to 2005 (!) and came to the ol' blog to see why there were serious dips in my mileage at certain times over the years. The reminiscing made me realize how convenient it was to have details from my training over time, and also miss my OG running blog friends. (Remember when we used to plan race meetups?) So thankful for the running friends I've made over the past 10 years, some of which I've been fortunate enough to meet IRL too.

About that, ten years 'chasing the kenyans'! Granted only 5 of those years were diligent blogging/training years and the latter 5 have been... less than such. I've become much less competitive over the years, only signing up for the occasional race, but I think if I get back in a training groove some of that fight will come back. I'm currently just running to run, working on getting my weekly mileage back up, and trying to convince myself to suck it up and do another marathon (still 38 states to go).

The catch up:

• Ran the Smoky Mountain Relay again with the best team. (April)

• West Coast Road Trip - Seattle to San Fran. Had a weird back pain so didn't get to run on vacation - this later turned out to be dislocated rib. (April)

• +1'd on a friend's work trip to South Africa. AMAZING. (May-June)

Victoria Falls, Zambian side

• 4th of July in Toronto (so American). Finally got to meet up with Marlene and wish we could've hung out longer! (July)

My favoUrite Canadian

• Escaped Hurricane Florence to celebrate my birthday in Bermuda. (September)
• Practiced for retirement with a river cruise from Basel to "Amsterdam". The river levels were too low so we disembarked in Strasbourg and road tripped to Amsterdam. (October)

Cologne, Germany

Selfie with the girls in the Black Forest

• Half marathon in St. Augustine. More importantly, a laughter-filled girls weekend with friends. (November)

Let's just say a bit of false-advertisement here. "The most beautiful run course in Florida". Umm the majority of it is down a 4-lane highway. It's not like you're running among beautiful historic buildings or beach landscapes for 13.1 miles. It's a fairly small event with only 1,000 runners total between the half, 10k and 5k. Overall it was a smooth, low-key event. Plenty of water/gatorade stops and at least a few of them were handing out Gu. There were limited spectators along the course and no bands (not a complaint, I don't care about either of these, but many people looking for a race do). There was one decent hill (twice) over the intracoastal and a gnarly headwind for the last 5 miles.

I didn't really train for this (of course). All of my running these days is around a 9:00/mile pace and my "long runs" were 8 miles. My goals were a sub-2 and to not poop my pants (isn't that every runner's goal?). I thought I'd start out around 9:00/mile and pick it up later if I felt good. Turns out I'm still as 'good' as starting out slow as I used to be. My first mile was an 8:36 and I knew I was going to have to hang on for dear life from there. Spoiler alert: I obtained both of my goals.

Selfie in mile 11/12

8:36 - 8:19 - 8:17 - 8:16 - 8:08 - 8:36 - 8:05 - 8:02 - 8:06 - 8:06 - 8:13 - 8:06 - 8:15

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Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon

I last posted in January, solid. A few things have happened since...

• Ran the Green Valley 10-miler in February and only a minute slower than my PR, which is a miracle considering the weight I've put on in 7 years.
• Didn't run Tobacco Road Marathon in March - had another case of vertigo. Ah memories of 2009-2010. 
• Ran the Smoky Mountain Relay with the most fun team. Warning: this relay is mountainous AF.

  

  Bootleggers - Van 1

• Minimal spring/summer training - April (102 mi), May (41 mi), June (39 mi), July (35 mi), August (54 mi). Yes, those are month totals.
• Ran a (slow) half in Olomouc, Czech Republic in June (off all that stellar training above).



Before the start of the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon

• Went streaking in September in an effort to get my rear back in gear - 129 mi. 
• October holiday in Greece broke the streak (although there was lots of walking). Had signed up to run a 10k in Athens but overslept. Oops.



Being a nerd - running a lap around the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens

• Did a CrossFit 'competition' (charity fundraiser) with my little sister and came in 2nd!
• Ran the Paris Mountain Road Race 20k. Ok, if we're being honest there was walking too.

About that Czech Republic run though - the ladies I traveled to Tulsa with for the Route 66 Marathon last November planned another runcation and I tagged along again. We spent a few days in Prague before taking a train out to Olomouc for the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon. This race was AWESOME. If you are looking for a destination race I'd highly recommend it. It's an evening race (in June, so it's still light out if you finish in 2 hours) and only 30-45€. It draws top talent runners (Mary Keitany won in 2016) and is well-organized. Olomouc is a small town, but everyone comes out and cheers. The streets were lined with spectators and even though I could not understand a word they were shouting, the atmosphere was incredible. The one slight negative to the race is the brief period on cobblestone streets at the start and finish, but it's manageable.

