run(dance)love

Seven Things for Sunday

2012-02-12T21:04:00.000-06:00

1. This was my workout tonight....

99 Jumping Jacks 99 Crunches 99 Second Plank 99 Squats

88 Jumping Jacks 88 Crunches 88 Second Plank 88 Squats

77 Jumping Jacks 77 Crunches 77 Second Plank 77 Squats

66 Jumping Jacks 66 Crunches 66 Second Plank 66 Squats

55 Jumping Jacks 55 Crunches 55 Second Plank 55 Squats

44 Jumping Jacks 44 Crunches 44 Second Plank 44 Squats

33 Jumping Jacks 33 Crunches 33 Second Plank 33 Squats

22 Jumping Jacks 22 Crunches 22 Second Plank 22 Squats

11 Jumping Jacks 11 Crunches 11 Second Plank 11 Squats

keeping track? that's 495 of each.

this is modified from Fit in Heels and she has pushups thrown in there too, between the crunches and planks, but i knew my arms were not going to make it, i think next time i do it, i'll do 99 seconds of pushups, etc until i work up to doing 99 pushups, etc.

2. I haven't run since the half marathon...two weeks ago. I am ok with that, but I will definitely be picking it back up a bit next week. I'd like to focus on speed for a little bit, but keeping some 6+ mile runs in there too. At this point, I'm not training for anything but I'd like to be half marathon ready at any given point.

3. Boyfriend and I are going to Scottsdale on Wednesday for a long weekend away. Many people have asked us "Why Scottsdale? There's like nothing there." To which we reply with "We wanted to go somewhere warm, our only goal was to go away and lay around by the pool/beach. Scottsdale was a lot cheaper to fly to than anywhere in Florida or California." Also, SUCK IT people. You don't make a funny face and ask why somebody is choosing to go there on vacation.

4. I have had the Hunger Games trilogy in my possession for a few weeks now and I haven't read them yet. One because I have so much crap to read for school I can hardly read a magazine, but also because I figured a round trip flight and laying by the pool for 4 days is the perfect time to read them.

5. Two weeks ago I got cast as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It will be performed the last two weeks of March at Harold Washington College. You local Chicagoans better be there. I am serious. And honestly, the actors are all great, so it's not going to be a crappy college play, I swear it. If you think so I will give you half your money back. Or buy you a beer.

6. I found this totally flattering photo the other day. I forgot about pictures from the Rock n Roll half...I wonder why....

this was about the last 20 seconds of the race and i was sprinting. the neck up is not a pretty sight, but let's all relish in the amazing form from the neck down!

7. I had a guest post a few days ago on the ffcheer blog and I think you should check it out. But if you don't want to, I'll condense it here for you. I'll give you a hint, it has to do with these guys...

Did you guess?

...

I signed up for the Chicago Marathon!!!

Not only am I running 26.2 miles, but I am also raising money for the animals above and thousands of others for PAWS Chicago!

If you don't know, PAWS Chicago is the first and only no-kill and cage-free animal shelter in the city. What does that mean? Well, they don't kill any of the animals due to overcrowding, etc AND none of the animals are kept in cages. It's kind of hard to tell but the cats are kept in super fun rooms with other cats, pillows, baskets, toys, etc. and the dogs are all in small rooms and they all have at least ONE friend to share the space with. It's pretty freaking awesome and I am super excited.

I totally think you should click the link above and donate a few bucks...I do hope to have some great giveaways coming up, so you could wait until then, but I'll give some extra entries to those who donate before I start the giveaway process. :) :) :)

....I mean, LOOK AT THIS FAAAAAAACE!

Tell me something. Anything. What did you do this weekend? Are you going anywhere? Training for anything? Got a good joke?

Race Recap: F^3 Half Marathon 2012

2012-02-04T10:37:00.000-06:00

Ice.
Wind.
Cold.
Sun.
2:17:13.

A time I am thrilled about. I tried to drop to the 5k because I felt so unprepared, but it was too late. I you know what, I am happy that I had to stick with the half.

Packet Pick Up was a breeeeeze. Got my shirt, bib, chip, and snuggie (first 200 to sign up) and picked up some racing fuel and was on my way. No big expo or anything, it was great.

I ran to the start line, just slightly over 1 mile from my apartment, how convenient! I got there about 10 minutes until the start and just stood around with the other runners. Race staff were constantly saying to watch out for the ice, be careful, there is ice. "It is ok if you don't PR!" "What color is the alert level??" "YELLOW" we all replied. With a singing of the national anthem and the blow of a horn we were off!

The first mile was full of ice, slush, crowding, so it was definitely a s.l.o.w. first mile. Shortly after my mile alarm I spied Dani and we got to meet and run and chat for a few miles until I spied my boyfriend on the sidelines. I told her I was going to stop and say Hi but I'd catch up to her. I never did.

With a kiss of encouragement and support from my dearest, I was off and feeling good. Down the lake front trail, then cutting over to the inner path via Belmont for some wet gravel-y type of path, and some wonderful patches of ice in the 5th mile. It was also this mile that there was the funniest dog on the grass, watching us all run by. Well, not watching but rolling all around in the small layer of snow on the grass, having a ball. A great chuckle. Some more ice, a downhill, and a curve later we hit the almost half way point aid station. I grabbed two cups of water and a volunteer kindly stuffed two Clif Shots into my pocket.

It was about this point that my left hip was starting to annoy me. I tried to stretch it out, but it wasn't working. I think it was from having to alter my stride and form so much over the ice. I took a speed walk break and then got back to it. Now that we were right along the lake and heading north, the winds were kicking up. Rude.

Fast forward to mile 11 and I was spent, but I kept going, I did not want to stop to walk. The end was such a tease because you could see the finish line over a mile away and you think you are going to finish but then you turn away and realize you've still got a mile to go. Just before entering the finish shoot I took off my sunglasses and was nearly blinded by the sun and the white ice/snow on the ground.

I finished in 2:17 and I was so happy. And thirsty. But there was no water. Or gatorade. Just Muscle Milk. Blech. I grabbed my medal and headed home (I had to get to the lululemon warehouse sale!). Just missed the bus home so I walked the just over a mile back. Yep, that made for over 15 miles. The most I've covered at one time ever.

me and dani chatting just after mile 1.

somewhere about mile 11.

mile 11. scarf matches my undershirt. i'm cool.

sorry dani, i cut you out. :)

coughing and cuddles

2012-01-30T12:07:00.001-06:00

I don't know if it's a direct result of running a half marathon in winter or what but today I am much like Rex. Except he looks much cuter when he sleeps. I have been coughing since Saturday and actually bought cough syrup yesterday. My brain is slow moving as well. I'm just happy I don't have class on Mondays, I can be sickly no problem...except I do have rehearsal for a few hours tonight. Until then, I'm hanging out in bed.

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i’ve got skills

2012-01-27T23:35:00.001-06:00

i drew a picture of what my half marathon finish line photo will look like tomorrow. snow. finish line. pink shirt. but my hair will be in a pony tail.

who needs a title?

2012-01-25T14:39:00.000-06:00

oh...hi there! been a while. oops! that's what happens when you are too busy, too lazy, or just not wanting to write anything.

i started school last week, again. it's going to be a buuuuusy semester. i've already read or am in the process of reading a total of 6 plays. in a week. good thing plays are (generally) short-ish and easy to read! though i will admit, i am a little bit behind, which scares me. it is only the first week!

i've got some exciting classes and opportunities this semester. i have a cool class called 'professional survival'. basically we learn how to survive as an actor, all about unions, agents, how to do our taxes and keep records, we practice interviews and auditions, we are going to a voice over...place? next week and later in the semester we will be visiting a casting agency. in another class (taught by one of the department heads) we found out that one of the playwrights we are reading (Simon Stephens) will be coming to our class to work with us on his play Pornography (a very interesting play that has nothing to do with pornography.) as an actor, the chance to work with a playwright is rare and phenominal. this guy is coming from England to work with my class. it's crazy awesome.

in other exciting news, i'm running the F^3 Half marathon Saturday! I don't think I will be breaking 2:10, but I damn well am going to try. i've written before how i don't follow training plans and this one, i really didn't follow. i ran 7 miles on saturday, the longest i've run since september. i'm going to get some miles on the treadmill tonight at work once it slows down and crank up the speed (i did yassos on monday and they were awesome!) after this i will get home and shower as fast as i can and then head out to the lululemon warehouse sale! so excited to get some super discounted lululemon. who wouldn't be?!

and because i'm out of thoughts at the moment...a picture of rex. cuddling my water bottle. what a weirdo.

omelettes and arizona

2012-01-09T23:49:00.001-06:00

I made an omelette last night.

I've never made an omelette before! And I didn't even look up on the internet how to make one. I saw my roommate make one, briefly, and decided to go for it.

I had a chicken sausage hanging around so I pan fried it and put it aside. Then I put some oil in the pan and turned the heat to medium, added the scrambelled eggs, and let them cook for a while. Once all the eggs were nearly cooked I added cheese...lots of cheese! Then I went for the fold over! And it was a good one!

I was thrilled, called my boyfriend and told him about it!

It's the little things that get me all excited.

Speaking of excited...

Boyfriend and I booked a trip to Phoenix next month! I am already preparing for laying by the pool...I did a 17 minute core strengthening workout tonight! My goal is to do it 5 days a week.

If you have any suggestions of places to go/things to do in Phoenix/Scottsdale i'd love to know! We are probably going to rent a car and make the drive up to the Grand Canyon since neither one of us have ever visited.

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Bonjour 2012!

2012-01-02T19:54:00.001-06:00

Of course with a post saying goodbye to 2011 I had to post about how awesome 2012 is going to be…with goals, obvi!

My final semester starts in 2 weeks. In May, I will be walking across the stage (the Chicago Theatre stage!) receiving my Bachelors degree in Theatre Performance. Goal: Straight As, graduate with honors

My brother and sister in law are expecting the arrival of a little girl in late March/early April. This is going to be my first time being an aunt and I AM SO EXCITED! Goal: Be the best aunt EVER. I already knitted her 2 pairs of booties.

My best friend is getting married in May, shortly after my graduation. I am her maid of honor. Goal: Be the best Maid of Honor, EVER!

I love to read. I have loved reading ever since I learned how to read. Goal: Spend more time reading. Pretty vague, but simple.

I have a pretty nice body, but it could use a bit more work. I’m not good with the whole weight training thing. Goal: Slim down/tone up, take more bikram yoga and other various fitness classes. Also, make my fitness routine more of a priority. I let it fall to the wayside all too often.

Probably the goal I am most excited and nervous for is this one. Having run 5 half marathons, and 2 on schedule for this year, I feel like I am ready to tackle 26.2 miles. Goal: Start and finish the Chicago Marathon. Run, walk, or crawl, I don’t care how long it takes, I just want to start and finish. Completion is my goal, not time. Though under 5 hours would be nice.

So, that is it (for now, I might come up with more). I think they are very solid goals for the year, and I’m sure I’ll come up with smaller goals throughout the rest of the year.

What are your resolutions/goals? Let me know in the comments!

Au revoir 2011!

2012-01-02T10:26:00.001-06:00

It seems I am not the only person who is more than thrilled that 2011 is gone. 2011 was not the best year to me, especially that whole almost choking to death thing…anyways, it is unlike me to have a negative outlook on things, so here are GOOD things that happened in 2011…

I ran my first 5k, and not only was it an automatic PR but it is still my 5k PR despite having run 7 other 5ks after that one. (I had done 5ks before…in middle school/high school, but never actually ran them).

I was able to run throughout the year without getting injured. Sure I had a share of IT Band and hip weirdness, but nothing that sidelined me for more than a few days.

I was asked to be a part of the #ffcheer team for Fleet Feet! Through this I have gotten to know some awesome people, drum up some great conversations on Twitter, Facebook, and the ffcheer blog. I also got to practice mah modelin skillz (and got to keep 1 outfit.)

I PR’d twice in my half marathon time. First at the Illinois Half Marathon in April and then at Rock n Roll Chicago in August. (Hopefully F3 in 26 days will be a PR!)

EIGHT 5ks
FOUR Half Marathons
ONE 10 miler
ONE 10k

That is 93.4 racing miles. (Do I hear 100 racing miles for 2012?!)

In non-running:

I landed an amazing internship that turned into a job. A job that I LOVE and wish I could teach every class they offer. I went into the interview for the internship very unsure of how I would like teaching, and unsure of how I would like teaching KIDS. By the end of the first week, I loved teaching and I loved the kids. The preschoolers are my favorite. :)

I went to Paris! I haven’t been out of the country since I was 10, so for my first venture outside of the country in 13 years, Paris was absolutely amazing. Also, international airlines are AWESOME. I drank some lovely free champagne on Air France. I still dream of the Eiffel Tower.

I left a job that was sucking away my positive mentality. I cannot tell you how incredible it felt to hit “Send” on my resignation email. While I do miss a large amount of the amazing and talented people I worked with, it just came to be too much. (And from what I hear, it is now even worse than it was…)

So while 2011 wasn’t all that bad, it certainly wasn’t the best year ever. I do have a feeling that 2012, however, will be the best year ever.

Race Recap: Run 3.14 Pie 2011

2011-12-28T11:26:00.001-06:00

An inaugural race. Pretty good except for the fact that they were collecting a tag from your bib upon crossing the finish line, which for the bulk of runners meant that you couldn't actually run across the finish line. My time is over a minute slower than when I actually did finish.

(Note: Can someone explain how you can be timed with you are not given a timing device? When all they do is collect a little tag from your bib????)

I guess packet pick up was a mess too...only because the store where packet pick up took place in is downtown LaGrange, which after work is BUSY with multiple trains and a ton of commuters, etc. My sister in law sat in her car on the other side of the train tracks for 20 minutes without moving. Once she finally parked and walked into the store, it took her less than 1 minute to pick up both our packets. They could have (and should have) offered race day packet pick up. They had plenty of room since they used the local high school as their start/finish areas. Gear check and other things were actually inside the school.

The course was a simple sort of loop on the residential LaGrange streets, and many families and kids were outside cheering us on. Course marshalls were plentiful, which I was grateful for since I passed a few corners with cars wanting to get by.

I wanted to 5k PR this race, and I really think I could have done it if my calf hadn't squeezed up. I slowed to a speedy walk, then stopped to stretch, ran for a block again, then stopped to actually massage it out. Once it was massaged out I was flying, I finished the last mile in 9:09! (With a 9:30 mile 1, I would have needed to run the other 1.1 miles in 9:16 to PR...which I feel confident I could have done.)

After I finished, I turned back around and walked to the last turn (just before the 3 mile marker) to wait for my sister in law who was walking as now running had become uncomfortable for her. She said she tried running in little bits but the baby was hanging around her bladder so....yeah. It was really nice to finish it up with her and be able to cross the finish line and have the announcer announce our names as we were finishing (not sure if he did that the first time I crossed since there were more people).

I'd post pictures...but again...somehow, none of me were taken. :(

Race Recap: Pumpkins in the Park 5k

2011-12-28T11:00:00.000-06:00

A lovely little family friendly race...except I was stupid and lined up near-ish the back and was boxed in real bad for the first mile.

The course was nice, a little roundabout in Lincoln Park on trails I've never run on before. It was a nice day out, cool but sunny, perfect afternoon for a little 5k. I met up with Tim and Abe: Abe gave us Loyola Run Club shirts (and medals after the race!) They are actually really nice shirts and I've run in it a few times.

I finished in 30:53, a 9:56 pace, which I was more than happy with as I had not run because of being a bit under the weather the week leading up to race afternoon.

Pumpkins is more than just a 5k, there are kid's events and loads of fun stuff for kids and family to take part in. I happened to take part in drinking beer with Tim. I didn't get a close look at all the activities but I can tell you, there were plenty of fun stuff to do. Also, loads of costumes. There are prizes for costumes! This is definitely a race for families!

I'd post pictures from the race, but SOMEHOW I am not in ANY pictures. Sad.

(I was provided race entry as part of being on the ffcheer team.)

Race Recap: Chicago Half Marathon 2011

2011-12-28T10:43:00.000-06:00

I know, incredibly late...like over 3 months late, but I have to write something!

This race took place on the 10 year anniversary of the September 11 attacks. There was a lot of red, white, and blue (I was dressed all in the blue with a red sports bra). A few people ran with either the American flag or some sort of other Armed Services type of flag. It was inspiring and many people, including myself, were tearing up at the start of the race (and at the finish).

finish line photo!!!

I had a goal, run it in 2:10 or under. That didn't happen. It was just an off day for me, which wasn't helped with the bright and hot sun (though it wasn't nearly as hot as 13.1!).

finishers shoot, i'm sweaty.

I finished in 2:28. Still a solid effort, but my splits...yikes. I just looked at them...only 1 mile, mile 4, was under 10 minutes. Miles 7-13 ranged from 11:01 to 12:57. I just could not keep running no matter how hard I tried. I think that being pushed to the max at RnR, just a few short weeks beforehand, really burned me out as well.