Czech-ing out Prague

As for what's next, I'm almost afraid to stake any claims. I really want to get back to marathon shape / running marathons 1-2 times a year. Just need to stop with the lazy streaks.

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Tobacco Road Prep - Month 1

With fresh memories of the Route 66 Marathon and all it's pit-stops still in my head, I took the plunge and registered for the Tobacco Road Marathon (Raleigh, NC) on March 19th. I'll be running with my friend who ran Ann Arbor with me, and now wants to try for a BQ. I figure, why not. I've been wanting to chase down my 2009 self anyway.

I gave myself two weeks "off" after Tulsa before jumping straight back into marathon training. I still ran of course, but took extra rest days and didn't worry about accumulating weekly mileage. The first two weeks of training for TRM went smoothly, but at the end of the third week (Christmas) my left achilles flared up and let me know it wasn't happy.

Week 15: 12/5 - 12/11
Long: 14 miles
Speed: 4 mile tempo (middle of a 10 miler)
Rest Days: 1
Total: 52.6 miles

Week 14: 12/12 - 12/18
Long: 13
Speed: Fartlek 5x4:00 hard+3:00 easy (middle of a 10 miler); 4 mile tempo (part of long run)
Rest Days: 2
Total: 45.9

Week 13: 12/19 - 12/25
Long: 7.8 (supposed to be 14, cut short by achilles and had to call for a ride home)
Speed: 5x1000m (middle of a 9 miler)
Rest Days: 2
Total: 39.8

Week 12: 12/26 - 1/1
Long: 16 (I was determined to run 16 on NYE, achilles or not!)
Speed: None (achilles doesn't like speed, or hills)
Rest Days: 3
Total: 30.5

Yeah so I probably should have given my left foot a little more time off but I love running around the holidays. In theory, less work = more time for mileage! I had to shorten my stride and slow my pace for the NYE 16 miler which made my leg muscles work more than they're used to and I was SO sore the next day. It seems to be doing better - allowing me to run my normal easy pace and only occasionally starting to ache on hills.

If you're looking for an early spring half or full - come join me at TRM! I haven't run this race before but it looks to be pretty flat on a paved rail-trail so I'm hoping it'll be a fast course. Use code TRMBuddy to get $10 off registration in January. (This code was emailed to everyone already registered to help spread the word, "this code is only available to friends of registered runners!").

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Running in Los Cabos

I don't know about you, but I (usually) like to run while on vacation. We went to Los Cabos back in October/November right in the midst of peak training for the Route 66 Marathon, and I knew I'd need to get serious miles in. There weren't many routes on Map My Run and the satellite view of our hotel location was not promising. I rarely run on the treadmill so I figured I could just suck it up for a couple key runs and maybe I'd luck out on finding somewhere to run outside.

Skull Spandits for Dia de los Muertos

The day after we arrived was the Ironman Los Cabos, which shut down most of the main road from San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas (the two towns are about 20 miles apart). I was soo tempted to run on the bike course while the triathletes were swimming, but at the same time I didn't want to be arrested by la policia. Plus I overslept. Instead I suffered through 15 miles on the hotel treadmill which used up my treadmill tolerance for the week.

I tried beach running one day, but the sand was terrible for running. I've never enjoyed beach running anyway. I meant to try running near the hotel to (what looked like) a neighborhood across the highway but I overslept too often - as in I didn't get up at 5:30 to run before the heat. It was vacation after all.

Soft, sinking, sloped sand

Prior to the trip, I'd discovered Running Tours Los Cabos via Instagram. I knew I wanted to try to run with them, but didn't know if I could make the scheduled tour times. Turns out I couldn't make one of the tours, but I was able to coordinate a private/custom tour with Patty in the middle of the week. This was hands down the best run of the week (obviously) but also a great way to see the town.

Photos from the run courtesy of Patty

We toured around Cabo San Lucas for about 7-8 miles. Since we met up at 6:30a, the sidewalks were clear of tourists and timeshare salespeople. Patty's route started with a conveniently-located bridge to catch the perfect sunrise, and from there we looped around town and the marina. She gave local insight to restaurants and things to do, took pictures along the way, and was the perfect running partner. I enjoyed chatting with her though I should have practiced my Spanish more.

After the run, we stopped at El Dengue for fresh juice. I was tempted to try "the Vampire" (beets and other stuff) but ultimately played it safe with an orange and carrot combo. I was spoiled in Los Cabos - fresh juice bars and public transportation! Take notes, South Carolina.

Fresh post-run juice from El Dengue

RTLC souvenirs - bag, bottle & t-shirt

Overall, I got in 27.5 miles on vacation. Not great for marathon training, but better than nothing. If you're ever in the Los Cabos area, I highly recommend joining the Running Tours Los Cabos team for a run. It was one of my favorite things about our week in Cabo. Other (non-running) highlights were an ATV tour, the Art Walk in San Jose, and lots of pool/beach-side lounging.

*Disclaimer: I paid full-price for my custom tour. Just sharing the experience as it was a lot of fun.

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Get Your Kicks: Route 66 Marathon

After a 5 year hiatus from marathoning, I've forgotten how to pack/dress for marathons. The Route 66 Marathon was no different, and I was out shopping for warmer clothing the day before the race. It was forecast to be 33 degrees at the start (I know, I know that's not THAT bad) but I was chickening out of the shorts/tank top/arm warmers I had planned on wearing. Knowing I already have a dresser dedicated to running clothes at home, I really didn't need to buy more. Ultimately, I decided on wearing the leggings I had traveled in and the race 1/4 zip shirt (I have long since stopped caring about that "rule"), with the tank top/arm warmers underneath.

Pretty sure I'm Victoria's Secret's first marathoner.
I had never ran in/worked out in these leggings before, so that was a bit of a gamble.

I actually ran the Relay and the Full marathon at the same time (hence the two bibs above). Some former co-workers invited me to do the relay with them so I double-dipped (/paid for both races). I would run the first two legs, hand the ankle timer off to the next runner, and continue on my way.

Walking to the start line my right hip flexor started hurting pretty intensely. What the hell! Fortunately I massaged it away before the race started and it didn't come back. I made it to my corral with about 10 minutes to spare, and positioned myself near the back of the corral, behind the 1:50 half pacer (the full, half and relay all start together). They counted down the wheelchair start and we runners started shortly after. In my opinion, they should have given the wheelchair athletes a little more time to get ahead as we caught up to a couple of them.

Because the last three weeks of training had been terrible (cement legs, no rhythm) I had planned to go out conservatively at a 9:00/pace and pick it up at mile 15 if my legs were cooperating. Per usual, I couldn't even get that right.

Miles 1-5 (8:32, 8:57, 8:43, 8:44, 8;51) - Leaving downtown, up a big hill. Yes, Tulsa has (rolling) hills. Met a fellow runner from South Carolina.

Miles 6-10 (8:48, 8:26, 8:39, 8:38, 8:51) - Took a Gu around mile 6 (I think). Course went through Brookside area which had super high energy. A local gym held a spin class on the sidewalk, providing upbeat music and a great cheering section.

Miles 11-15 (8:56, 8:47, 8:37, 8:32, 9:22) - Stopped in mile 11 to hand off Relay anklet and take off Relay bib (Full bib was underneath). Stopped in mile 12 to take a selfie - it's the important things. Passed a Whataburger and the employees were handing out water bottles and said to come back later for a free burger. Not sure what happened in mile 15, I'm guessing there was an extra long walk break for water/gatorade? It's also when my stomach started hinting at high-maintenance needs.

Miles 16-20 (8:58, 9:20, 10:05, 8:40, 9:36) - Gu'd again in mile 16 (I think). I had to force myself to Gu during this race. Usually in long runs I can't wait for a Gu break but this time it was the last thing I wanted. I also mentally blacked out - I remember being at mile 17, then mile 20, and then the next thing I knew it was mile 23. There was a port-a-potty stop in mile 18 for the high maintenance needs that started during mile 15. I ALMOST used a port-a-potty that was in front of a house being remodeled, but then I saw a row of official race port-a-potties so I used those instead. There was another potty stop in mile 20... I dashed across the street to a QT (gas station). Stomach was not happy today!