Who knows, but I did finish my 5th half marathon in exactly 1 year (Chicago Half 2010 was my first!). This race also completed the Windy City Challenge, however, not many people are listed as finishers due to the black flagging of 13.1 in June. Regardless, we still got our Windy City Challenge medals. :)

13.1 Chicago medal, Chicago Half 2011 medal, Windy City 26.2 Challenge medal.

Bling Bling

i love christmas

2011-12-28T10:17:00.000-06:00

i am both sad and happy. sad because christmas is over.

happy because my birthday is a few short days away! huzzah!

this christmas was so relaxing and nice. the first time in a very long time that i did not travel to 2+ places on christmas eve AND christmas day. divorced parents mean a lot of family.

it started on friday, when my boyfriend spoiled me with too many gifts. 2 massages, 2 small bottles of perfume, rabbit fur earmuffs, bananagrams, and a card game called orijinz. shoot, i'd have just loved the massages! <3

saturday morning i took myself out for a 3 mile run. it was a slow 3 miles because my hamstrings were sore from Jillian Michaels. stupid extreme shed & shred. (i actually liked it a lot and hunting around for the cheapest copy.) the lake front path was full of people (and training groups) out for some christmas eve morning mileage. it was nice, but i was cold because i brought along clothes that proved not to be completely warm enough. i headed to my dad's house a few hours later for a quiet afternoon with my brother, his wife, and our dad and stepmom. we kept in the holiday spirit watching NFL RedZone on their new 80 inch screen tv. yeah, it's pretty crazy. i got quite an amount of gifts, but i often do as they give me my birthday gifts with my christmas gifts. the best gift though...a complete tool set...in PINK.

(other gifts include: sheets, a sweater dress, yaktrax, a bracelet, gift cards, ornaments, and...i think i am forgetting something.) around 6, the rest of my dad's family came over and we hung around chatting and opened gifts up. i also said goodbye to my cousin who is leaving in 2 weeks for another tour of duty in afghanistan. :(

side note: it seems my family (across the board) forgot to take off the price stickers...

christmas day was chill and me and my lovely boyfriend headed out to my uncle's house (mom's side) for gifts and food. my mom totally over does it on christmas for her kids (and their significant other). seriously, brother got a MacBook Pro, sister in law got an iPad2 (and a ton of maternity clothes we went shopping for last month), boyfriend got $200 Visa gift card (and some tea stuff), and my big present was a gift certificate for full leg laser hair removal (!!!) which i was totally surprised with. (i also got a $200 gift card and a fancy lululemon top from her!) grandma got me slippers and a sweater, aunt and uncle got me a starbucks gift card, and a sweet hat a gloves set from Eddie Bauer.

i'm ready for you, extreme cold weather! also pictured, my Paris Pink Run:Turn Around pullover from lululemon. looooove

later when i got home i opened up my package from my Secret Santa Blog Buddy, Melanie! she knows me so well, everything is pink! including the gels!!! LOVE THEM MELANIE! THAAAANK YOU!

look at those arm warmers! and no, she did not send me the cat, he is mine. :)

i'm no good with plans...

2011-12-20T15:43:00.000-06:00

...i've come to the conclusion that i don't work well with plans and schedules.

in particular training schedules, oh for let's say....RUNNING.

case in point:

i haven't looked at my current training plan for the F3 half since the beginning of November.

woops.

in fact, i've hardly ran at all.

woops.

sooooo....from now until the half marathon, i'm on the un-plan plan...

i'll run on days when i want to, at a distance i feel like running.

i'll make sure to get in some good distance runs, otherwise i'll be taking longer than i want to finish the half marathon next month.

this week i was going to run at least 1 mile every day. i started off well on sunday, i did 2 miles!

then yesterday i was sidelined with my 'gorgeous time'.

tonight i am heading to the gym to run 1 or 2 miles on the treader and then i'm going to take a spin class.

tomorrow i am hoping for a 5 mile run.

then maybe 6 or 7 on thursday.

and 3 or 4 miles on friday and saturday.

i need my stamina back.

and my motivation.

see ya later, grandma

2011-12-20T15:29:00.002-06:00

my grandma passed away last monday.

she was 91 years old.

she feel about a month ago, hit her head pretty hard, and her brain started to bleed.

grandma irene was mother to 4, grandmother to 10, and great grandmother to 6.

she loved to sing and dance.

she was a lunchroom lady for years and loved it.

she was a parishioner at St Tarcissus church for years as well.

she was an amazing woman.

she had a bad case of alzheimer's and the last time she knew my name was at least 8 years ago.

she's now happy as a clam upstairs in heaven, with her husband, my grandpa bill, singing and dancing.

(grandpa died many many years ago, i believe 30 or more years ago).
she is happy again.

see ya later, grandma

enjoying it

2011-12-01T17:22:00.001-06:00

I was lucky enough to have a class cancelled today and some time to go out for a run on my old path. Now that I've moved to the north side I don't run on the southern part of the path anymore.

I took advantage of the calmness of the afternoon and took it slow, steady, and I enjoyed it. I brought my phone with me (rare!) and shot this short video on the way back in.

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frozen tundra 100 challenge

2011-11-30T21:45:00.000-06:00

one of my fellow FFCheer-ers has come up with a challenge to keep us all motivated and on track throughout this winter, the Frozen Tundra 100 Challenge.

sounds a little scary, but it's not!

go ahead and click the link above if you'd like. if not, here's the basics...

run 100 miles outdoors from december 1st through january 31st.

join the challenge on dailymile.

log your runs on dailymile.

win prizes.

for extra motivation, use and follow the #RunChi hashtag on twitter! :)

it's windy today

2011-11-29T13:01:00.000-06:00

once again this year Chicago is having high winds, today they are nearing 55 mph. portions of the lake front path are closed and i'm sure we'll see videos of the waves coming up onto the path later today.

i have a guest post up on the FFCheer blog! i'd love it if you'd head over there, read it, and join in on the discussion. as always, you can join us on twitter with the #runchi hashtag too!

i had a lovely thanksgiving and i hope you all had a great one as well. it started off with a 3.14 pie run with my 22 week pregnant sister in law. i ran, finished, and then walked back a bit and walked with her while she finished. it was really nice.

i feel like i am getting passed my unmotivated streak, which is good because i need to build up my running endurance again. i also need to get back to bikram, that is going to be hard to get back into, i haven't been in a long time!

see and be seen fashion show

2011-11-18T16:54:00.000-06:00

i made slight mention of modeling in this year's See and Be Seen fashion show. here are the pictures the photographer snapped of me.

rocking the pony tail hole in the brooks hooded pullover (i got to keep it! and the jacket i wore too...no pictures sadly)

showing off the zip up bottoms on the brooks pants.

highlighting my thigh and the detail on the legs of my zoot outfit. i kept the tights. they were T.I.G.H.T.

it was overall a VERY fun night, and they are thinking of adding a spring fashion show as well!

see more pictures here

Race Recap: Chicago's Perfect 10

2011-11-15T09:46:00.000-06:00

I got there late.
My Garmin wouldn't load.
I got chased down after tossing my bag on a gear check table because I didn't give them my bib number. It's on the bag. Duh.

So I crossed the start about 6 minutes after the race began. It was pretty cool running on Navy Pier. The course was on the lakefront, standard for races in Chicago these days. They should really have done a wave start because there were too many people on the small path. I got stuck in a few places behind slower runners and walkers, I did a lot of weaving, and there were some pretty effective bottlenecks. I'm talking to you, path around the Shedd.

I felt bad for all the elite type runners, many had to run on grass on the way to the finish because there were so many people taking up the entire path. Heck, I gave up and ran on the grass right up along Lake Shore Drive. I was able to gain some ground. Finally the 10k turn around came and the 10 milers kept going straight and it really let up and there was plenty of room to run.

A bit after mile 5 my left hip started to hurt so that slowed me down quite a bit until the big turn back towards Navy Pier (about a half mile from the finish). I decided to forget the pain and push. And holy hell did I push! I kept going faster and faster and was bolting the last bit to the finish line. I'm not joking when I say I passed at least 20 people. Thanks to the several groups of 3+ people I ran by. Oddly enough, my hip felt fine when running fast, but when I stopped running, oh boy, I was limping.

I got a bottle of water, my medal, and my coupon for a free sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle from the McDonald's at Navy Pier. Hobbled up the stairs to get my bag, and found a spot to plop. I stretched a bit and then made my way to McD's. It was great.

Overall, the race needs a lot more organization. They had to move the start time up by 1 hour a few days beforehand due to another race taking place on the same part of the path. The other race had been around for a few years so the Perfect 10 was forced to change the start time. Easily could have looked up that race. Also, every Saturday at 9am or so the bridge we ran across opens for boats. I'm sure the slower runners and walkers were not too pleased to have to stop and wait for 20 minutes. Also, there was no email communication until after the time change was announced on Facebook. Email first, then Facebook.

I'm glad I was able to sign up for the race for $15.

back at home post race

mcgriddle. minus the cheese. plus diet coke. YUM.

Race Recap: Rock n Roll Chicago Half Marathon 2011

2011-11-15T09:23:00.000-06:00

better late than never, eh?!

Garmin time: 2:11:10

Official Chip time: 2:11:12

I got lucky and had Mary running with me! She was able to score a bib from a friend who couldn't run.

We carbed up with Olive Garden, soooo yummy. Unfortunately for me, Olive Garden keeps me from doin mah business in the morning so I'll be sticking with pizza or cooking my own pasta and sauce before races now.

We headed downtown in what should have been plenty of time, but it wasn't. We got there minutes before the race started, ran to find gear check (nearly a half mile from the start), stopped in the port a potties and crossed the start line with the second to last corral. We spent A LOT of time weaving and dodging walkers and slower than us runners. I'm sure it added a significant amount of mileage.

Mary had decided that I was running my 2:10 goal so she was pushing me the entire race. And the first 9 miles absolutely flew by! But I was starting to fade. Things started to hurt and I was tired. Though I should have seen this coming since I hadn't fueled properly during the race, Mary had an extra shot block so I gobbled that around mile 7, but I should have definitely had something sooner. Problem is, I don't like most during the race fuels. The shot blocks are pretty good but I hate chewing them. GU makes me sick, but I've heard the Clif shots are easy on the tummy.

The course was pretty stellar. Very stellar. I wish there had been more bands though.

The aid stations had major issues. They weren't marked so all of a sudden there were tables and loads of people. They were also very spread out and at the first station we stopped at we literally stopped and waited for the person to pour water out of a jug, only to run a bit more and see fully stocked tables. We learned and continued to run thru aid stations until we came across the still stocked portions.

Overall, it was a great race and I'd love to do it again and other Rock n Roll races! I didn't get my 2:10, but I'm sure I could have if we hadn't weaved so much and hadn't had to stop and wait for water. Or if I had just run a biiiiit faster... It's an 8 minute PR from my previous and I'm proud of that!

my first 10k tomorrow!

2011-11-11T21:59:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is a race morning! Those are always (sometimes) fun and exciting.

I am running Chicago's Perfect 10 race tomorrow. There is a 10 mile and a 10k and I am signed up for the 10k portion. I bought an active schwaggle deal so I only paid $15 to register (unheard of in Chicago!) We get medals! And the long sleeve shirts are awesome! Seriously, they are techinical, fit well, and are nice. I debated about pulling a rookie and wearing it tomorrow. I opted for my Loyola Run Club instead, it's a bit lighter. I'm wearing lululemon tights and my brand new Brooks jacket! I got the jacket Wednesday night when I modeled in Fleet Feet's fashion show (details coming when pictures come).

Time to head to bed to read, relax, and sleep.

Happy Running!

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call me speedy gonzalez!

2011-11-02T12:13:00.001-05:00

Ok, so yeah I had to stop and catch my breath a few times but I still rocked it today! I was shocked when I lapped mile 1 and saw "8:57"...and then "8:45" for mile 2...and then a bit sad that mile 3 was "9:10". Oh well. 2 out of 3 isn't bad!

Now I'm pretty damn confident that I can break my 5k PR on Thanksgiving morning. Maybe not by much, but still, a PR is a PR.

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cycle 1: done

2011-10-30T20:41:00.000-05:00

Well, my first cycle of half marathon training is complete. Though, I didn’t exactly follow the plan very well. Oops.

day 1 had me with KT tape on my knee. no run there.

day 2 was a rest day. I did that!!

day 3 was supposed to be 5, but I didn’t get out there in time so I only ran 3. not bad.

day 4 was supposed to be 3 Yassos. i did a 1 mile warm up, 1 yasso, and then got in another half mile and called it quits. 2.3 miles. my knees were killing.

day 5 was a cross training day. i did 35 minutes of yoga in the morning and then my 2 hour body movement class.

day 6 was 5 miles. only i ended up not doing it. i had an interview in the morning, and then an appointment, school, and work in the afternoon and evening.

day 7 was 5 miles. a no go, again. i don’t remember why.

day 8 was 6-8 miles, my long run. and i did it! i did it GOOOOOOOOOD. i ran 6 miles, outside in my Minimus. i did 3 minute surges every approximately 7 minutes. final time was 56:03. it felt awesome!

day 9 was a rest day. wahoo!

day 10 (today) had 5 miles on clock. i had every intention of running but by the time i got home from work and running a few errands it was raining and nearly dark out. not so comfortable running in the dark…or the rain. i did 15 minutes of cross training…random stuff, planks, squats, jumping jacks, other ab exercises.

i also said goodbye to these:

source

no more running in these things.

only running in these from now on. <3

source

they are still holding strong, i've had them since March!

and now i'm hanging out with these guys:

source

getting ready to knit some baby booties for my niece when she arrives in March! (i know, it's early but i wanna give them as a Christmas gift and I need to knit other things too)

i'm also enjoying some of this greatness

source

also, my cat just ate a 6 inch piece of yarn. i tried to pull it out of his mouth but didn't work. so i get to watch him closely for the next few days and maybe i'll have to take him to the vet for surgery. please pray that he throws it up! otherwise it won't be good.

FOOTnotes: Support Systems

2011-10-21T17:35:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've joined in on Julia's FOOTnotes. (Sorry!)

The topic this week (as you can tell from the title) is our support system.

For me, it is hands down my mom. She is my biggest cheerleader in everything I do, and everything I have ever done. Not just in running, but in my entire life.

No matter how many times I changed my mind about something (especially my major in college) she was (and is) supportive.

I never ask her to spectate my races, but she still does spectate most of them. And she has no problem being my own personal gear check! :)

She even spectated the Chicago Marathon with me last week! I didn't ask her to, she wanted to because she likes to spectate, even if I'm not running!

We haven't always been the closest, especially in high school. She didn't really like my boyfriend (yep, my one serious-ish boyfriend I had) nor did she appreciate my going behind her back and getting a tattoo (or the other 3 I got after that). But still, if I needed her, she'd be there. She defended me to no end when my Chief was giving me a hard time when I wanted to get out of the JROTC program in high school.

She'll drop everything if I need her for something. She even spent 6 hours in the hospital with me last month when my roommate was rushed to the ER at 5am. And that was to support her. They wouldn't let her in the room, so she sat in the waiting room the entire time and never complained.

I'd post a picture of my mom, but she is not keen on having her picture taken. But she's pretty, I can assure you of that!

day 1 of 100

2011-10-21T17:04:00.000-05:00

i bought this chocolate milk this morning. i was so excited.

i got home and immediately poured some in a glass.

it is hands down the poorest excuse for chocolate milk ever.

do not buy it. unless you want non-chocolate tasting chocolate milk.

today is officially day 1 of my 100 day training program for F^3 Half Marathon in January. i'm using the Perfect 10 half marathon program for intermediate runners.

i got the program from the back of bart yasso's book. there are loads of training programs for all distances and types of runners.

bad picture of December and beyond program, all written out. October was empty and bland. Plus my birthday is in December.

on schedule, 15 minute warm up, 20 minutes at half marathon pace, then a 10 minute cool down.

except i didn't do it.

yep, first day of training and i'm skipping it.

my left knee is being a bitch. and i don't know why.

it's taped in pink KT tape right now.

there is a dull stabbing pain on the inside of my knee.

makes running not something i want to do right now.

sigh.

so i'm foam rolling, sticking, and massaging.

i also enjoyed a soak in the tub, complete with epsom salts!

this is not the way to start off my training.

but hey, xaarlin was sidelined at the beginning of her Chicago Marathon training and then totally DOMINATED, so i can dominate too!

obligatory cat picture.

there are cute pictures of baby animals in this post

2011-10-14T16:13:00.001-05:00

After the glory of spectating the Chicago Marathon I managed to catch a leetle bug from one of my classmates...at least I'm assuming since she was sick and I turned up sick a few days later. It really hit me Monday night, an hour after I took a Body Sculpt class at the gym.

The class was pretty good. I could have easily grabbed heavier weights but since it's been...oh...3 years since the last time I really weight trained (the 6 months I spent with a crappy personal trainer does not count, I was never sore.) I opted for small weights. My legs were sore though, that's for sure! I'm hoping to regularly go to this class.

cute leetle babeh panda!!! (source)

Obviously since I was all filled with germs, working out was not something I did Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

kitteh wif a frog hat (source)

Today I came to work early (yay working at a gym...hollaaaa!) and hopped on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I walked fast at an incline for 25 minutes, that stuff is no joke. I was sweating and my heart rate was up. Then I ran 10:00 min/mile pace for 5 minutes. Felt gooooooood.

Tomorrow I'm running the Pumpkins in the Park 5k! I use the term "running" loosely, as I doubt I'll be busting out my normal 9:15 average 5k pace. I'm thinking I'll be hovering around a 10:00+ min/mile pace, but we shall see. Oh, we're also supposed to have some wind gusts tomorrow, so that should be fun. I'll try to remember to run with my phone to take pictures, it's a cute little course.

best fwends! (source)

For those curious about the status of my painful burping (and I'm not sure any of you are, but I'm gonna blog about it anyways)...I'm happy to report it's subsided a lot! Yes, I am still burping, but not nearly as much. I met with a behavioral doctor of sorts and we talked and she figured it might just be my diaphragm being all weird and unable to really control itself. We went over some breathing exercises I should do before and after meals and whenever I am burping to help relax it. It has definitely helped. And it's easy, all I have to really so is take a few deeeeeeeep breaths.