Miles 21-26 (8:30, 8:58, 8:28, 8:36, 8:25, 8:13) - At least all those bathroom stops and walking the water stops seemed to help me maintain a better running pace for these final miles. I forced down half of a Gu in mile 21, even though I wondered if the Gu was causing my distress. In mile 23 I passed by the AirBnB we had rented, and was definitely tempted to stop. In the final mile you can take a detour to the "Center of the Universe" for the World's Shortest Ultra (26.5 miles). I had debated it before hand, but when I got to the detour I knew there was no way I was taking one more step than necessary. I trucked onward, picked up the pace for a strong finish, collected my heat blanket and medals, and promptly sat down.

After the race, we walked to see the "Center of the Universe" and I needed another visit to the port-a-potty. We got lunch at Hideaway Pizza where I ate 3 slices and a chocolate chip cookie sundae. Earned it.

MarathonFoto was there for pictures, which forces you to decide between paying your mortgage or purchasing your race photos. I might have considered buying them, but there are only 8 pictures of "me" and 7 of them were at the finish. The 8th one is not even me, haha.

The Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, OK is a terrific race and the people of Tulsa are fantastic hosts. If you're looking for a high-energy, well-organized race I highly suggest checking it out! Much of the race course passed through neighborhoods, and the residents were out in full force with block parties, jello shots, and high-fives. I recommend carbo loading at Mondo's and treating yourself to the Mile High Pie at Antoinette Baking Co. I enjoyed exploring Tulsa and I'd go back for the half marathon with friends.

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Summary of Training – Route 66 Marathon (Tulsa, OK)

This is a summary of my “training” for the 2016 Route 66 Marathon, a 17-week journey from July 25th through November 19th. Stats are compared to the 2009 NYC Marathon - my current (& super old) PR (3:33).

# of runs – 83 (NYC: 145)

Miles – 595.3 (NYC: 1,114.29)

Average MPW – 36.70 (NYC: 48.21)

Highest Weekly Mileage – 70 (NYC: 68.16)

Runs Missed due to Injuries/Sickness – 24 (mostly laziness, 1 complete week of rest for pain bottom right foot, a few days near the end due to smoke from wildfires) (NYC: 17)

# runs of 15 miles or more - 6 (NYC: 11)

Hours of Running - 88 (NYC: 164)

Average Pace – 8:52 (NYC: 9:00)

Races – 1

PR’s – 0

Speed Workouts – 9 (NYC: 21)

+1 CrossFit competition

Initially, I had high hopes for Tulsa (a new PR), but we went on vacation about 3 weeks prior which didn’t exactly help with training. It took two weeks after vacation to find my rhythm again, but my legs still felt heavy and slow. I only got in one 20-mile run (mostly due to poor vacation timing) during this training, which paired with how I felt in the final weeks before the race did not lend me much confidence. I revised my A-goal to 3:45, I’d be OK with a sub-4:00, and worst-case I just needed to cross that finish line.

Spoiler alert – I ran a 3:54.

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Searching for Victoria's Secret

I recently had to purchase a few new sports bras because I found that a few of mine were A) quite old and B) looked pretty gross even after being washed.

This one's from 2006...

I don't know about you, but I typically can't find sports bras (that I like) at the TJ Maxx's for under $20, and I'm not going to spend $20 on a C9 one from Target. Uhh, it's Target, which is half a step up from Walmart. Ok maybe a whole step. Regardless, you shouldn't have to spend more than $20 on something from TJ Maxx or Target; these aren't high-end stores. I'm also definitely not going to spend $500 on one from Lululemon. Does it also come with liposuction? If so, I may reconsider.

I took myself to Victoria's Secret - Sport section of their website and did some shopping. Here are the results:

DISCLAIMER: I paid for each of these bras. The opinions below are my own and in no way influenced by Adriana or Candice.
However, if Victoria's Secret wants to send me some free stuff, I wouldn't turn that down. Just sayin'.

The "Player" - $15

The Player is your standard, racerback sports bra. Comes in a wide variety of fun colors/patterns and is only $15. I bought two. Bye TJ Maxx.

The "Crossback" - $20

The Crossback is a much cheaper version of the infamous Lululemon strappy thing everyone has these days. It's labeled for "light" use so I probably won't wear it for running. So far I've worn it to the gym and it works fine there. It comes with those useless, removable nip-pads that are great until you wash it and then become origami in the farthest corners of the bra.

The "Lightweight" - $25

They call it the Lightweight yet recommend it for Medium-impact (and people think models aren't smart). I like this one though. There is some padding which is slightly annoying but I can get over it.

The (doesn't appear to be on website anymore) - $20

You know the scene from The Sweetest Thing where Cameron Diaz is trying on clothes in her bikini top and stops to talk about how her boobs were 'up here' when she was 22 but now gravity has taken them down at 28. This bra would get her back to age 22. I think this was a previous style of the Angel sports bra. There's a plastic ring connecting all those back straps AND it's a hook-close which makes it impossible to put on without assistance. Oh, and there's underwire! Ya know, because you need to look perky on a run. I still like it, though I've worn it more to the gym than on a run.

The "Incredible" - $35

As in, it's Incredible that my boobs just grew 3 sizes! This beaut not only comes with underwire and a hook-close, but it's also padded. PADDED. Because we're not just here to exercise. Anyway, it's getting returned.

The "Ultimate" - $35

Whoa. I mean just look at it. It looks like it would fit a DD! Underwire again here, which I especially didn't like because you can see it all across the front when wearing. Also padded. It is advertised as their running bra, which almost makes me feel like I should try it out on a run. It gets a lot of good reviews, but in the end I just don't like how huge it looks so I'll take my $35 back please k thx bye.

Remind me in a year to do a "how they held up" post. I'm interested to see if they're well-made for actual exercise and not just air punches and 3-lb dumbbell curls.

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Speed Hurts

After the Ann Arbor marathon in early April, part of me wanted to keep up the consistency, but a bigger part of me decided to be lazy. In this case, lazy = 3-6 mile runs 4 times a week, with a 10-12 miler once a month. As though that monthly long run was doing anything for me...

By the time the heat & humidity came (who am I kidding it was already here in April) I was driving the struggle bus. In late June I started using my heart rate monitor again as my excuse to be slow and take walk breaks. Gotta stay in that fat burning zone amiright?

My fat-burning zone must be broken. It's all still here.

After about 6 weeks of "heart rate training" (that term is used very loosely) I bit the bullet and tried to exert myself on a run. It hurt.

August 3rd - 2 mile tempo run
Goal: I hope to God I can still run sub-8:00 miles.
Result: 7:51, 7:49

Hamstrings were not appreciative, but I survived.

It then took me 9 more days to convince myself I should do it again. This time, I hit up the track for some sprint repeats.

August 14th - 2's & 4's
3 sets of 200, 200, 400 with equal distance rest in between
Goal: 200's in 48, 400's in 96
Result: 200's avg 45.8, 400's avg 95.6

This was my first track run since February and my second time running hard (also probably since February) so I'm guesstimating at paces here. So far, I seem to be pretty good at guesstimating.

Since this workout fell right in the middle of the Olympics, I also attempted a 100m dash before cooling down.

Watch out Usain Bolt, it only took me 17 seconds.

August 16th - 3 mile tempo run
Goal: Can I possibly do 3 miles sub-8?
Result: 7:57, 7:51, 7:35

Either I super sandbagged or I was just really, really ready to be done. That third mile definitely hurt but I assumed it was because it was the third mile. I'm learning how difficult it is to run hard after a year of running not-hard.

August 20th - 1000s
1000m repeats are the worst idea ever. At least when you choose a loop that has a big ass hill for at least 500 of those meters. I went into this workout thinking I would do 10 repeats (aka 6.2 hard miles). Seems logical since I've done 3 miles hard right? Exactly. Needless to say I dialed it back to 6 (my legs wanted to stop at 4).
Goal: 4:43
Result: 4:44 average

This was hard. I blame the hill. And being out of speed-shape. And maybe a little on the 9358392% humidity. But, once again, I survived.

August 24th - 2s and 8s
4 sets of 200, 200, 800 with equal distance rest in between
Goal: 200's in 48, 800's in 3:12
Result: 200's avg 46, 800's avg 3:13

Distance is for the birds. 200's are my new favorite. Way less painful.

August 27th - 3 mile tempo run
Goal: Be more consistent than last time.
Result: 7:32.8, 7:32.6, 7:32.5

Consistency, check.