No drugs, no cost. I like this solution.

otters! i love otters. i want an otter. (source)

i highly suggest clicking on the source link and watching the video of them swimming. cuteness.

Yes, this was a random post. With cute baby animal pictures. Because I can.

inspiration

2011-10-12T11:23:00.000-05:00

spectating the Chicago Marathon was an experience and it was nothing short of inspiring.

(awesome wheelchair racers)

my mom picked up on my enthusiasm and ended up joining me in my cheering for FFCheer, Xaarlin, Reese's Runner, and the rest of the 45,000 runners. (I took about 5 pictures of us but my mom deemed none of them good enough.) my mom used to run on the treadmill a lot until her knees started to bother her. she's now thinking of maybe taking up running again, with the right shoes, and slowly.

(super elites!)

(Ryan Hall! the only white guy in the group)

i nearly cried a few times watching the wheelchair racers and disabled/blind runners going by. if they can participate, i surely can. my mom thinks that way too.

next year, i will run the Chicago Marathon. for charity. most likely PAWS because I can take their doggies out for runs!

and now, for Moses Mosop winning...

rex's seal of approval

2011-10-07T21:31:00.002-05:00

I made my chicago marathon poster at work today. Got home put it down, walked away for a second and came back to Rex on it, giving it his seal of approval.

It says "get your ASS in gear" and added the names of people I know who are running. The other side says "harder faster HARDER FASTER (that's what she said)".

Cannot wait to spectate!

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come spectate with me!

2011-10-04T20:54:00.001-05:00

I'm going to be cheering all 45,000 runners running the Chicago Marathon on Sunday! I would love some company because, well, things are usually more fun when you have a friend or two.

My plan is to hang out at mile 2, starting about 7:15am (to snag good spots) until 8/8:15am, depending on how long it takes for the bulk of the runners to pass by. Then I'll be hanging at the finish line for the rest of the race. I'll have my phone to tweet, camera to take pictures, and a sign to hold. A friend would be great to have!

Please let me know if you are running or if you'd like to come spectate with me! It'll be a grand time!

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let's discuss: Survivor

2011-09-30T18:22:00.000-05:00

i'm a pretty big Survivor fan, and this season just plain annoys me. yet, i will continually tune into my computer Thursday afternoons to watch new episodes online. (maybe the title of this post should just be "let me bitch"....)

let me start with Brandon...who is Russell Hantz' nephew. in case you forgot that part, he reminds you every 5 minutes. and instead of his job being posted next to his name, it says "Russell Hantz' nephew". he also constantly reminds you he loves Jesus, hates Mikayla (only I think he just really wants to bone her, anybody else?), and he's different than his uncle. except he's actually not. he looks similar and sounds exactly like him. he also lies. i mean, come on, his bio says he is most similar to Colby (not at all!), Johnny Fairplay (who is a deceitful man), Russell (his uncle who he says he isn't like). he needs to get off the island. i'm hoping next tribal his tribe votes him out.

next on the list of annoying, Semhar. why? because she was so brokenhearted and disappointed and upset that her tribe voted her out after she gave them all of her strength. um...that's what happens. you are on Survivor. people lie to your face and vote you out, especially when you fail at a challenge.

next up, Christine. who made it obvious she disliked Coach and Ozzy when they were introduced and she said "They are temporary players". she seemed shocked that Coach (who was placed on her tribe) wanted to vote her out and could not understand why. HELLOOOOOOO! you were very clear that you wanted him to be voted out the first chance. why wouldn't he like you. oy.

i'm also a bit over the whole bringing players back thing...though i understand it means ratings for CBS.

...i guess that's all i'm annoyed by...

I'm just gonna go on record and predict that Ozzy will be blindsided major style. Before the merge. I think Coach will make it to the merge, just barely. I'd love to see Cochran win, buuuuut I'm going to say Keith will win. He is very likeable...or loveable...or both.

do you watch Survivor? what do you think of this season?

p.s.
i totally wanted to add pictures with funny captions and stuff, but i'm on my work computer, it's a mac. i don't know how to do fancy things on this fancy computer.

we cuddlez

2011-09-30T17:06:00.001-05:00

Mr. Darcy and Rex cuddling.

Too cute these guys are. Too. Damn. Cute.

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serious hardware

2011-09-26T19:31:00.001-05:00

I got my CHI TOWN duo medal in the mail today. It's huge. And heavy. And freaking awesome. It's for running the RnR 5k (June) and half marathon (August) here in Chicago. Or Chi Town.

Oddly enough, most residents of Chicago HATE the term Chi Town. Maybe because of Kanye West...or just because it's annoying. I don't mind "the Chi" and I don't like or hate "Chi City" but something about "chi town" makes me squirm.

Oh well, whatever. I've got another medal and it's huge. It strokes my running ego.

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Race Recap: Elvis is Alive 5k

2011-09-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

One of the perks of being an #ffcheer team member is free race entries.

I like that perk.

I know my time was 28ish minutes, give or take a few seconds and an extra .06 according to Garmin. Average pace was 9:22. We got lucky with a cool-ish evening, but it was quite sunny. In the spirit of Elvis I wore my sunglasses (the non-running kind) but took them off when the sun wasn't bothering me. It was a pretty crowded course the entire time as it takes place on the lake front path but I wasn't annoyed with it as I ran on the grass and found pretty good holes between runners at some points.

I was running pretty steady and then at some point in the last half mile one of the members of a gym I used to work at passed me, so I sped up and tried to catch up to him to give him a hello. I never got to him but I kept up for a bit but I was dying and slowed a bit the last tenth. He really helped to pick up my overall pace, so it was still a win for me. (Somehow we ended up running into each other on the way to the train and we caught up for a bit.)

I really enjoyed this race. It isn't timed, it's a family fun run. Loads of people dress up as Elvis or wear Elvis inspired things, but that's a bit obvious. They had some great post-race food, cold, crisp watermelon, frozen bananas dipped in chocolate, etc. YUM! It was also special because I got to meet all my fellow #ffcheer members! And I got my singlet, love it!

Overall, this is race is awesome for some family and friend fun!

photocred: Kate B.

off season plans

2011-09-23T16:50:00.000-05:00

oh, hi blog, remember me? i'm your creator....sorry i've been slacking...

i figure that if i write about what i want to achieve in this 'off season' of sorts then i'll be held accountable and hopefully those goals will be reality.

to be very honest, this season wore me out. i think 4 half marathons and a 10 miler were too much, but i couldn't help myself when i heard about the Windy City Challenge and I happened to have gotten free entry into one of them. you know you wouldn't have turned it down! i already know my focus next year is the Chicago Marathon. my first. yikes. so next year, i won't be racing as much. I am signed up for the F3 Half in January and the 13.1 in June (they were offering half off registration for those who crossed the start line this past June), and I will not be racing anything else longer than 10k beside those three. I really want to keep my efforts focused on endurance.

Nina's Off Season Goals:

1. Lose a few pounds, about 5, nothing more. Just for overall health and for aiding in running.

2. Toss in a few longer than 13.1 mile runs. To help make marathon training not so scary.

3. Build up my core strength. This will REALLY help my form and overall with my running. I've lost a lot of the core strength I did have. I have found a yoga sequence to help build core strength which I am aiming to do every morning. If you have suggestions for simple core exercises I can do, I'd love it! I have Netflix Instant Watch so if you know of any videos on there, I can use them!

4. Clean up my diet. It's not the best and not the worst. I need to pay more attention to my intake and what I am intaking. Suggestions are welcome here as well. To note: I eat meat. I love meat.

I think that's pretty good. Nothing too crazy here. If you have any suggestions or input at all, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear what you think/suggestions/encouragement! I'd also love to hear what your off season goals are!

why, hello there amazing run

2011-09-16T16:44:00.000-05:00

i told you i love colder weather.

i told you i run faster in colder weather.

today i busted out an EASY 3 miles at a 9:27 pace.

no problem.

and lucky you!

i brought my phone with me on my run so i could take some lovely pictures for you all.

i haven't posted pictures of my new running route, it's just the very north end of the lake front path instead of being in the south middle end.

fancy looking building (taken from lake front path)

houses on foster ave

intersection. construction. mcdonald's. my thumb.

mosaic mural of the foster ave underpass.

foster ave underpass looking west.

pink fancy schmancy apartment building.

up here on the north side they have crushed limestone 3 times the width on the southern section.

always on water fountain and one of the few paths you can take from here. of course, i decided to run that path, right along the lake.

aaaah, beach, water, lighthouse. pretty!

hello there Chicago!

doggies were playing!

what i ran in today. i got a little bit warm, but it wasn't too bad. i could have worn shorts, but then my thighs would have been bright red like the few other shorts wearing runners i saw. i wish i had just about the knee running shorts/crops/pants.

of course, i dove into a beach club from my favorite jimmy john's for lunch before work.

yay good day!

embracing the chill

2011-09-14T20:46:00.000-05:00

I'm thrilled to be done training for anything for a few months. My next half marathon is the end of January. I'm actually THRILLED to take a rest. And for the temperature to start dropping here in Chicago. (Apparently it's going to get down into the 30s tonight!)

Here's the thing:

I run faster in the winter.

Yes, Chicago winters can be brutal. This past winter was no exception.

But here's how I know I run faster in the winter:

This past winter, I ran 1 time in 10 weeks. Yep. Once.

Right when I went into training for the Illinois Half Marathon I was clocking faster times than when I stopped a few months before. I was back into running for 3 or 4 weeks when out of nowhere I ran a local 5k at an average pace of 8:58. This past summer, I can't even tell you when I clocked one mile at under 9 minutes (not including treadmill speed work.)

I found winter running to be more enjoyable as well. Not simply because I was faster and felt elite-ish and awesomer than all those running on treadmills. This may be unique to Chicago, but in the winter, runners, walkers, cyclers, and people in general stay in INSIDE. Meaning, it's quiet, barren, and not crowded on the lake front path. (The water fountains are turned off though- annoying.)

I'm happy for summer and humidity to be going on a vacation.

Plus, I love hot chocolate.

thankful thursday

2011-09-08T21:20:00.001-05:00

This week I am the most thankful I think I will ever be. I’m thankful for two things:

1. Dan, the guy at the next table
2. The Heimlich Maneuver

Hands down the scariest thing I’ve ever gone thru happened Tuesday night at a nice dinner out with boyfriend. We’re just enjoying dinner, steak (so freaking good), when I try a piece of his steak…and all of a sudden, I can’t breathe.

It took me about 2 seconds to process the fact that I had steak lodged in my throat. Boyfriend noticed right away, got up and started smacking me on the back, then tried to get me out of my seat in the awkward corner I was in. Of course, at this point the whole restaurant is looking at me, choking and my boyfriend trying to get me out of the seat.

Nothing was working and boyfriend wasn’t getting anywhere with smacking me on the back and then there is Dan, standing in front of me. I see him and lunge for him, he obviously knew what to do otherwise he wouldn’t have come up to help. At this point, it had felt like forever and that at any moment it was all going to be over. And it was, because in two thrusts Dan had been able to dislodge the chunk of steak.

Dan saved my life. I will forever be grateful.

Immediately after it dislodged I fell into boyfriend’s arms and cried. We went to the bathroom and I cried more. We went back to the table and I cried a bit more, also drank more wine and downed two glasses of ice water. Boyfriend went out in search of a bottle of wine for Dan and family, and returned with a fancy bottle of champagne for them.

Both of us still shaken up and many thank yous to Dan later, we were getting ice cream at Dairy Queen. It’s funny what you think when you are still in a shock from something like that. All I wanted was ice cream. I still wish I had eaten more ice cream. I cried twice while boyfriend barely kept things together for my sake. When we finally got back to his place he made me call my mom, which I was going to do anyways, but I wasn’t in a rush. She barely kept it together, though I’m sure she lost it once we hung up.

This experience puts things into perspective, for the both of us. (Well, I’m assume on his part, how can you NOT be influenced by something like that.)

It still scares me to think about how close to the light I was.
The fact that somebody actually saved my life.
I think it will always be scary to me.

I don’t think Dan will ever read this, but if he does…

Dan, thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. There are not enough thank yous in the world for saving me.

first day...

2011-09-06T07:19:00.001-05:00

...of my senior year of college!

1 university, 1 junior college, 1 college, and 6 years later I'll finally have my bachelors degree!!

(Fun fact, I graduate 5 days before my best friend's wedding.)

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plan for the week...

2011-09-05T13:21:00.001-05:00

Chicago Half is on Sunday.

My last chance this year to break 2:10 for a half.

My training has been lacking.

But just a few weeks ago I ran a 2:11 half.

This week...

...plenty of water

...plenty of rest

...good food

...2 or 3 bikram yoga classes

...some speed work
...foam rolling/use of The Stick

I also need to put together a new playlist. That ends at 2:10.

And I need to decide what shoes I want to wear. Think I'm going with Minimus.

Paris Pictures

2011-09-01T09:18:00.001-05:00

Here are those pictures of Paris I promised…nearly 3 months ago…oops!

Click on ‘View Full Album’.

View Full Album

track workout and watermelon

2011-09-01T08:42:00.001-05:00

On Monday, for the first time ever, I ran on a track for my speed workout. I was pretty excited for it, but it quickly made me angry. First off, I arrived to discover that the track is not a track, rather it’s just crushed black sparkly stuff.

I did a bit of scrubbing to get rid of the remnants.

Having never run on a proper track before, I don’t know all the rules. The one I do know is to make sure you run in the right direction. Having not seen any sign that indicates which way I should run, I just started running along with the ladies that were already there and walking around. Then they decided to TURN AROUND AND WALK THE OTHER WAY! Can anybody explain this to me? I was SO CONFUSED. I wondered if I should turn around and go the other way. I stayed going the way I was and another runner came up and then decided that the walking girls were the right way to go…that annoyed me too! Oh well, I guess it’s all apples and oranges at this point.

Roommate and I went out for a little bit and came across these…

Funny.

I bought a gorgeous half watermelon and immediately got to work chopping it up! I still have half to chop up too!

Yesterday I took a Fly Yoga class…it was amazing! Can’t wait to tell you all about it, hoping that next time I can get in some pictures somehow.

That makes TWO new workouts for me this week! What new workouts have you tried?

Product Review: New Balance Minimus

2011-08-31T16:23:00.001-05:00

I bought the New Balance Minimus Trail shoes just about as soon as they hit the shelves. I had heard about them a few months prior and I knew they were my next running shoe. I got wind that a local running store had gotten them in so off I went!

It was love at first...try on. I put them on, laced them up, and ran a quarter mile on the treadmill.

Done and done.

With only a 4mm heel drop it took a few transition runs to get my feet and legs used to them, but I think that since I had been running in Nike Free 3.0s it really helped. Otherwise, transitioning from your basic, non-minimal shoes would have taken longer.

They are made mesh upper and have a Vibram outsole, perfect for traction and durability.

My favorite parts; they are designed to be worn with or without socks and somehow they made them odor resistant. Yes, odor free running shoes. Insanity. I wear them without socks, and LOVE it. I do use a good bit of Body Glide though...but I can attest to the odor resistant-ness. I have stinky feet, so much that I've had to throw out shoes because of their never ending stink. These don't stink. I wish you could smell through the computer.

The design of the shoe is intriguing, and nothing is there just for looks, everything is there for a purpose.

Before writing this post, I had 2 issues. One, lack of color choices for women. There was grey or black. That's it. Men had the choice of orange and yellow. Upon visiting the NB website tonight, I found this:

PINK! YEAH!

with issue #1 solved I am hoping NB can work on the next one (or maybe they did with the new round of shoes).

They don't completely enclose around my foot. There is a little gap between my skin and the rim of the shoe. Just a little one. Big enough for tiny pebbles to get in there. I can't tell you how many times I've stopped to get a freaking pebble out of the shoe. The lakefront path here is lined with crushed limestone that I prefer to run on...but I avoid it because I don't want crushed limestone IN MY SHOE. It's annoying. Let's work on that New Balance.

Yeah, my finger shouldn't be able to easily stick into my shoe.

the cool, circular, bottom. supportive but you feel just about everything.

view from the top. the laces are long. the thick band across the top helps keep your feet from smooshing into the toe box.

from the front. the design of the toe box curves upwards. not exactly sure why, but it's cool

vibram "shark fin", as i call it. the band going from the top of the heel down to the sole is pretty much what keeps the structure of the heel cup.

that's how flexible they are! hard to do it with one hand and take a picture with the other. (say Hi to Rex!)

logo action/close up of the mesh outer. keeps your feet surprisingly warm.

nicer view of how the bands form the structure for the heel cup.

Anywho, as you can probably tell, I love these shoes. I think you will too. If you are not already running in minimal shoes, make sure you have plenty of time to transition into these guys. Also worth nothing, I do switch between these and Nike Free 3.0s, just to give my feet a break. The 3.0s have much more cushion. The farthest I've ran in them is a half marathon, overall they were pretty good, it was just certain parts, like running over the bridges here in Chicago, that really sucked because you feel just about everything. However, running over those bridges sucks and feels weird anyways.

If you have any questions, please leave a note in the comments! Or if you wish, you can email me. :)

Race Recap: Rock n Roll 5k Tune Up

2011-08-21T12:38:00.000-05:00

When: Sunday, June 19th, 8am
Where: Chicago, IL
# of finishers: 1400
Garmin time: (no Garmin)
Chip time: 36:10
Overall Place: 989
Gender Place: 572/886
Age Group Place: 78/111

For me this race wasn't a race. I was running it, not racing it. And that was perfectly fine because I got to push my sister in law in her first ever race. She started running in mid April and I told her if she signs up for a race I will run it with her. She signed up, let me know, and then my brother decided to join us as well! I had a great time, and while I could have finished a good 5 minutes faster, my time didn't mean a thing to me.