I equally like doing speed workouts on my normal running routes and the track. They finally started rubberizing the tracks where I live (why wasn't this done 20 years ago) but apparently that means they must also fence and lock the tracks. Does that mean I can opt out of the $$$ school taxes I pay? So annoying. When fence hurdling becomes an Olympic sport, you'll see me there.

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Time After Time

What? Activity on CTK? You can believe your eyes folks.

Instead of a long-winded recap of the past 15 months, let's just hit the running highlights:
(which is apparently still kind of long)

BMW 2-mile (September 2015)
An old favorite. This was so long ago I don't remember anything about it. It probably hurt because I wasn't training regularly but managed a 13:38 (not a PR but also not a worst-PR).

Rock 'n Roll Savannah Half Marathon (November 2015)
I hate Rock 'n Roll races. The bands are sparse (if they are even playing at all), they're overpriced, and this one in particular had horrendous organization. It was a girl's weekend with college friends so I was roped into it. Highest weekly "training" mileage: 22.4 (stellar). Time: 1:47:03 (no goal in mind, 8:10 avg)

2015 Total Miles - 779.26
Not quite the 2k+ years I've had in the past. Killing it.

GHS Swamp Rabbit Half Marathon (February 2016)
This race is touted as being "downhill"... after you run up a few hills in the first 5 miles, sure. The hills are average for the area, just don't advertise your race as being "downhill".

I trained through the winter with a neighbor who wanted to do a half after a few years hiatus. We ran most of the race together but I eventually left her to finish in 1:53 (didn't have a goal).

iRecycle Half Marathon (March 2016)

Ran this with My Team Triumph as an "angel". I thought we could totally go sub-2 while pushing a stroller... haha. Respect to all the parents out there. Finished in 2:02:33 (9:21 avg).

I wore my Boston jacket as a disclaimer:
"I might be out of shape but I swear I ran Boston 6 years ago!"

Ann Arbor Marathon (April 2016)

You guys. YES. After a 5 year a marathon hiatus I finally got back to the start (and finish) line. It helped that I had a friend living in Michigan to "train" with and ultimately run with on race day. 

My goals for the race were: A) don't die, B) just finish, C) sub-4, and D) sub 3:45.

Note: a 3:45 is an 8:34 average (math skills, A+). I did 0 speedwork, and 99.4% of my training runs had an average pace around 8:50/mile. Since it had been 5 years, every long run felt like a "first" again and I was always nervous about them so I just focused on getting the mileage and not so much the pace.

Bought that jacket the day before the race. Isn't that what they recommend?

On race day it was 25deg (feels like 14) and flurried from mile 13 on. Imagine my excitement for snow in April. It was her first marathon and my first after my extreme hiatus / serious back injuries so we both had our share of nerves. We had a plan to start conservatively (9:00/miles) and get a little faster as the race went on, which we stuck to until the part where we were supposed to get faster.

Around mile 21 or 22 my entire body from my nose down ached, especially my hip flexors. I wanted to get it over with and started pulling away from my friend (apparently I'm not a good race companion). There was a long (gravel) hill at mile 25, which was as pleasant as you might imagine, and I persevered to finish in 3:48:06 (8:36 avg). Good enough for 19th overall female and 3rd place in my old lady age group (small race). Finding post-race food was more important than collecting an age group award, so I have no idea what the prize was.

In the months after Ann Arbor I naturally slacked off and then it got summer-in-SC hot so I had to slack some more, but I recently signed up for another race (in November) so it's time to get back in the swing of things. In my mind I will totally post occasional training reports in an attempt to actually do some running-workouts, but don't hold me to that. It has been 15 months since my last update afterall...

What highlight(s) did I miss in your life these past few months? 

Shoutout to Tom G for a little motivation to come out of retirement.

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Mayhem Rambles

Oh hey May. I'm good at being timely.

But there's good news! I've been doing a lot more running since I last posted. Relatively. Still not as much as I used to, but I'm up to around 30mpw and even did 107+ miles in April. I also did my first double digit ("real" long run) in April, along with another 10-miler AND a half marathon race! The 'good' thing about serious injuries is appreciating the ability to just-do the things you love.