The first of it's kind, the Rock n Roll series decided to do a 'tune up' race for the half marathon here in Chicago. Let's break it down:

Cost: $35 + fees
My CARA discount came in handy here, I paid $30 + fees. Expensive, yes, but worth it. I don't recall if it was chip timed or not, but not a big deal for me. But get a load of the swag, in addition to the standard t-shirt, there were flip flops, medals, an array of post race food, and each finisher got TWO BEER TICKETS. Yes, TWO beer tickets for a 5k. The medal is actually pretty nice too.

Course: lake front path
I was very skeptical about the course because on the website when you click on course map, it brought up a hand drawn course map. Yeah...seriously, this is ROCK N ROLL! A HAND DRAWN course map? Ok...sure. The course was nice, a loop around Montrose Beach essentially, though the mile markers on the map and where they actually were on the course were different. Leads me to think the course was short, but I could be wrong. I read that there were going to be two aid stations on course, and I only saw one. There was nothing spectacular about the course.

Swag: AWESOME
T-Shirt (average). TWO BEERS. Flip Flops. MEDAL. Made me feel like my money was worth it. Also, names on our bibs...LOVE when names are on the bibs. (They were NOT on the bibs for the half marathon.)

somewhere in mile 2. you can see i'm getting ready for a thumbs up. and blinking. come on photog! (that is my sister in law behind me)

giving my boyfriend (who was filming) a crazy finish line thumbs up. please note my awesome mid-foot striking about to happen.

*i will update this post when i get the video(s) from boyfriend. trust me, you'll want to see them.*

Race Recap: Undie Dash 5k

2011-08-21T12:25:00.000-05:00

When: Thursday, July 19th, 6:30pm
Where: Chicago, IL
# of finishers: not sure
Garmin time: 30:00
Chip time: untimed run
Overall Place: no idea
Gender Place: top half hopefully
Age Group Place: let's say FIRST!

This was a fun run. Nothing more. I posted some pictures here but of course I needed a full race report! I found this run because one of my running friends had liked it's page on facebook and of course I was intrigued. I convinced Mary to sign up and Alex was all over it as well. At $40 it was definitely NOT a cheap 5k, but $5 went straight to Bright Pink, a charity to help raise awareness of breast and ovarian cancer. Plus, when else can you run in a crazy costume or your undies in public?

Cost: $40
Steep, yes. Especially for no chip timing, being entirely run on the lakefront path, and a minor amount of swag. There was a post-race party at a nearby bar with a free buffet, but we did not take part in it. We did get some pretty sweet bags though! I really like mine and use it a lot.

Course: lake front path
One of the many races that takes place on the lake front path. We started on the path just south of Soldier Field and ran to 31st for the turn around.

Swag: minimal
Being the inaugural race you can't expect it to be perfect or to have some awesome swag. The post race food (not at the bar, but back where gear check and vendors were) was great. Loads of granola bars and bananas, etc...also FREEZE POPS! Those were the bomb...especially since it was a bit humid that evening. They gave out small sling backpacks as a swag piece and they are cute and sturdy and useful. I like mine!

thumbs up-ing at the finish line. maybe i've been reading Liz's blog too much...i never thumbs up-ed before.

more thumbs up. and a cheeky/flirty tongue-sticking-out thing.

mary, alex, and myself. pre-race.

what i look for in a race

2011-08-15T16:46:00.000-05:00

caffeinated Runner asked about what I look for in a race, as she's a new runner she'd like to know what are key points to look for.

One. Cost.
Living in Chicago means races are generally pretty costly. In other parts of the country people can pay for a marathon what I pay for a half marathon or 10 miler. I won't pay more than $30 for a 5k, $65 for a 10 miler, or $85 for a half. Of course, there are always special circumstances. I paid $35 for the Rock n Roll 5k because I would be running with my brother and sister in law. I paid $40 for the Undie Dash (5k) because it was the inaugural run and it seemed like fun and I wanted to have a fun race. Both of those 5ks were definitely worth the money. You got TWO free beers, flip flops, and a medal at RnR. Undie Dash gave out cool sling backpacks and had great post race food (Freeze Pops!)

Two. Course.
For me, the course is a very important thing. Is it a loop? Out and back? Weave all around with lots of turns? Point to point? How many people are allowed to sign up and will the course easily fit everybody? Is it on city streets? A small running path? A trail? Hills or flat? Also important here: race day travel. I do not own a car, I need to rely on the CTA to get me to the start line. Can it get me there? More importantly, can it get me there early in the morning? I guess for those driving you'll have to look at parking info. Also important here, is race support. How many aid stations are there? How often are they? This is especially important in longer distance races.

Three. Swag.
Let's be honest, swag is one of the things runners run for. Do you get a medal? Shirt? Is the shirt technical or cotton? Gender specific or unisex? Or maybe you get a cool mug or flip flops. Maybe you get nothing at all, and that's ok some races are small. Most 5ks you don't get a medal, in fact, most distances under a half marathon don't hand out medals. If you find a race and you get one, you are lucky!

Those are the 3 things I look for. What do you look for in a race?

thankful thing wednesday

2011-08-10T08:07:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful for a number of things. Let's list...

I am thankful for the random cool weather we've been having. Sunday I'm running Rock n Roll Chicago and the high is 78. Which means at 630am it'll be around 65 degrees. Great half marathon running weather.

I am thankful to the person who could no longer run the RnR who gave my friend Mary her bib. Now I have somebody to run with on Sunday! And she'll keep me on pace for sure!

I am thankful for my internship and the people I work with. I absolutely LOVE my internship! I get to teach kids theatre, from ages 3.5 to 13 and it is rewarding and fun. No, I don't get paid and I'm sure when I get hired it won't be a lot of money but they appreciate me and I never get bored. Everyday I am sad when class is over and I have to go to my paying job.

I am thankful for my GI doctor who is nice and funny and always on time, in fact, early in most cases! I am glad that he listens to me and is happy to help me try and determine a cause for all the air getting trapped in me. We've determined it's not food that is the cause. Some foods maybe are best to avoid but it's not food that is causing my stomach pains, bloat, and gas. Next week I go back for an endoscopy to see if there is structurally something wrong somewhere in my digestive system. After that, pending what he sees, I'm meeting with a hypnotherapist to help me talk away my belching episodes.

I am thankful for my new apartment, new roommate, and new freedom. It's pretty and I feel like a grown up.

I am thankful for my amazing landlord. Something broken? He will fix it right then and there. He's nice, funny, and keeps his apartments in top shape. And he liked my roommate upon first meeting that he saved the apartment for 5 days until I could meet him and see it. He trusts young people.

I am thankful for my mom, who is taking the day off work next week to take me to my doctor's appointment. She's also taking me home (I'll be on drugs and I need help going home) and to make sure I'm ok.

Tell me what you are thankful for.

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favorites and my running bucket list

2011-08-08T18:35:00.000-05:00

i'm horrible. i have waited far too long to answer some questions from my bart yasso giveaway. so, without further adeiu...

My favorite distance (so far) to race is the half marathon distance. It's also the longest distance I've raced. 5ks are easy for me at this point, and while I like them, I often find that they can drag on because I get a mentality of "oh, it's ONLY a 5k". I've also run two 10 milers, it's just an odd distance. I hope to race some 10ks and more distances in the next year or so.

Hands down, my favorite race that I've run is the 13.1 Chicago half marathon. The course was on the lakefront path and because of the limited number of racers allowed, there was plenty of room to run. The extreme heat did a number on many of the runners, but the event staff were AMAZING and got major points in my book. They did last minute adjustments, adding more water stations, more powerade, a misting station, and ice cold hand towels at mile 7. I can't wait to run this race next year.

Bucket List
Chicago Marathon
New York City Marathon
Nike Women's Marathon
Big Sur Marathon
Medoc Marathon
Marine Corps Marathon
Army 10 Miler
Fueled by Fine Wine Half Marathon
Flying Pig Half Marathon
a race in New Orleans
i'd also love to race in Ireland

Why did I choose these? Various reasons. Chicago is where I live. NYC Marathon is a must. Big Sur for the scenery. Nike Women's because you get a Tiffany necklace. Medoc because there is wine. Marine Corps and Army 10 because they look like great races. Flying Pig because it's a classic. New Orleans is dear to me because it's where boyfriend and I took our first vacation. Ireland would be gorgeous (and it's boyfriend's homeland.)

Boston would be awesome to run one day, too. I'll be running for charity for that one!

The Most Exciting News of All!!!

2011-08-08T15:56:00.000-05:00

so my really exciting news, doesn't really have to do with me.

it has to do with my brother.

and his wife.

(did ya figure it out yet?)

THEY ARE HAVING A BABY!

i'm going to be an Aunt!

i CANNOT wait until March!

a big congrats to my big brother and his wife, brianna.

she actually just started running in April and recently completed her first 5k. she was going to run the Rock n Roll half marathon with me on Sunday, but she's decided not to continue running through her pregnancy. (i told her she'd be fine with short distances but she doesn't want to.) i guess her first half marathon will just have to wait.

post script:

2012 is going to be the best year ever.

i'm going to be an aunt.

my best friend is getting married and i'm her maid of honor.

i'm graduating college with my bachelor's degree.

i'm buying myself an incredibly fabulous pair of Christian Louboutain shoes as a graduation present.

and i'm going to be apartment hunting with my boyfriend next summer.

oh, and i'll be running the Chicago Marathon. my first.

newness & strawnana oaty smoothie

2011-08-03T23:08:00.001-05:00

finally i’m all settled into my lovely new apartment! part one of the move was sunday and this morning was part two (also the finale). i finally got to have my bed and bookcase!!! i immediately made my bed and then unpacked all my books. i got most of them on my bookshelf, but i have a few more in a random box that i need to unpack. i’ll have to find space for them somewhere.

bookcase (swivels and has a mirror on the other side!)

i love my room and i think it’s my favorite from all the bedrooms i’ve had! windows on two walls, a BIG closet that houses all my clothing and then some. there’s also a ceiling fan, which of course i positioned my bed directly under. no need for air conditioning (though there is a window unit in the window on the left, but i hate air conditioning.) i’ve got some more sprucing up to do and things to hang on the wall(s).

couldn’t get a good pic but my bed and windows, complete with pictures.

also new is a new JOB!
at a GYM!
i am EXCITED!

i’m heading in tomorrow for some training and to talk schedule. of course i asked nicely if it’s cool if i go in early and get a workout in. :) i am definitely hitting up the treadmill for some much needed running! i have a half marathon in 1.5 weeks and i am not prepared. especially if it’s going to be a 90+ degree, high humidity day. or even if it’s a perfect 65 degrees i’ll probably still struggle. i am aiming for a good speed work sweat session, totaling 9 or 10 miles.

i have another piece of exciting news, but that i am not allowed to tell yet. :) take some guesses at what it is! maybe you’ll be right!

and now, for the strawnana oaty smoothie portion of this post.

this afternoon before i left for work, i noticed that my roommate has a blender. score. somehow at work i became OBSESSED with having a smoothie for dinner and for breakfast. of course, that meant i had to go to the grocery store on the way home from work. (totally out of the way and over a half mile walk from new apartment). too much time and an Obama helicopter fly over (his birthday party was actually less than a mile from my place) i was at home blending.

1 cup frozen strawberries
1 sliced banana
1 cup milk
1/3 cup old fashioned oats

blend.
drink.

i poured it into my favorite glass and enjoyed.

porky pig!

i liked it, but the banana was overpowering. i’d probably just use half next time. also, i think it’d be killer with some blueberries.

and…

That’s All Folks!

Undie Dash-ing!

2011-07-28T22:00:00.001-05:00

This is what I did tonight…

Yep, put on weird clothes, undies over my shorts and ran a 5k! It was fun and I saw A LOT of butt (good and bad).

My time was 30 minutes even, not bad, but I definitely started out too fast and so I was a bit slower than my normal 5k time. It’s all good though!

motivation: hard to come by

2011-07-25T16:01:00.000-05:00

first off, i know, i've been a horrible blogger. no posts and not even commenting. (though at work I can't comment under my name, just anonymously...thanks work!). and i know, i owe you all pictures from Paris...they are coming, hopefully tonight! no, they WILL come tonight, if i declare it now, i'll do it.

i'd give you a weekly recap of my workouts, but they don't look so good. i had a good 3 miles on wednesday night after work. then got 1 whole mile of a 7-8 mile run completed on friday. and then pushed myself thru 2 miles of my 10 miler on the treadmill until i realized that nauseous feeling was not going away. i'm still trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with my stomach and it's not fun in the mean time. hopefully the doctor will be able to help me out when i see him in 2 weeks. right now, i'm thinking it's a combo of IBS and a nut intolerance (or just a peanut intolerance). who knows. i don't.

i have to admit: i'm not feeling at all prepared and ready to run a half marathon in 3 weeks. not. at. all. i need a good long run, at least 10 miles this week or next (or both!) to feel good and ready. if the storms and heat would take a chill pill, maybe i'd be able to do it!

in the mean time, i've started reading this book in hopes it will jumpstart some motivation for me

it's really good, i HIGHLY suggest reading it. goes by fast too!

since tomorrow morning looks like this:

i will be running in the morning, FOR SURE! hoping i can get in 5 or 6 miles out on my darling lakefront path. i felt like we haven't seen much of each other lately.

home stretch! obviously, this picture is from winter...i think March-ish.

getting on the path is my motivation for tomorrow!

what is your motivation?

Blog Sale!

2011-07-22T15:48:00.001-05:00

If you’d like something, please email me at kneenuh87@gmail.com, with the item as the subject and your information in the body of the message. I accept payments via PayPal only. If you have any questions about anything, please comment or email.

American Eagle boots. Size 9. $15. Minimal signs of wear on the heels, I love them but I don’t wear them.

Calvin Klein flats. Size 8.5. $25. I’ve never worn these, I fell in love with them but they are just a wee bit too tight and I never got them stretched out.

Pink New Balance shoes. Size 9. $40. I’ve only worn them a few times, they just do not fit me. I really wish they did because I love them.

DVD…$5 each.

14oz pink boxing gloves and 2 sets of wraps. $50. Or $40 for the gloves and $10 for both sets of wraps. I don’t box anymore.

LV purse. $15. I’m pretty sure it’s fake because the strap broke but it’s all labelled on the inside. Since there is no strap you have to use it like a clutch.

Plaid scarf. $5. This is on the smaller side.

Gucci purse. $30. This is in wonderful condition. This is real (as far as I know at least, I got it as a gift and was told it’s real and all the hardware and on the inside it says Gucci). There are 2 tiny spots on the front, but they are not noticeable. I just don’t use this purse.

Pink scarf. $5. This is a soft and great sized scarf. Not huge and not small. I just have a lot of scarves so I need to get rid of some.

Rainbow scarf. $5. Thin and long. As you can tell.

There will most likely be more stuff I’ll be wanting to get rid of. But I probably won’t post that until after I move.

tomato face

2011-07-17T18:42:00.001-05:00

Yeah it was hot out this morning.

So hot I actually took my shirt off for the last 2 miles.
So hot I walked in the first mile...and every mile.
I did 4 miles in 46 minutes. An 11:30 pace. Yikes.
I will admit I was stupid and definitely didn't hydrate enough.

It's another week of a heat wave in Chicago, meaning there is no beating the heat. Unless you are indoors, of course.

Happy sweaty running!

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life happens

2011-07-16T16:50:00.000-05:00

i've been a bad blogger recently. what can i say, life is happening so i'm out living it (and sleeping in instead of running).

quick update:
-i'm moving! into a wonderfully HUGE and GORGEOUS and CHEAP apartment with my bestie friendie. 2 weeks! eeek!
-once i get a new battery charger i'll be hosting a blog sale. (moving and wanting to get rid of stuff i don't use helps) be on the look out within the next few weeks for that.

i slept in this morning instead of running 8 miles. i was already going to have an 11 hour work day, i'm tired enough, i'd be dead if i ran 8 miles. so 8 miles tomorrow morning it is.

we just entered another insane heat wave here in Chicago. it sucks. i hate it!

Sleeping (greater than) Running

2011-07-13T17:16:00.000-05:00

This morning was the perfect morning for running. 67*, cool breeze.

I slept in.

What?

Yeah, I slept in and I am HAPPY that I did. Working 2 jobs and doubling up on them (this week 4 days) is tiring. I spend my morning with 14 5 & 6 year olds (or all day if I'm not working) and then spend the afternoon on my feet answering a phone. That makes for 12 hour days. It's a lot to get used to. Oh yeah, let's also mention that I'm on day 10 of working 19 days in a row between the two.

I'm tired.

So this morning when the 5am alarm went off, I tried to get out of bed. But I couldn't. I turned it off, turned on the 7am alarm and slept.

7am came and I felt GREAT. Awake and refreshed.

Sometimes it's not about pushing yourself to get out of bed.
Sometimes you need to realize that sleeping in is ok.

Tomorrow morning, the weather will be the same. I'll wake up early and head out for 4 glorious miles.

workouts: 7/4-7/10

2011-07-11T17:36:00.000-05:00

so last week was my first official week of half marathon training...for both the halfs in August and September. oops...i procrastinated! well, i still ran but i didn't have an actual training program...as of last week i do!

here's the recaps...

7/4-
6 miles of speedwork on the treadmill.
10 min warm up (even 1 mile)
3x800 at 8:42 pace
3x800 at 8:34 pace
(90 second RIs between each 800)
10 minute cool down at 9:00-ish pace
i think it added up to be a little over 6 miles, in 55 minutes, for a 9:09 pace

7/5-
bikram yoga

7/6-
rest

7/7-
rest
(i was planning on running a 5 mile tempo before work but i woke up before my alarm to intense pain from my darling 'friend'. ladies, you know how it goes.)

7/8-
rest
(i really wanted to do bikram, but going to pinkberry with my mom sounded so much better. we did walk there and back though, a bit over 3 miles.)

7/9-
6 miles on the treadmill. 57 minutes, 9:30 pace.
(i was supposed to do a 1 mile warm up, 4 mile tempo, and 1 mile cool down but i didn't really follow the plan...)

7/10-
8 miles on the treadmill, 1:12 mins, 9:05 pace
2 mile warm up
2x(6x400)
90 second RIs, 2:30 RI between sets
1.20 mile cool down (to make an even 8 miles.)
(first set was at 7.0mph, second set at 7.1mph, and i think i did an extra one, i had lost count.)

total of 20 miles for the week, and 1 bikram session. (2 if you count last week sunday's class.)

this week i've got 4 days of running (to break up an early morning long run into 2 segments), and hoping for 2 bikram classes. i'm covering some extra shifts at work and i'd have to leave early to get to the last class of the day, which isn't a big deal but it's not guaranteed i can leave early, so we'll see what happens. '

i'm also hoping to get outside, which would be nice, but with this weather, like being 80* at 6am, it's not going to happen. ugh!

you asked, i answered, & a WINNER!

2011-07-08T21:42:00.001-05:00

plenty of great questions were asked in my giveaway post. some of the questions i answered here. *

Vanessa at Gourmet Runner asked:
If for some reason you could run again, what would replace it for you? What’s your second place exercise?

If I was injured I’d just take the advice of my doctor and only do what I’m allowed so I could heal faster. If I ended up losing a leg, I’d definitely still be a runner. I’m sure it would take a while to relearn but I would be determined.

Caroline asked:
Do you prefer training in the summer or winter in Chicago?

Winter. Hands down. I love summer and I hate winter normally, but for running winter is the best. I ran so much faster and easier!

Photina asked:
What is your favorite cross training?

I’m not a big cross training person, which is bad, I know. However, I love bikram yoga! I do like to spin, but I don’t get to spin hardly ever because of my schedule and the spin class schedule.

Eladio asked:
Have you ever had Mexican before or after a run?

Well, I’m not big on Mexican food in the first place but I did actually have a large lunch with my whole family at Frontera Grill the day before my first half marathon. That's as close as I can get!

SarCraw asked:
What is your favorite form of cross training? Have you ever tried spin?

As mentioned above, I’m a huge bikram yoga fan. I’ve also done plenty of spin classes, I love spinning! It takes a while to find an instructor you like, and there a plenty of instructors to discover! The thing about spinning is that it is determined by you. You follow along the basic instructions given but you can add as much or as little resistance as you can handle. In the same fashion, you can go as fast on a sprint as your legs can go. It’s all up to you, but you have to remember to push yourself, you have to try hard not try easy!

Ok, let’s get to the WINNER!

which is……

Congrats Vanessa! Send me an email to kneenuh87@gmail.com with your address so I can send you your book!

*any questions not answered here will be covered in another post. they are all similar so i’ll do a super post based on my favorite race distance, races, bucket list races, etc.

no winner yet…

2011-07-06T22:17:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post…

I won’t be posting the winner today as I had planned. I was too busy. I’ll post the winner tomorrow or Friday depending on when I get a chance!

Sorry to keep you waiting, life is a bit nutty right now!

Mission 2:10

2011-07-04T21:21:00.001-05:00

I’ve mentioned before that my goal this year is to run a half marathon in 2:10. So far, my closest is 2:19 (which was actually 2:16 minutes of running, I had a 3 minute potty stop.) I feel that this goal is very attainable for me, especially with my splits from the Illinois Half in April (before mile 11 at least…)

Not that I had the most even splits, but I felt good and they were all under 10 minutes (mile 7 had an aid station) until mile 10. I should have stopped to use the bathroom but I didn’t, so I had to mix in a good load of walking to stop myself from pooping my shorts. Most importantly, up until then I was feeling good, I had a groove, and I felt strong.

Let’s experiment, if we knock down miles 10, 11, 12, and 13 to an even 10 minutes, we get 2:10:11. If we take away the the extra .22, I’m under 2:10.

I’ve got 2 more half marathons this year. Rock n Roll Chicago, August 14th and Chicago Half Marathon, September 11th. Yep, 4 weeks later. I was aiming for RnR to be my A race, my 2:10. As of right now, I don’t think it will be and I’m not planning on it being my A race. One, because I haven’t been doing the training I should be for it and two, I don’t want to completely kill my legs only to have to quickly recover for another. Plus I know that RnR will have more turns than the Chicago Half which is basically an out and back on Lake Shore Drive.

I finally got my hands on a copy of Run Less Run Faster. I’ve liked the look and sound and structure of the program since I’ve been seeing it around the blog world for a bit. It also suits my schedule. I mapped out my training for the next 4 weeks, I’ll see how it goes and then I’ll reassess if needed and map out training through Chicago Half. I do think the paces it gives for long runs and long tempos are incredibly slow for me, nearing 11 minute miles. (Based off my 5k time trial that I did the morning after I got back from Paris. Even though my 5k PR is roughly 30 seconds faster.) I might need to modify and change my paces if I am continuously running faster than the pace suggested.

I’ve only done one official training run for RLRF (8 weeks into the half training schedule…) and it wasn’t as bad as I thought! I am tired and sore but I was able to run the repeats at the pace provided (yay treadmill). I’ve got a 5 mile mid tempo and a 10 mile long run left for this week (which might be knocked down to 8 miles, we’ll see) and I feel confident.

New goals:
RnR Chicago: 2:15:xx
Chicago Half: 2:09:59

a post that i can't think of a title for.

2011-07-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

i went back to bikram yesterday. i went to the studio that's by my house. that i like...no LOVE. i didn't have to sit down once, best bikram in...who knows how long! going back tomorrow with my momma. excited.

i had a date night last night. a double date night! it was so much fun and i was stuffed with yummy food. we're planning another, but this time i'll be cooking up some fish n chips at boyfriend's house. we rarely go out for a date night since we're tight on money, so this was super special.

this morning i ran 6.3 miles on the treadmill in 60 minutes. not too bad but it took me until mile 4 to feel good. i wonder if i started out too slow. anywho, i got real hot and sweaty and i was very glad i had a full water bottle.

see? sweaty. red face.

after an uneventful 6.5 hours at work, i came home and snuggled up in bed. with these. yum.

sausage pizza with hot sauce and my new Run Less Run Faster!

i FINALLY got my hands on a copy.

now, if you'll excuse me, i have some very important reading to do.

weekly goals--update

2011-07-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

On Monday I posted a few goals I had for this week and as promised, here is my update!

1. Don't Spend Money
Sunday- $20
Monday- $10.83
Tuesday- $8.11
Wednesday- $6.54
Thursday- $6.63
Friday- $0
Saturday- $0

Total: $52.11 (though Tuesday and some of Thursday was on my credit card, not my debit card)

I say that's not bad, especially since I'm sure if I add up my weekly expenses from June it would be a lot more. Goal for this coming week, less than $40. Which I think I'll easily be able to do. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.

2. Pack a lunch!
I did well on Monday, I packed enough for me to eat for lunch and dinner. And Tuesday I did pretty good too, but I did stop at Whole Foods to add a little bit of stuff to my salad. Wednesday I just had snacks, so I bought a sandwich. Thursday I bought a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast, and then bought Hot Pockets and Easy Mac at CVS, which lasted for lunch Thursday and Friday. Obviously not ideal but I keep forgetting to get some cheese slices for sandwiches! I can't just have meat and bread as a sandwich. I'm going to pick some up tonight and then I will for sure be bringing a sandwich Tues-Fri next week!

3. Workout in the morning.
I did the stairmaster Tuesday before I went to intern. Wednesday was a rest day. Thursday I ran before I interned. Friday I went to bikram after intern. Today I ran before work...but I don't work until 2 on Saturdays so I ran at 11:30am. It's still technically the morning! I was going to run with my run club but it was over 80* at meeting time and I was good for nothing except sleeping at the time too. I went to dinner last night, double date, and it lasted much longer than we thought...3.5 hours!

Overall, I think I did pretty well. I definitely have some room for improvement though!

weekly goals

2011-06-27T19:06:00.000-05:00

I need to make some adjustments in my life, at least for the summer since I'll be earning less money than I'm used to. (Thanks for that awesome internship.)

1. Don't spend money.
I budgeted out the money I spent in June vs money I got from working...I spent slightly over $100 more than I earned...yikes. So this week, I'm not spending anything. Well, I spent $20 yesterday to pay for dinner for a friend and I, was only supposed to be $10 but apparently credit cards weren't accepted. Rude. And I just ordered Run Less, Run Faster, but I got it at a steal for $11 so it's ok. In July and August (and maybe until forever) I'm limiting myself to $100 per plastic, so $300 a month total (which my CTA pass is $86 a month, luckily I'll be a full time student for the next 9 months and won't have to pay that.) $100 on each credit card, and $100 on my debit card. I've got a handy spreadsheet to keep track. I should be able to do it...hopefully.

2. Pack a lunch!
What will really help keep my costs down is packing a lunch. I don't do it as often as I should. My mom and I went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of stuff. Loads of stuff I can pack for a lunch too! Yeah! I can easily spend $50+ a week on feeding myself. Not cool. The only tough days are when I double internship and work because I can't bring lunch and dinner, it's too much. But I just bring my lunch, eat it at work and then eat some free salad bar at work and then starve until I get home for dinner. Worked today!

3. Workout in the morning.
That was supposed to start today. With an easy 4 miler. With Bart Yasso. My stomach wasn't cooperating. I was mad. I was also very tired. Tomorrow I will workout before I go intern. I don't have to be there until 10. I don't even care what I do, run, cardio, spin, yoga, anything is fine so long as I get moving!

I also need to start writing a "stomach diary". I can't get in to see my doctor until August. So my 4 week check up is now a 12 week check up. I figure if I right down what I eat and if I burp crazy style and all that jazz, that might help to narrow down what the hell the problem is. I got my blood tested for celiac, which I never got a call about the results, I should call in tomorrow and check on those. But I don't think it's celiac because I burp uncontrollably eating non-wheat/gluten foods too. But maybe I'm wrong. Anywho, stomach diary.

I'll update you on Saturday and let you know how my goals went!

FOOTnotes: Pre-race Routine

2011-06-25T16:19:00.000-05:00

*Julia, I promise I'll be posting a belated FOOTnotes for the pictures, I just couldn't get out on my normal trail!*

This week's topic is Pre-race Routines. We all have them, and sometimes it takes a bit to figure out what works and what doesn't.

Day before
1. I pick out a race outfit, and then a back up, just in case, especially if the weather is iffy.
2. I eat something I know for lunch. Either a big sandwich from Jimmy John's (or other sandwich shop) or I order a big pizza and eat that for lunch and dinner, sans hot sauce (I cry a single tear when I don't get hot sauce on my pizza).
3. I put everything I need gadget-wise in one place. Garmin. Body Glide. RoadID. Key. Money. ID. etc.
4. I take it easy, relax, watch some movies, read, and get into bed as early as possible. Doesn't matter what I'm doing, but I get in there to decompress and get to sleep easy.

Morning of
I wake up about 2-2.5 hours before race time. I take my morning slowly, go sit on the toilet for some pooping action, brush my teeth, nothing out of the ordinary.
I turn on the news and just have it in the background. I eat an english muffin with almond butter and nutella or a slightly smaller than normal breakfast cookie with a bit of almond butter on top. I drink a big glass of water, get dressed and ready, stop in the bathroom again, and get going.
Once I'm at the race I just check stuff out, get in line for the bathroom, and then go hang out in my corral. I turn my Garmin on early, cuz it sucks and takes forever to pick up the satellities, to make sure it's all ready.
Then it's race time and I just have fun!

I keep it pretty chill, nothing fancy. I don't want to psych myself out!

So, what is YOUR pre-race routine?

lunch of champions

2011-06-24T13:35:00.001-05:00

This is my new favorite sandwich.

White bread.
Almond butter.
Nutella.

I am getting bananas this week and you bet I'm adding bananas onto it. And if I get to make and eat it at home I am totally toasting the bread and then adding everything on. It'll be a melty gooey yummy sandwich.

I will say I'm still hungry, maybe because my breakfast wasn't filling. Need to get back to making breakfast cookies for breakfast!

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Race Report: 13.1 Chicago Half Marathon 2011

2011-06-23T22:22:00.001-05:00

When: Saturday, June 4, 2011
Where: Chicago, IL
# of finishers: 130 (officially), couple thousand (unofficially)
Garmin time: 2:39:27
Chip time: n/a
# of potty breaks: zero!!!
Overall place: n/a
Gender place: n/a
Age Group place: n/a

extra stats:
temperature at start (7:13am): 78*
temperature at 8:51am: 84* (red flagged)
temperature at 9:15am: 86* (black flagged)
humidity that morning: high. really high. can’t find a number, but it was high.
gallons of water i drank during race: at least 1
gallons of water i splashed on myself during race: 3…million
gallons of powerade drank: half gallon or slightly less
number of times i splashed water all over my phone: 8
amount of fun i had: infinite

I think all those stats tell you how it went. I was really hoping for the stars to align and let me have a great race and make it in around the 2:15 mark. I knew it wasn’t going to happen and I didn’t want to admit it. Until the day before when I read an email from the race director stating that the extreme heat conditions are less than ideal and they were adding aid stations, a misting station, iced drinks at an aid station, and handing out ice cold towels at mile 7. It was then I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t going to PR and I decided to have some fun. And fun was had.

The course is an out and back starting and ending at the South Shore Cultural Center in Jackson Park. The SSCC is AWESOME. President Obama got married there. And it’s on the lake and pretty and I want to go back. We started out running through Jackson Park on the street, then went to a trail, then ran through a park behind the Museum of Science and Industry, then finally made it’s way to the Lake Front Path. We headed north to 40th-ish to turn back around and bring it on home.

I took it slow. I brought my handheld water bottle. I walked whenever I felt like it and ran when I felt like. I walked at every water station, drinking at least one cup of water and one cup of Powerade (usually more). I also splashed water on myself during the aid stations. And can I just say the Powerade during races is SO MUCH BETTER than Gatorade. It’s not like drinking sugar, no need to water it down, and my tummy doesn’t hurt. I got passed by a lot of people in the first 5 miles and then I was passing people left and right. So many people were burnt out and walking and looked miserable. Maybe it’s just me but I had a GREAT time. I had FUN. I embraced the heat and listened to my body, which I know is hard for runners to do. I finished strong, I ran the entire last mile and there were far more walkers in the last mile than runners.

Overall, 13.1 gets 5 million thumbs up from me. From the way they handled the heat, the insane number of volunteers, the course, the entertainment, the race support, the location, the medals, the awesome start corrals and waves, the post race party was professional and very well managed. They still handed out medals even though the race was called. The volunteers and staff were still out. The photographers were still out. The Windy City Challenge is still on. And then they gave all runners who crossed the start line a code for 50% off next year’s registration. You can bet I used that sucker. $35 plus $5 of fees. Even if I end up not running for whatever reason I won’t feel bad. This is the first race I stayed at the post race party. First race I signed up for again so quickly.

And now it’s time for the awesome race photos…

somewhere in mile 11 very happy michelob ultra turned into bud light

not sure where this was. 9ish. 10.5 or so.

my shorts and bra match the bib. forefoot strike! around mile 4 or so.

finishing! wish i wasn’t being blocked. finishers photo. i’m soaked.

i think this is my favorite! mile 11.5. walking in the sun.

finish line fuel. my fav sign. i think he’s at all Chicago races

cold water. really cold Lake Michigan Water. felt amazing.

things that make me happy: awesome medals, bright blue bibs, bud light

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary race entry for 13.1 Chicago in exchange for a review of my honest opinion. I can guarantee that everything I wrote are my own thoughts and views on the race. I promise, this race was awesome and I loved it. I received no compensation for this review.

a little slice of hilarity.

2011-06-22T21:59:00.001-05:00

hats off to the person or people that came up with this piece of brilliance.

My favorite part is “I never joke. I’m a flow chart for crying out loud.”

view the webpage here
found via A Foodie Stays Fit

I ran with Bart! (plus a giveaway)

2011-06-21T20:55:00.002-05:00

Yes, I met, ran with, chatted with, and hung out with Bart Yasso. It was awesome and I am very happy that Puma teamed up and got him in Chicago! Bart (we're on a first name basis) is totally cool and down to earth and funny too! He even told a dirty dirty joke talking about a nude 5k he ran.

After the run portion of the evening we came back to the store and ate some pizza, drank some (or a lot of) water, Puma gave away some prizes and then we lined up to get free copies of Bart's book signed!

And lucky for you I waited to be one of the last people and there were extra books! I asked Bart if I could have an extra book and have it signed to giveaway and he said "Go right ahead!".

To enter:
MANDATORY
1. Leave me a comment answering this: If you could meet anybody and get their autograph, who would it be? You can tell me why if you want!
2. Become a follower of my blog and let me know in a comment. If you already follow just let me know!

EXTRA ENTRIES
3. Follow me on Twitter @Running_Nina. Leave a comment.
4. Tweet about the giveaway, please make sure to include @Running_Nina in it. Leave me a comment!
5. Add this giveaway to your blog either in a post or on your giveaway page/list. Leave me a comment.
6. Leave a comment asking a question you'd like me to answer or a topic you'd like me to cover in a blog post. (Minimal running, cross training, massage therapy, what's my favorite color, etc) Doesn't have to be running related!