Cooper River Bridge Run (March 28)
Did another beach weekend with some friends like last year. I think I had done up to an 8-mile a long run and around 15-20 mpw. I didn't expect much (in fact I told people I'd probably do 9:00/miles). Ended up with a 48:45 (7:50/pace). Whoops. Lots of weaving (it's a super crowded race with 30k+ people).
Splits: 7:46 - 8:14 - 8:36 - 7:27 - 7:32 - 7:35

Furman 5k (April 11)
Just a local 5k. I think it cost $10. Didn't expect much here either (thought I would do 8:00/miles). Ended up with a 22:42 (7:18/pace). I'm not sandbagging with my pre-race thoughts, I just haven't done any speedwork or tempo runs so I have no idea what kind of pace to shoot for.
Splits: 7:13 - 7:23 - 7:21

Earth Day Half Marathon (April 25)
My friend had been training for this and I decided to run it the night before. I knew I could probably survive since I had done two 10-milers at this point. I wanted to do a long run but knew it was going to be rainy, so why not jump in a half mar? I was going to register the morning of the race but she decided not to run in the rain and gave me her bib. We had discussed starting out conservatively (8:45-9:00) and then picking it up and aiming for a sub 1:50 (PR attempt for her). I had this in mind when the race started, but I also got sucked into the competition around me. There was a decent hill in miles 1-2 and another around mile 6. I got greedy in miles 4-5 when mid-7's felt easy and wanted to go sub-1:40 because I thought that was only sub-8:00/mile pace* (I can't do math while running/do math period). Also at mile 4 I told myself "hey only 6 more miles". At mile 7 it was "only 5 more miles" #becausemath. Miles 8-9-10 were weaving through a college campus which was kind of annoying but my pace didn't slow as much as it felt like it was. It rained the entire time, but I was happy to see so many 7:xx miles considering I was walking with a cane 6 short months ago.
Splits: 8:05 - 8:20 - 7:58 - 7:48 - 7:29 - 7:45 - 7:47 - 7:52 - 7:39 - 8:02 - 8:01 - 7:42 - 7:27

Swamp Rabbit 5k (May 1)
I don't really like this race. There are 5k+ people on a fairly narrow course and no one ever lines up at the start correctly. I wanted to say something to all the people I passed in the first 1/2 mile who were WALKING but I refrained (/was running hard and couldn't breathe anyway). Anyway, it's a well organized race other than the lack of "corral control" at the start, and it's only $6. It's part of the local 'corporate shield' program so I was suckered into doing it for work, but I think we put together a winning Female team for a change (results still pending). There's a ginormous hill for most of mile 2 but the rest of the course is fine. For the last mile I ran with a guy named Mac as we were holding the same pace. It was nice to not think about the pace (and pain) and just focus on staying with him. He started to pick it up and forced me to go with him - "come on, you can pass that girl up there". Oh you know me already Mac.
Splits: 6:52 - 7:24 - 7:02

Other belated ramblings:

2015 New Year's Goals that I never posted anywhere and can barely remember what they were:

1. Don't get injured. 'Nuf said. Currently: A+.
2. Run some races for fun. Don't set PR goals (need to get healthy, stay healthy, increase mileage). Currently: Umm, B-? I've run a few races and I didn't set 'PR' goals but I did set goals that forced me into running harder than I probably should have. (See half marathon commentary above).
3. Get my act right when it comes to food. I got fat(ter) when I was injured. It was a new PR in weight (not a good thing). Currently: A+. Down 9 lbs. On my latest trip to Target I defeated the m&m shelf and didn't buy any.
4. Get rid of more clothes (this. every year). No one needs 27 pairs of pants or 43 long-sleeve shirts (not including long-sleeve tees). Yeah, ridiculous. Currently: C. I've gotten rid of some things, but I am still hoarding things I haven't worn in 3 years.
5. Actually clean the house. We've waffled over getting a maid. I am not one of those people who can relieve stress by cleaning (in fact it makes me stressed). Currently. B-? I do a couple things on a regular schedule but still lots of room for improvement. I'm sure there are cobwebs somewhere.
6. Go on two, week-long vacations. Currently: Still trying to convince Josh.
7. Go on at least two, long-weekend mini vacations. Currently: Still trying to convince Josh.

Pretty ambitious goals, I know. Especially "go on vacation" x4. Hey, "work-life balance" is important!

*A sub-1:40 is a 7:15 pace. lolz. Not happening at this time.

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Hello World!

Tap tap tap, check 1, check 2. Is anyone still out there?