So there you have it, up to 6 entries to win a signed copy of Bart Yasso's book! You have until 11:59pm on Tuesday July 5th to enter. Winner will be drawn and announced Wednesday July 6th!

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Hello & Sorry

2011-06-20T18:33:00.000-05:00

First off, if you are visiting from #ffcheer's site, welcome!

Thank you for reading my guest post and stopping by!

Secondly, I'm sorry for being absent the past few weeks. I even promised some great posts, and they are coming! I promise! I ended up sleeping on the plane to/from Paris and not writing anything (except for guest post, above). I've also been busy with starting an internship and well, just life in general. So don't worry, I haven't disappeared!

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Paris was AMAZING but I sure am glad to be back home! I got in one run the first day I got there (see guest post, but I'm sure I'll blog about it here soon). I wanted to run again but I ended up getting the blisters of all blisters and there was no way I could run with it without ruining the skin on my heel. I'll be posting pictures in the next few days, I've got about 400 to look through and of course I can't post them all!

I had my first official day at my internship today. By 'day' I mean 3 hours. I got to Facebook, Tweet, watch a DVD (with a few more to watch this week), and sharpen pencils. I know you are all jealous, especially of the sharpening pencils part. They were hot pink pencils. Score.

Saturday I ran a 5k time trial. Finished in 28:34(ish) with an average pace of 9:15(ish). I wanted to do a time trial so I can properly set up my training paces for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in August. I didn't want to use a 5k time from a few months ago and I wanted to gage my fitness level right now. So tonight I'll be creating my training plan for that and of course I'll be sharing it with you all!

Yesterday was fun! It started off with running the Rock n Roll 5k tune up at Montrose Harbor (don't worry, a recap is coming). I ran with my sister in law who JUST started running 2 months ago and my brother who isn't physcially active at the moment but was in the Army and has ran a few 5ks before. My sister in law did great! We finished in 36:10 and only walked for 2 small walk segments. She wanted to finish under 40 minutes, hopefully under 35 and if she hadn't gotten a side stitch we would have! She just posted on my facebook that she's addicted to running and is already looking for another 5k to sign up for a run! She's currently running with a friend who is training for the half marathon so she might even run the Rock n Roll in August!

That's all I have time for right now! Work is calling...but I promise I'll be back regularly!

Race Report: Soldier Field 10 miler 2011

2011-06-13T15:28:00.001-05:00

When: Saturday, May 28, 2011
Where: Chicago, IL
# of finishers: 12,313
Garmin time: ~1:42:30
Chip time: 1:42:44
# of potty breaks: zero
Overall place: 7833
Gender place: 3731/6965
Age Group place: 315/513

Ah, running my first race again. SF10 holds a dear place in my heart since it really is the first race I’ve ever actually run (I’ve walked a few 5ks before this). It makes me sad that I won’t be able to run it next year (best friend is getting married the night before, not very good for running a race the next morning.)

Well, let’s get to the recap now shall we?

First off, I must say, much improved from last year, especially the medals. The ribbon could still use some improvement but this year’s medal definitely kicks last year’s medal in the butt. Also a great touch, the finishers blanket. (Picture below).

The course was *slightly* different than last year. For some odd reason we ran across Lake Shore Drive and then back across less than a mile later. (Last year was just a straight shot down Lake Shore Drive and then back up on the trail.) Not sure what the reasoning was for that, maybe to help prevent bunching up on the skinny trail later…? We still ran through McCormick place, aka, where everybody’s Garmins lose signal and are messed up throughout the rest of the race. (McCormick place is within the first mile.) It’s also super annoying because it is dark in there. You can’t see all that well and then when you come out you are practically blinded since you go from darky dark to BRIGHT daylight. Seriously, they need to figure out a way to not run through there. I’m back in 2013, they better have it figured out by then. I know some people really hate the course because it doesn’t really allow for spectators in the first half and then it narrows down in the second half, but since it’s (for the most part) my every day running trail, I like it.

Aid support was great, as was last year. Stations approximately every 2 miles, and I believe with toilets at each, though I could be wrong as I didn’t really pay attention.

Post race was NOT as good as last year. Less vendors/booths which means less free samples of stuff. We didn’t get free samples from anywhere this year. We think only 1 place was actually handing out stuff and there was a line far too long to stand in.

Running wise, this wasn’t a great race for me. I tied my shoe too tight, my foot fell asleep, my left calf got cramped and I couldn’t run it out. I had to stop 3 times in the first 4 miles and I was just over it pretty quickly. I definitely slowed Mary down a lot, I’m just glad she didn’t want to actually race this (which was why she ran with me in the first place.) We can’t PR them all! I also didn’t want to push too much since coming up in 7 days was a half marathon…I wanted to be fresh for that and PR! (Little did I know…)

hey cameraman! look at me!

thumbs up-ing the camera

yay for finishing!

heading in for the finish!

finishers medal. awesome.

stadium blanket for finishers and medals are Rex approved.

Paris here I come!

2011-06-11T16:18:00.001-05:00

I’m at terminal 5 at O’Hare, aka, the international part of the airport. Just relaxing and waiting for the plane to start boarding…we’ll be boarding soon so I better run and buy some snacks before!

I might or might not be posting from Paris, we’ll see. Either way, see ya soon!

My plane! And me, but you can’t really see me. And I can’t really even see the computer from the brightness of the sun.

those summer nights

2011-06-08T22:12:00.000-05:00

boyfriend and i went to see Ray LaMontagne at Pritzker Pavilion last night. it was pretty good time! it was HOT but we were all so happy when the sun hid behind the buildings. i don't think i could have sat in the sun any more!

2 bottles of water. 2 beers. sunscreen.

you wouldn't guess from my hand but we were there on TUESDAY. (stamped twice because apparently the stamp didn't count if it's not black.)

the big metal bar things going to the back of the lawn. they are supposed to help carry the sound.

stage.

chocolate cake we got from the people in front of us.

that's not a cloud. it's a stream of...bad things in the atmosphere. i can't think of the word...they are jet emissions.

boyfriend! (and his stupid cigarette) stage. skyline.

oh how i love Chicago!

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i've got a 5:30am wake up call tomorrow. i am running in the morning. treadmill or outside. doesn't matter. 3 or 4 miles. can't wait!

Gary Busey in a Plastic Bubble

2011-06-05T22:05:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I went to Sausagefest. 4 booths of food and the sausage offerings were pretty basic. I ended up eating a 10” italian sausage, plain, on a crappy bun. I could have bought an entire package of sausages and made them better at home. (TMI: I woke up in the middle of the night and pooped like no tomorrow.) Then I fell asleep at 8:30pm. On a Saturday night. That’s what happens when you run/walk a half marathon. Today I ate like crap, well, not that bad, but I did stuff too much PF Chang’s in my stomach. I’ve been burping ever since.

Lesson learned: don’t eat garbage and you won’t burp for hours on end and feel like crap. (Who would have thunk it?!)

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My deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Zachary Gregory who passed away yesterday after the 13.1 Chicago half marathon. He collapsed during the race and was taken to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately they were unable to save him. 10 others were taken to the hospital as well (I saw 1 being loaded into an ambulance), I hope they are all ok.

A reminder to all runners (an athletes of all kinds) please swallow your pride and LISTEN to your body. Slow down when you need to. Drink when you don’t think you need to, even just a sip. You cannot expect to PR every single race. Some times you need to just run a race for fun and EXPERIENCE it. There is no shame in asking for help. There is no shame in not finishing a race, especially if your health or safety are at risk. There are many runners who are more than used to running in 85* weather with high humidity, us Chicagoans this year are not.

I could go on and on about the topic but I’ll end there.

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This week is a ‘recovery’ week and so is next week since I’ll be in Paris. I put recovery in ‘ ’ because I feel incredibly awesome for having run a half yesterday. I’m starting my internship tomorrow (followed by 5 hours at real work) so my schedule this week is CRAY CRAY. Seriously, Monday is internship + work, Tuesday is internship + concert, Wednesday is Monday, Thursday is JUST internship, Friday is internship + friend is coming over right after to settle in for a week to take care of this guy…

…two days after I get back from France I’m running a 5k with my brother and his wife. Their first! I’m pretty excited. Also excited to run in PARIS. I’ll be putting together my training schedule for Rock n Roll Chicago (half) in August on the plane over/back. I’ll be using the Run Less Run Faster/FIRST program.

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And that’s about all I’ve got. I watched the MTV Movie Awards, very enjoyable. I’ll love it when Twilight and Harry Potter are done so they can’t win. They ended the show with Gary Busey in a plastic bubble ball thing. Pictures aren’t on google yet (WTF interwebz) otherwise I’d post a picture.

I Survived...

2011-06-04T11:23:00.001-05:00

It took me a while, 2:39:27, but I finished despite the race being black flagged. Took it slow the entire race and kept hydrated like no other. I am soaking wet from the gallons of water I poured on myself but I am happy! Also happy that the Michelob Ultra beer we were going to get turned to Bud Light (it's all Anheuser-Busch anyways).

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getting ready for half #3

2011-06-03T13:08:00.000-05:00

I've been a bad blogger this week! Funnily enough I've only worked 11 hours this week and have tons of time on my hands...I cooked dinner twice this week! Tuesday night I made baked breaded chicken and roasted potatoes. Last night I made fish and chips. Beer battered. I used tilapia. It was them most amazing thing I've ever made.

Tomorrow morning I'm lacing up for half marathon number 3! It's 13.1 Chicago. It's also supposed to be over 70* at the start, which should make for an interesting race. Packet pick up was at Fleet Feet so that's where I just got home from! By 'packet' I mean bib, tshirt, and a piece of paper with some race info and the map of the course. They do a virtual packet thing, which just has a few discount codes for 13.1 Minneapolis and Chicago Half Marathon and 'flyers' for a few other races. Overall, nothing interesting.

Bib! I'm liking the blue. And I'm in corral H, assuming that is all the people who wrote 2:10 as their estimated finish time.

tshirt front. wish i had gotten a small. :(

back of tshirt. all 13.1 cities in 2011.

I don't really have a plan for this race. I'm thinking of taking it easy the first 6 or 7 miles and running a 9:45 pace and then pick it up from there. We'll see what the weather brings.

I'm pretty excited for another race without my stomach being all nutty. Last week I ate pizza for lunch and dinner the night before SF10 and I pooped race morning and I had not one problem with my stomach. I didn't have pizza for lunch, but I had Jimmy John's, the next best thing!

Now it's off to clean and pick out a race outfit! Mary is sleeping over tonight since my place is much closer than her place, so I must try to get rid of all the hair from this guy:

Weekend Recap

2011-05-30T17:21:00.000-05:00

Friday I make cool like a cucumber and chilled for most of the day. I took it easy at work too since I was running Saturday. I figured out the perfect day before a race fuel. A few slices of sausage and pineapple pizza for lunch, a few more for dinner, along with half a chocolate shake. I got to bed on time and slept peacefully.

Saturday my alarm went off at about 5am and surprisingly I got up without any problems. I fed the cat, fed myself (breakfast cookie!), took a good poop, and debated on shorts or crops to run in. Almost 60 and completely cloudy. (I should have gone with shorts though). Mary picked me up and we were off on the 5 minute drive from my place to Soldier Field (I could definitely walk there but Mary drove in from the northside and needed a navigator!). Full race report is coming, waiting on the photos to be loaded online. We took it slow and finished slower than last year. We didn't want to push it since we're running 13.1 this Saturday too but we could have gone faster if we wanted to. Then we headed to Kuma's to eat some awesome burgers and drink some beer. I headed to boyfriend's for the night and we watched the Bachelorette premeire re-run. I've never really watched it before but I have a feeling we'll be watching it this season, it's pretty juicy!

Sunday we woke up and I made him breakfast (cereal, english muffin, and tea) and he did his laundry. :) I wanted to make pancakes but he wanted cereal. Boring! We headed downtown to the dana hotel and spa (in quite the thunderstorm) for our couples massage. Heaven. I'm a good girlfriend and treated him. Post massage we were hungry and it was still pouring so we walked the block to Grahamwich and ate completely overpriced sandwiches. They were alright, but overpriced. I guess Graham Elliot can do that. We checked movie times and hoofed it 2 blocks to the movie theatre and got front row seats to Hangover 2. Not that bad but it was hard to see stuff right since we were front row. I liked it a bit. Definitely some good laughs. We split up then and I went to Forever 21 and he went home to nap and then head out to a friend's birthday party. I went home after and spent far too much time on the phone with Clear customer service. Needless to say my mom and I have cancelled our internet with them and now have internet via T Mobile.

Overall, I'd say it was a pretty sweet weekend! And I'm not at all sore from the race Saturday (which I guess only means I should have run faster). My foot is feeling a bit better but still needs some attention. If it's still bothering me next week I'll go to the doctor.

Happy Memorial Day!

Even Kim Kardashian's buttcrack wants to say "Happy Memorial Day"

On a serious note, thank you to everybody who is serving, has served, or wishes to serve our country. I have a long line of military men in my family and I know many people who have served multiple times in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

"No wonder you're so skinny!"

2011-05-25T22:09:00.000-05:00

That was said to me this weekend.

My first thought was "Ha! You are joking!" Then I very quickly changed the topic.

You see, I don't think of myself as skinny. I spent a few years obsessing over my weight and calories and eating little food. And sometimes eating too much food. This is not to say I think of myself as fat, because I don't.

I just don't think I'm skinny.

In my mind, skinny is reserved for women who have flat stomachs. They don't even have a tiny little muffin top. They run in sports bras and shorts. They never have to suck it in.

It's not about weight or pant size.

I don't like when people talk about my body. I'm uncomfortable when I get compliments like that or if people ask what I'm doing. I even went off on my mom once because she kept going on and on about it. Now, I don't mind if a person comments on my muscular thighs/legs.

I guess I'm just weird when it comes down to it. I can't accept myself as being classified as skinny. I always think to myself that when I'm a steady size 6 I'll be skinny. Just 1 dress size down from where I'm at.

There are times when I'm dressed and I look at myself and I say in my head that I look skinny today! Then I stand there for a bit too long and start to get uncomfortable with that.

I think the things people said to me in middle school and high school are still with me. The things I told myself during those times are still with me too.

Running gives me power. Power against those jerks. Power against negative self.

FOOTnotes: Hydration

2011-05-25T17:43:00.000-05:00

Following in last week's FOOTnotes FOOTsteps (hah!) this week's FOOTnotes is about HYDRATION!

Luckily for me I've always been a lover of water. There are people out there that don't like water, I still can't figure out how people don't like water. They're nutty.

maybe i'm the nutty one...it's just my crazy love for drinking water

Obviously hydration is important for everybody, but especially for runner's and athletes of all kinds. We're sweating crazy style (usually) and we need to hydrate in order to keep sweating. I've been more and more conscious of my water intake now that it's getting into the warmer months (at least it's supposed to be. we've been getting a few days of 80+ degrees and then it's back down to rainy and 50 degrees.).

she keeps me hydrated at work. :)

Over the winter Chicago shuts off the outdoor water fountains. That means no pit stops for sips of water when I'm running along the lakefront November to mid-April. I was worried about this but since I didn't really run at all or outside until late February it wasn't that big of a deal. Though I will admit going 8, 9, and 10 miles without water was a bit too long. I do think that I skipped all the water stations during my 15k race in November, it was only 30 degrees! However, anything under and I felt ok, and every time I got back home I'd drink a full glass of water right away. Oddly enough I just about always take water with me when I run on the treadmill. It gets hot inside the gym!

don't be jealous of my awesome water bottle. also, don't be jealous of my gold trophy pin and my white recycled polyester sleeveless work shirt.

At the Illinois half marathon I didn't drink anything until the mile 7-ish water station. I always run thru the first station, sometimes the second depending on weather. This Saturday for the 10 miler it's supposed to be 60+ degrees and sunny, so skipping the first water station is fine, but I'll probably hit up the 3, 5, and 7 mile stations and skip the 9 mile station. It's important to note that it is far better to stop running and WALK thru the water stations so you can actually drink the water, not spill it all over yourself (unless you want to). You won't lose but a few seconds which are easily made up by the fact that you won't get dehydrated. And if you get dehydrated you'll probably lose more time than walking thru a few water stations.

Post long run or race I like to drink chocolate milk so help replenish other nutrients. I also go for Gatorade and the like too.

Tuesday

2011-05-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

Today was nothing special. Just another Tuesday.

I woke up, and got mad that I forgot to make a breakfast cookie. Darn!
I decided to skip bikram yoga in favor of taking a hot bath to warm up my leg muscles and then foam rolling and sticking and stretching them like crazy.

I headed to Fleet Feet to pick up my packet for the Soldier Field 10 miler this Saturday. The bibs are yellow.

I also needed to pick up a few things...

Essentials.

I headed to work for a 1 hour core class taught my a chiropractor that my spa is working with. He is super cool! We talked running and he looked at my feet and determined that yes, minimal shoes are the best for me. Apparently my feet are 'rigid' and it's better to have them be able to move around. The class itself was pretty intense. Nearly a full hour of exercises all targeted to your core and strengthening your core. I was shaking by the end! Can't wait for next week, that is for sure!

I met up with boyfriend for dinner/drinks and the Bulls game. But we decided to part and I'd head home early and he'd head off to meet the boys to watch the game. I'm not a basketball fan (not even a bandwagon one) so it's all good with me. However, had I known we'd be splitting up so fast I would have drank a light beer, not a cider! I'm hoping to get sobered up so I can bust out 3 or 4 miles on the treader.

Weekend Recap

2011-05-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

This weekend turned into a much busier and productive weekend than I thought!

I started it off right by going for a 6 mile run with South Loop Run Club! Everybody I met was super nice and their set up is great, you just group off by pace and run for 6 miles. I ran with Grace and Tim at first (Grace was also a newbie and ended up dropping behind to run less mileage with somebody else.) I ran about 1.5 miles with Tim but I needed to stop for water and take off my pullover (it was 70* and foggy, don't run in more than a tank top and shorts.) so he ran ahead to pull in the other runners who all run 7:30-8:30 min/miles. Yikes. I ran for a bit on my own and then at about mile 3.5 Allen, the creator of SLRC came back to run with me the rest of the way. Overall I ran slower than I thought I was (I was talking a lot of the time) but I am so glad I got out there and had a good steady long-ish run. Now I feel ready for the 10 miler next week! Not so sure about the half the week after, but if the 10 mile goes well, the half will to!

i ate this bad boy for lunch post run. i didn't finish it, but came close.

I headed to work for a 7 hour shift, pretty uneventful but that's how it goes. I did add I page to the blog with a great list of run clubs and fun runs in Chicago. Check it out and contribute if you know of anything I didn't list.

Yesterday was a very long 13 hour day. I left my condo at 8am to get a train to Roselle, to go to a bridal expo in Wheeling, dress shopping and dinner in Schaumberg before I got on a train home at 7:30 and got home at nearly 9pm. I traveled by foot, bus, Metra, car, Blue Line, and another bus throughout the day.

metra-ing

rocking some pink KT Tape at the bridal expo. plantar facitis be gone! (at least i think that's what it is.)

The bride picked out and bought her wedding dress! We just went to David's Bridal to see if by chance we could get in and another bride didn't show up so we got her slot! Dress one was beautiful and loved by all, dress two was easily a no, and dress three was the winner!

We also picked out the bridesmaid dresses, but we'll go back at another time soon with the rest of the girls.

the bridesmaid dress! we are all (most likely) going to have the same dress and my bouquet will be like Betty's to signify that i am the maid of honor. the other bridesmaids will have basic bouquets.

I watched the end of The Celebrity Apprentice and I very much want to call Mr Trump and tell him he must have made a mistake and announced the loser instead of the winner.

---

Now it's Monday and I have some foam rolling and sticking to do, my legs are hating me right now. I might need to have one of the massage therapists at work massage calves they are so tight.

settling

2011-05-20T22:45:00.000-05:00

while i was fully enjoying my run this morning i thought about settling. i thought about the things in life that don't happen when you settle instead of fighting for things.

lately i've settled for less mileage. i ran 3 miles instead of 4 yesterday.
i've settled for a slower pace. i had been running closer to 10 minute miles instead of the 9:30 min/miles i'm used to.
i've settled for more walking...and less running. which i actually defeated this week, but i still have to work on it.

none of those settling moments will help me achieve my goals next week at the Soldier Field 10 miler and the week after at 13.1 Chicago. being the first time i'll have run double digits back to back i need to train the best i can. i need to push myself. i need to set and (hopefully) obtain goals.

i realized that the runs i had been less than thrilled with performance wise were because i settled. i didn't put effort into them, i didn't have a goal, i didn't have a motivation. i wasn't working towards something. (which is funny since i've got a 10 mile race next weekend and a half marathon the weekend after.)

my run this morning has been the best in far longer than i'd like. i went out with the intentions of running 4 miles. maybe farther if i felt like it. and running the whole thing. and pushing my pace. the first half mile i wanted to drop my mileage. 2 or 3 miles. (to argue: it was colder than i thought and i had goose bumps nearly the whole first mile.) once i got warm and got in my comfort zone on my darling lake front path, i got into a groove and thought "I am going to run the whole 4 miles! And I'm not going to walk. And let's do some negative splits!" i gave myself a goal, something to work for and i pushed myself.

and you know what?

it felt DAMN GOOD to achieve my goals. the chocolate milk afterwards was even better.

overall info. i know you people are totally jealous of my 41ft elevation gain. hills don't exist in Chicago.

splits. apparently i jumped the gun on the last lap. also not sure how a lap 5 got in there.

my route! <3 you south side lake front path.

Belated 3 Thing Thursday

2011-05-20T20:23:00.000-05:00

Since I didn't get a chance to post yesterday....

1. I went for a run before work. 3 miles along the lakefront at 6:30am. It was pretty sweet. Though I was hungry all day long. I ate lunch and was promptly hungry 15 minutes later.

2. After work and before I headed to the airport to see my man I went for a picnic in Millennium Park. It was nearly 80* yesterday afternoon. It was glorious.

Picnic lunch. Jimmy John's, water, and a book.

Then I acted like a tourist and took some pictures of me in the Bean.

Underneath the Bean.

BEAN! Also known as Cloud Gate, but nobody calls it that.

3. I painted my toe nails. After not having polish on them for 2 weeks I finally got a chance to, very quickly, do it last night. I feel like a woman again.

pick me up wednesday

2011-05-18T22:20:00.000-05:00

i've been in a tiny little funk, even though i am super happy that boyfriend spectated my 5k on sunday and that it was a pretty good run. i didn't know what it was but i couldn't snap out of it this morning, i did about 5 minutes of cardio at the gym and then came home and did a few exercises with 10lb weights. nothing major but it was a big thing for me...i never weight train on my own! i had a great personal trainer when i worked at Equinox, but he turned into an asshole (in our personal friendship) and that was that.

anyway, i'm off track...

i realized that i was down because tomorrow i'm picking up Sophie's ashes from the vet. not fun.
i'm also down because it's looking like i can't stay with my boyfriend overnight for a while. apparently Rex, my cat, kept my mom up all weekend last weekend so mother flipped out and it's either i stay home or i take Rex with. taking him with isn't possible since no pets are allowed in boyfriend's building. and i can't afford my own place, unless it's a $500 per month shit hole. so i'm not sure what to do other than find some sort of herbal remedy-ish thing for cat anxiety to keep him calm when i'm gone. either that or luck out on buying a short sale condo for $50 or $60k...

so to perk me up today i straightened my hair...which i haven't done in a loooooooooooong time. well, 6 weeks at least. and i took some time at work to paint my fingernails a pretty pink color. almost matches my pretty pink walls!

pink walls + pink nails

straight hair + 1st place trophy from high school + picture i took when i was 16

funky face glasses left hand

tomorrow after work i'm heading to O'Hare to meet boyfriend when he lands! i can't wait to see mah sugahpie. it's going to be really hard to not see him for a week when i'm in Paris and then another week when he goes home to Dublin!! i already made him promise to bring me something. :)

ok, time for bed, aiming for 4 or 5 mile run tomorrow before work. that means up at 5:30! eeeek

Race Report: Legs for Literacy 5k 2011

2011-05-16T16:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure to run the Legs for Literacy 5k. No PR here but it certainly was a race to remember. Overcast, 45* degrees, slightly rainy, and wind gusts (which weren't so bad except for maybe a half mile.) Boyfriend and I arrived about 5 minutes before the 9am start time. Basic set up of 3 tents and a few port-a-potties. It was a small race. Super small. Smaller than my age group in the other races I've run. Boyfriend and I estimated about 75 people ran/walked. I've never crossed the start line right when the clock started...it was exciting.

Crazy people waiting to start. See me in the red-orange pullover in the middle. I was cold.

Yep, that's me. #66 pouting away. I was cold and wished I had a hat instead of a visor. I took the hood down before mile 1.

And we're off! See me? Oh, you can't? Well, that is CLEARLY my foot, bit of sleeve, and visor peeking into the picture on the left. Thanks for the great shot boyfriend.

We headed up this lovely gravel path for a half mile-ish, dodging puddles and each other. I leaped over puddles and I quickly got tired of that, as did everybody else, and ran on the grass, just to the side of the path. We turned around and headed back south on gravel still then took a left turn at the 1 mile mark (a person with a '1' sign and a stopwatch who read our times out loud.) to run on the sidewalk around Diversey Harbor.

Then my double knotted shoe came untied. WHAT?! Yeah, stupid shoelace (only thing I hate about Nike Frees, the damn shoelaces). After a quick bend down to relace it I was off again. We ran across a bridge and made a little loop de loop to head under the bridge/street and continue on a puddle filled gravel path south of Fullerton. Right when I got to the base of the bridge the guy who won the race past by me, heading for the finish. I was at about mile 1.75ish and he was nearly at mile 3. Good job dude!

I ran past a little aid station with 4 volunteers, cheering and offering water. I said thanks for cheering but didn't grab any water. Hit mile 2 and the turn around (a round water fountain marked the turn around point) and headed back north, leaping over more puddles and cursing the headwinds then they blew. As I neared the 3 mile mark (no 3 mile marker though) I picked up my pace and once I rounded the last turn into the finish I went for a sprint and ended up passing 4 people! I crossed the finish line into a little wooden stick and orange tape corral where my bib was promptly ripped off my belly. Um...ok. Guess they needed it for something but I don't know what. I ripped off the little tags at the bottom otherwise they would have taken one of those, not my entire bib.

Finished in about 29:30. Don't know for sure since I forgot to turn Garmin off until after they ripped the bib from me and I walked a few more steps. Not a bad pace considering I really hadn't run since the half marathon. I'm glad I didn't stop (except for the shoe.) I'm pretty happy with myself!

Boyfriend's photography skills were off today. I was trying to look cute and give a thumbs up, now I look creepy.

I picked up a bottle of Gatorade and a few bagel slices and we were off. Boyfriend was cold and just wanted to get back home. Talked to Liz for a few words, poor girl had been out there since 6am setting up and volunteering. Thanks again Liz! Overall, I really LOVED this little race. First off, it benefits children and literacy, they were requesting book donations, I donated a favorite of mine, Little House on the Prairie. Secondly, it was only $25 to register and the perks were great. I love my shirt, and the post race food was delish! Bagels, Gatorade, water, sandwiches, coffee, tea, etc. They had prizes for first and second male and female winners and awards for age groupers too. Boyfriend said I came in about female number 10, so maybe, depending on the age group, I placed...but I don't know. No fancy chip timing, just a clock at the start/finish and no results page on the website. Guess I'll just wait to ask Liz what she finds out later today!

This race was definitely full of firsts for me:

First race in less than ideal weather

First race with under 1,500+ people

First race boyfriend came to spectate

First race I didn't really care about my time

First race I liked the shirt...and it's just a basic cotton long sleeve

First time wearing socks while running in 2 months

First race that had not a single ounce of on course entertainment (but I was fine with it)

Oh, I can't wait for next year! This is definitely a race I am running again and again!

Seventeen Thing Saturday

2011-05-14T09:13:00.002-05:00

1. I ran on Tuesday for the first time in 10 days. It was 75* outside and I went on a new path that took me around the Adler Planetarium and to Northerly Island. I ran the first mile at 9:45 and the other 3 I had to stop and stretch, walk, and take a bathroom break. Not the best run but that's alright, I just needed to get out there and get moving and feel the sun. I attempted taking a picture of my outfit because I felt awesome and badass in my Bad Ass shorts (lululemon speed short)

2. After my run I channelled my inner Janae for a snack and dinner. Though I don't quite have her skills at insane yogurt and salad creations I felt like I gave a good effort at it.

You can't see but there are 3 kinds of yogurt in addition to peanuts, mochi, brownie bits, and mini reese's pieces.

You can't tell but there's hardly any lettuce, it's mainly toppings...peas, corn, carrots, red cabbage, broccoli, chickpeas, celery, cilantro (apparently I like toppings starting with 'C'...) I think that's it.

3. I am running a 5k on Sunday that has only like 300 or 400 people signed up. I've never run such a small race and I'm excited. Also excited because boyfriend is going to be my spectator!!! He's never seen me race so I'm super excited for it. It's near his place and it's a loop course that will allow him to see me 3+ times!

4. Not having Sophie around anymore is really sinking in, but I keep reminding myself that she's in a better place now and it was the best thing we could do for her.

5. I found and joined the South Loop Running Club and I was hoping to run with them today. I didn't. I slept.

6. I bought a Groupon for a $20 membership for CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association). I have to say I'm a bit disappointed right now with it. You can get discounts on races, which I've already signed up for all the ones I want to run, which is great and you get a year subscription to Runner's World (!!), but their training groups are insanely expensive and only offered in the early mornings. I guess it'll pay off more when I register for races next year!

7. I've been watching this show a lot:

I'm giddy for Sunday so I can buy a paper and get some awesome coupons and hardly pay anything for stuff. I already found a great deal at Walgreens (4 Tresemme hair products for $15 and then you get $5 Register Rewards to use towards your next purchase. I bought the biggest shampoo and conditioner I could and 2 bottles of dry shampoo. I need to go back and get more, that stuff is amazing!)

8. I'll be here in 3 weeks:

Paris, in case you couldn't tell. I can't wait. Cannot. Wait. I'm flying over alone since my mom will already be in France but then we'll be flying back together. If you have any suggestions for places to go, things to eat, places to avoid, a route to run, I'd love to hear it. We'll be there for 6 days and we know we want to take at least 1 bikram yoga class (maybe even in French!) and buy a bunch of Laudree jam and orange marmalade.

9. I haven't been hating my job for the past 2 weeks. I mean, it's still annoying and I want something different but I'm not mad at it anymore. Which is a good thing because I'm happier!

10. Hey, Mariah Carey, Moroccan is not a name. I get it, you like Moroccan things, but name the kid Morocco or some sort of traditional Moroccan name. Not Moroccan.

11. I bought this book yesterday:

Can't wait to read it. I will buy every single book she writes, though technically she didn't write this one...

12. Does anybody have this shirt? I think it looks pretty cool and was thinking of buying it but I wanna hear some feedback first.

13. This Sunday is SURVIVOR FINALE SUNDAY. I love Survivor and I've watched it since the beginning. There were a few seasons I missed due to work and not being able to watch them online but I love it. I hope Rob doesn't win, though he has played the game flawlessly, I'm so over him. I really hope Mike comes back from Redemption Island, gets in the final 3 and wins the money since it'll be all Zapatera tribe members on the jury.

14. Boyfriend and I have to figure out when to visit San Fran this year. Anybody have suggestions for the best time of year to go? Or any other suggestions for a vacation in the continental US of A?

15. I'm officially in my senior year of college! I mean, it doesn't start until August, but since I'm done with my junior year that means I'm a senior!

16. I'm buying these babies as a graduation present and you bet I am walking across the stage in them.

They probably won't be around in 11 months but you get the idea.

17. I need a medal hanger for my running medals. A nail in the wall just doesn't do it any more. Finding one I like is proving harder than I thought.

Cookies for Breakfast

2011-05-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

I wanted to start eating oatmeal in the morning. It looked quick and yummy and you can make it how you want it. After ruining 3 bowls of oatmeal because I couldn't get it thick enough I gave up and got mad and wondered what I was going to do with 2 containers of oats. Then I remembered a post from A Foodie Stays Fit about an oatmeal cookie for breakfast. A quick search on her recipes page and I found it. The holy grail of easy breakfasts. *Note that this should be prepared the night before.*

Enter stage left: The Breakfast Cookie.

I scribbled down the recipe and pulled out all the necessary items.

Here's the basic version of the recipe:

1/3 cup of oats

1 tablespoon nut butter of your choice

1/8 cup of milk

Mix the oats and nut butter together.

Add in the milk, mix.

Add in your mixers, mix.

Place onto plate and flatten out into a cookie. Put some plastic wrap on top, stick it in the fridge overnight.

Pull it out when you are ready to eat.

Feel free to top it off with:

nut butter

jam

honey apple butter

mango butter

etc

Eat with a spoon and a jealous cat.

FOOTnotes: Fuel

2011-05-13T19:36:00.000-05:00

Pretty late in the game of FOOTnotes* for the week but better late than never, right?! Blame Blogger being down for over a day too.

Short story for my fueling:

I'm still working on it. Still waiting to hear back on if I need to go gluten free (maybe I should just call the doctor's office...). Still loads of burping, but not as much while running, thank goodness!

Pre-Run:

I generally have some toast or an english muffin with almond butter, a big glass of water (or two if I'm really thirsty), and a banana if I've got one around. I always leave myself an 60-90 minutes to digest the food before I go run (plus it leaves time for an extra poop session!) just to make sure I don't cramp. I'm not an early morning runner, so I generally wake up about 2 hours before I plan on running to allow time to fuel, poop, and wake up. I'm trying to get out the door earlier since races are before 9am and with warm summer months coming the earlier the better.

While Running:

If I'm running 6 or more miles I take some Sport Beans with me. I don't like GU or Shot Blocks or Hammer Gel, etc etc. The Sport Beans are good and small, a bit chewy but they are manageable. I sometimes eat a few before I run but I don't know if that helps any. They don't seem to bother my stomach, but the last time I used them my tummy wasn't happy, but since my stomach has been fine more times than not I think they aren't a problem. I drink water sparingly while running because I don't want to overload on it. I've gone 9 miles without water but that was a bit much and it was like 50* outside. The park district in Chicago turns off the water fountains over winter and they got turned back on a month ago so I'm now enjoying sips of water along the lakefront. It also seems like they've added a few more, which is great since they are sparse south of Soldier Field (where I run). I have a handheld but I'm not a fan of it but once it's warmer and I need more water I'll be carrying it with me.

Post-Run:
Favorite thing post run is Chocolate Milk. Mmmmmmm!!! Also, Jimmy John's...put them together and they are awesome. I save the milk for 5+ miles to make it last longer. Depending on how far I ran depends on how much fuel I load up on afterwards. Sometimes I have to eat more than I'd like since I'll be going to work for a 6+ hour shift with hardly a hope of a potty break. Pizza is also a favorite post-run fuel of mine, sausage and pineapple thank you very much.