My host domain prompted me to renew or cut ties with ol' chasingthekenyans.com, and I decided to renew for the time being. Why? I don't know. Maybe I'll magically find time to write again.

It seems like blogging in general isn't the same as it used to be. I still follow most of my original "RBFs" like DiscomBoBulated, MissZippy, RunnerLeana, JillWillRun, MarciasHealthySlice, CookTrainEatRace, and others, but many have gotten out of the game. CTK is in desperate need of an update, ie: that header pic is from 2009. Yeah.

So what's new since my last post back in early May?

May

• Back-to-back 5k's (Swamp Rabbit Friday evening, Pump & Run Saturday morning) Swamp Rabbit - unremarkable. Conserving for Saturday morning. CrossFit 864 Pump & Run - Benched 110lbs for 10 reps followed by a 20:53 5k. First female for the run portion, 3rd overall with bench factored in.
• PR'd Fran (21-15-9 thrusters & pullups) - 6:00 flat

June

• 1 Mile PR - 5:50! Woot!
• Also PR'd the Snatch - 100#, not my forte
• Sunrise 8k - 36:04, 1st place AG

Apparently I ran in the same shirt/shorts all year.

July

• PR'd a bunch of things: Push Press 135, Strict Press 105, Front Squat 150, Back Squat 165, OH Squat 105, Deadlift 200
• Soaked up the sun at the beach. Went on a 9-mile run!
• Celebrated the grandparents 80th up in NY.
• Finally moved everything out of the old house (we moved in March, technically).

August

• PR - Power Clean 150
• Michelin 5k - Paced sister to her new 5k PR (last race in my 20's)
• Avoided the ice bucket challenge.

September

• Got "turf toe".
• Turned 30. Celebrated in Turks & Caicos (amazing!).
• Started shopping for retirement communities (just kidding ... sort of).

October

• Got injured. Again.
• Bridesmaid duties for a college friend (complete with my pimp cane).
• Changed my first diaper. Traumatizing. But, it motivated my niece to start taking potty training seriously the next week.

November

• PR -  Bench press 145
• Still injured. Sucks.

December

• Realized my insurance was only $200 from being maxed out, so I went to the doc and had an MRI done.
• Started PT, started being cleared to do some "exercises". Just happy to be moving again.

And how about those 2014 goals? Yeah...

Running
- Run a marathon (it's been almost 3 years!). Probably something in the Fall. FAIL
- Sub-20 min 5k (current PR 20:33 from 2011). I ran a 20:53 in May which I was happy with, but still a FAIL.
- Sub-12 min 2-miler (current PR 12:32 from 2008). Didn't even run the local 2-miler. Went on vacation instead! FAIL/WIN?
- Honestly, a PR in anything would be sufficient... PR'd the mile. WIN.
- Run 1000 miles (I need to get back to this level!). Erm, I logged through 8/23/14. At that point I had 250 miles. Safe to say this one is a FAIL.

CrossFit
- Lift my body weight in 3 lifts (perhaps Back Squat, Bench, & Power Clean). Deadlift doesn't count, I can do that already. This can be achieved by losing weight and/or getting stronger... 1/3 = FAIL. Didn't lose weight or get strong enough.
- 100 unbroken DUs (double unders, with a jump rope). Close, got 98. PARTIAL CREDIT.
- Get a muscle up (since I didn't in 2013)... Yeah. FAIL.

Life
- Dress better for work. No more baggy man khakis! I've started a Pinterest board to 'journal' this in case you're interested in following along. Disclaimer: I'm no fashionista. Well, I didn't wear the "baggy man khakis" all year but there were still some days that were definitely not very stylish. Overall I made more of an effort so I call this one a WIN, although I need to work on my awkward selfies.
- Limit the junk. A bag of cheese poofs is not a lunch. I'm still on the hunt to figure out what's triggering my skin to be so bad. Sucks. I tried to jump-start eating healthy a few times during the year. The current attempt started on 12/7 and is going OK so far. (I'm working with a nutritionist this time around - taking things seriously!). I lost 5# in the first week so I was officially fat enough to be on Biggest Loser. Let's be honest, un-obese people don't lose 5lbs in one week... Currently a WIN.

So there it is. 2014. A good year, minus getting injured. I intend to write again soon, but just in case, please follow me on Instagram (and let me know your IG name if I don't already follow you) as I am much better at posting filtered pictures!

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