For me, it seems less is better overall but I can't get away without eating anything before a run. I tried one morning for a quick 3 miles, rolled out of bed and into my running shoes, and it didn't work too well. I've been meaning to try out how breakfast cookies (post coming shortly) work pre-run...I'm betting they are the best thing...I'm planning on running tomorrow morning...gotta make a breakfast cookie tonight!

*If you don't know what FOOTnotes are, click here. Scroll down a wee bit, on the left side. Click those links and read away. She'll be making a tab soon...:)

back to it + bart yasso

2011-05-09T16:44:00.001-05:00

After going to bikram yoga with my momma to kick off Mother's Day I was longing, aching, pining, to go for a run. And I nearly did, but boyfriend pulled me away.

No time to run today, with school early and not enough time between school and work, that only leaves running after work an option. But since I'm here until after 8pm tonight, that means I'll get home at nearly 9pm. And I won't have eaten since 1:30pm. No dice.

So tomorrow is the day! Back to running after taking more than a week off. I have a 10 miler in 3.5 weeks. Another half marathon the week after that. Gotta get back running. Plan for tomorrow is to just go and run, turn around when I feel like it. I'm thinking 4-6 miles will be good. Then since I start school slightly later on Wednesday and I'll have time between school and work I can definitely fit in another run. Thursday is going to be bikram, Friday run, Saturday run (most likely).

Sunday I've got a wee little 5k to race, which I am really excited for since boyfriend will be spectating! This is the first time he'll be at a race and it's great since it's a small one and the course is a loop so I can see him at a few different points!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bart Yasso read my blog today. (Along with many others, but let's pretend he loves my blog).

Our Twitter conversation:

I must say, Bart Yasso is fucking awesome. He seems like a real guy, not some "Yeah I'm awesome, psssh, look at me." kind of guy. Maybe I can talk him into getting me in Runner's World as a "I'm a Runner" interviewee.

(Note: A former co-worker of mine just had her first article published in the June 2011 issue, check out page 75 if you want some AMAZING advice.)

I'm thinking of getting either Kara Goucher's Running for Women or the Run Less, Run Faster book. Which do you recommend? (I already have Runner's World Book of Women's Running.)

Today I Said Goodbye

2011-05-07T19:35:00.000-05:00

to Sophie.

We brought her into our home after my uncle found her in an alley by his house. My brother and I *begged* my mom to let us keep her and she quickly gave in. She was 4 months old and had to go to the vet for a complete check up and had to get all her shots and she had ear mites and everything. She cost my mom a lot of money right away.

the first night we brought her home. hello 1990s.

she was an outdoor cat for a while. loved to roam around the neighborhood, hang out in the backyard, etc. she got in a few fights and we had to take her to the vet a few times, once was really bad and she had permanent scarring on her tail and the hair grew back all weird.

a few years ago i got the cats this silly hat. she was not a fan.

we kept her inside after the bad fight, then she became terrified of the outdoors. though she still loved to try and bolt out the door when we would come in. we lived in an apartment by this time so she only ever got into the hallway.

a favorite sleeping position of hers.

when we lived in the house in Elgin, we had this massive unfinished basement. she loved it. there would be mice and she'd catch them and then show them off by bringing them to my mom's or my grandma's bed. they didn't like it. she also loved sleeping on the pipes down there because they were warm. if you couldn't find her chances are she was sleeping on the pipes.

she loved to cuddle and if you weren't paying enough attention to her you'd surely know it!

Queen Sophie for sure!

She was never fond of other animals, especially since she was the only pet in our house for over 10 years. her and rex never got along, especially since rex loves to play and sophie would prefer to keep it quiet.

a month or so ago. you can see she is very tiny. this morning she weighed in at 4.8 pounds.

she would not leave you alone if you had anything to eat. especially anything involving meat. it was like she smelled it before you even thought of it. she would meow and meow until she got what she wanted. she also loved to lick the salt off your plate and try to eat your cereal and milk.

a few days ago. she stopped coming into my room when i got rex about 4 years ago. rarely did she come in and sleep on my bed.

in the past 6 months she got really needy and would cuddle right up to you. if my mom wasn't home and i was she'd sit right by me. this day i was home, feeling under the weather. she tried jumping onto my bed and it didn't work. i picked her up and she cuddled next to me for a while. when i was younger she always slept with me. if i wasn't home she'd sleep with my mom, sometimes with my brother. but he got too big and took up too much of the bed.

today, in the vet's office shortly after we made the decision to let her go to the rainbow bridge. she's happy there and i imagine her as she was 8 years ago. slightly overweight and enjoying things. maybe there's a mouse or two to catch. and she won't be bothered by anybody she doesn't want to be bothered by.

Eyes Right

2011-05-07T11:03:00.000-05:00

I apparently had a thing for looking to my right when nearing the finish line.

from the 5k. I'll be investing in v-neck t-shirts from now on. but look at that thigh!

and of course...

we've got the stink eye monster!

Don't even ask what was over there, I have not a clue.

The Week After...

2011-05-06T11:31:00.000-05:00

My body has taken a beating since the half marathon on Saturday. On Saturday and Sunday I could not get enough to eat! That was until a late lunch with my family at Mon Ami Gabi and I ate the best thing ever. A fluffy waffle covered in Nutella and some strawberries. Few hours later, started to not feel good. And I was sick Monday and Tuesday, much better Wednesday and yesterday, and today I'm great! Other than some ear blockage I'm all good!

Today was my first day back working out. Spent 45 minutes on this weird elliptical-ish thing and my legs are feeling it. I am happy to report I was able to breathe easy so I'm thinking I'll be good for a 3 mile run tomorrow! Also, my back pain has disappeared since last Wednesday so I'll be back in my Minimus and I am thrilled!

I treated boyfriend to cooking dinner last night and it was the best we've had in a long time! I bought some great steaks, seasoned them well, roasted potatoes to perfection, made us a side salad from the salad bar at Whole Foods, and made a great dessert. Dessert was the best part of the meal (as it should be) and the easiest to do! Just make some pudding, I used Jell-O instant Vanilla, get some Nilla Wafers, and strawberries. Get a bowl, take a handful of wafers and crumble them up in the bowl, add some cut up strawberries and then pile on as much puddin' as you want. Feel free to add more wafers if you wish. Come back and thank me when you've eaten it and declared it as the best dessert ever.

Off to meet a friend for lunch, drop an old pair of shoes at Fleet Feet, then to work for a few hours! Happy Friiiiddaaaayyyyyy! Rex thinks everybody should go have fun in a drawer. :-)

Race Report: Illinois Marathon Half Marathon

2011-05-05T11:37:00.000-05:00

When: Saturday April 30th, 7:30am
Where: Champaign Urbana, IL
# of finishers: 6432
Garmin time: 2:16:46
Chip time: 2:19:27
# of potty breaks: 1...should have stopped once more.
Overall place: 4190
Gender place: 2062
Age Group place: 537

Not the best set up for the race. We ate dinner incredibly late, nearly 10pm due to waiting at Olive Garden for so long. We ended up getting our meal free since our food took far too long, but I would have gladly handed over some money to get our food faster. None of the 4 of us pooped before the race started. And let's face it, everybody knows the key to a good long run is a good big poop.

We left our hotel at 6:30am and drove to the start line. They hadn't closed off streets yet so we zipped to one of the many parking lots near the start and finish lines and found a parking spot with plenty of time left. We all opted to get out of the car and find some bathrooms and somebody recalled that we could go into one of the buildings (can't remember the name) to use the bathrooms...INSIDE! On a windy morning it was glorius.

At the start line I split off from the 3 of them and headed to the 2:10 pacer (they stayed at the 1:55 pacer) to hang out. My plan was to stick with the pacer for the first 3 miles or so and then if I'm feeling good run ahead on my own, knowing I could slow down in the later miles if needed. Well, I lost him by the time I crossed the start line because so many people came in from the sidelines. I took it easy the first 3 miles in which I actually ended up passing the 2:10 pacer. Felt good so I kept on going, not really thinking about anything, completely zoning out.

Around mile 5 I started feeling like I needed a bathroom so I decided that I'd stop at the next group of port-o-lets, which came around mile 5.6 ish. I saw them in the distance and sped up and noted it was a short line! SCORE! Overall an approximate 3 minute potty break. Felt amazing, which you can see by my mile 6 split of 9:20. Coming up to mile 7, which apparently there was a long slow climb in there but I do not recall any sort of hill, I still had yet to hydrate at all so upon the water station I drank a cup of water, grabbed another and a Gatorade to mix some G-rade in water.

We entered into a lovely park and while it kind of stunk to go from road to tiny trail it wasn't that bad, at least for me. I was in my zone and I weaved thru people as needed. It was my favorite part of the whole race, though many others hope it gets cut from the course in the coming years. Once I came out of the park I hit a wall. Took a little walk break to eat a few sport beans, then in mile 10 I stupidly did not stop at the bathroom (no line at all) but I instead told myself I'll be fine, drank 2 cups of water at the station and kept going. But just barely.

Those last 3 miles were really tough. I was tired and for some reason my quads were incredibly sore. I was feeling the very beginning of chafing happening between my legs (forgot I had a small thing of Body Glide in my pocket). I kept looking out for the next set of port-o-lets but they never came (until *right* before the finish). I had to walk to keep *certain things* inside. I shuffled along as fast and as long as I could until it felt like I was going to poop in my lululemon speed shorts (which I have renamed Bad Ass shorts). I took mile 11 slowly, hoping to let everything subside so I could at least run 12 and 13.1 at a decent pace. Somewhere in there the 2:15 pacer passed me. Damn. I felt like crying, mainly because I was scared of crapping in my pants and I was cursing myself for not using the bathroom at mile 10.

I finally got to the last .1 (according to the course, I was already done with my half marathon according to Garmin) and I had been shuffling along for a while but I HAD to stop and walk. So I did and a woman ran up behind me, gave me a hand on the shoulder and said "You are so close! Run with me! Run with me!" So I ran to finish, just a few steps behind her. Woman, if you are reading this, thank you for that push. I needed it!

I neared the finish and gave somebody the stink eye...not sure what I was looking for or at but I didn't seem to like it...

enlarged to show that stink eye i'm giving somebody at the finish. look at that eyebrow!

walked through a water station in mile 7, then walked a bit in miles 10 and 11, then walked a large portion of miles 12 and 13. shuffled along the last .10...which was actually .22/.23.

Overall, it wasn't that bad, and it's a PR! About 3 minutes off my time from Chicago Half Marathon in September! With 3 more half marathons this year I am sure to hit my 2:10 goal! And now that Mary has beat her goal of under 2 hours, she'll gladly run with me at 13.1 to keep me on pace!

Next race: Legs for Literacy 5k. May 15th. Goal: PR my 5k, so under 27:52

Then: Soldier Field 10 Miler. May 28th. Goal: 1:30:00

Race Report: Illinois Marathon 5k

2011-05-03T19:43:00.000-05:00

When: Friday, April 29th. 6:30pm
Where: Champaign-Urbana, IL
# of finishers: 4217
Garmin time: 28:19
Chip time: 28:22
Overall Place: 1104
Gender Place: 376
Age Group Place: 75

The first part of the Illinois Marathon I-Challenge was the 5k. New to the Illinois Marathon series, the I-Challenge consisted of running the 5k Friday night and racing in either the half or full marathon on Saturday morning.

I wasn't racing this run, rather just going at whatever speed I feel like, whatever feels comfortable and just seeing how I do. No real goal but I was expecting to finish around 28:30. With my knee/leg/IT band acting up lately I didn't want to push anything.

my splits. i saw my first mile and knew i should slow down. though i did feel pretty comfortable during that mile. just got scared of what might happen if i pushed too much. once i turned into the stadium it was a sprint!

The course basically goes thru downtown Champaign, pretty much in the middle of the U of I campus, makes a few turns, and you end up running into the stadium, making a half loop around on the astroturf then crossing the finish where you get handed a medal and there is some water as well. Then you get the fun of going up stairs to get out. The course itself is basic, start out going over 1 mile straight, turn right, go a little bit further, turn right, hit the 2 mile mark, run some more, right turn, left turn, right turn, then right into the stadium.

I had my iPod with me in case I wanted to listen to the music but I ended up not using it as I didn't feel like fiddling with it while running. The crowds though...not very enthusiastic. Sure you had some loud college kids, but there was definitely more silence than cheering, especially at the end! The last bit of road before turning into the stadium dead silent...but filled with people on the sidelines. One lady running yelled "IT'S TOO QUIET! YELL FOR US!!!"...then all the runners started cheering for each other.

Overall it wasn't a bad race. Definitely organized and there were tons of volunteers. The only thing I would change would be the start time. Especially for those running the next morning, by the time you finish, get back to your hotel and shower, you don't eat until nearly 9pm, which is really late to be eating for a half or full marathon the next morning.

*no pictures because they aren't on the website. every other race in the series is up but not the 5k. i will post them if they turn up.*

I Virtually Raced!

2011-05-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

I told you all a few weeks ago that I signed up for two virtual races. I've never done a virtual race before, in fact I hadn't heard about virtual racing only shortly before these races popped up!

I ran the Jelly Bean Virtual race on April 19th. 10k (6.2 miles) on the treadmill in 58 minutes for a 9:17 pace. (Sidenote: Does anybody else hate that Daily Mile just rounds the time to the nearest minute?! It drives me batty! Why can you not include the seconds???)

Post Jelly Bean run!

I also signed up for the I Can't Afford the Actual Race Virtual Marathon. You could either run 26.2 miles over the course of 2 weeks or run it all in one day. I chose to spread out the mileage and the I Challenge really helped with that!

26.2 miles

5 days/runs

4:20:46 total

2 pairs of shoes

2 'official' races

1 virtual race

$0 entry fee.

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The races were a lot of fun! I hope to participate in more and host my own virtual race one day!

back from middle Earth...i mean Illinois

2011-05-01T20:45:00.000-05:00

I got back from Champaign-Urbana yesterday and this is the first time I got a chance to really sit down and relax! I've got a lot of blogging to catch up on, that is for sure!

The weekend was fun with my friends and I'm looking forward to more travelling races with them. I'm waiting for the race photos to be available to post my race recaps but in the mean time, here are a few photos from the weekend.

first leg of traveling to Urbana...taking the Metra from downtown Chicago to Elburn, IL. as you can see i am alone. and just a few minutes before this picture one of the conductors was taking a cat nap behind me.

view from the train. 99% of the car ride from Elburn to Champaign-Urbana looked like this. There is nothing between Chicagoland and Champaign-Urbana.

fuel for 4 people.

post race beer and water. heaven.

post race forzen yogurt. there's some cookies and cream yogurt, red velvet cake yogurt, and strawberry yogurt in there. then brownies, mochi, and reese's cups on top. i should have gotten more.

bibs and medals! medal and bib on left for 5k. medal and bib on right for half marathon. medal in the middle for the I Challenge.

Last night boyfriend took me out to dinner then I promptly fell asleep by 9:30pm. Then woke up at 6am. He was not happy, understandably so. Then I came home to go out to the suburbs for an early mother's day lunch at Mon Ami Gabi. It was totally yum. I had a waffle with nutella and strawberries! Then for dessert I had profiterols! Best lunch ever and I was finally full, which was exciting. Then finally home to blog and do nothing but read blogs and half do my homework. I have a performance tomorrow, I hope I can walk normally for it. Otherwise it won't be good.

ready for the weekend

2011-04-28T20:56:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning I head down to Urbana...total trip of about 5 hours for me...yuck! First I have to take a train from Chicago to Elburn, where Mary will pick me up and we'll head straight to Urbana from there. We should be getting to town about 12 or so, going to the expo to get our bibs, t-shirts, and whatever other goodies we can get our hands on. Then to the hotel, to relax for a bit, get settled and get ready for the 5k at 6:30! Then dinner and bed for the half marathon on Saturday morning!

I've got both outfits picked out, which was harder than I thought! Though I knew I'd be wearing my lululemon Speed Shorts...I'm renaming them Bad Ass shorts because I always feel bad ass in them.

My knee is feeling better but I'm still concerned about it. I'm going to foam roll, Stick, and ice both legs/knees tonight and I've got KT tape for the weekend for some extra support. Oddly enough, while I was running on Tuesday my knee didn't hurt. Wearing my 3.0s for both races this weekend, just to give my legs more support than the Minimus.

Ok, off to foam roll, ice, and watch yesterday's Survivor, then get to bed!

30 Day Challenge(s) Day 17, 18, & 19

2011-04-28T17:45:00.000-05:00

A photo of you and your family- I wish I had the picture taken from my Grandma's birthday of the whole family. So I'll just post this pic of me and my brother at his wedding in Feb 09.

Book turned movie and completely desecrated- The Lovely Bones. Ugh!

A guilty pleasure- Oreo cookies with peanut butter...

A picture of someone you were mean to and regretted- I regret telling my former best friend to stop acting like a bitch because we haven't talked since then. However, it just showed me her true colors to drop our 9 year friendship so fast.

The most boring film you've ever seen- The Godfather.

a song that you hear often on the radio- Lately I've been hearing Judas by Lady Gaga...do not like.

Something you crave a lot- H2O

A Book You can’t find on shelves anymore that you love- ....hmm...not a clue...

A confession- I love to learn. I hate school.

A picture of an old friend- Me and Mickey go way back. Taken in Beverly Hills, 2009.

A film that you never want to see- Godfather 2 and 3...

song that you wish you heard on the radio- I'd love it if I was listening to the radio and Spice Girls popped on...

Another picture of yourself- This is from about 2, maybe even more, years ago. Just playing around with my camera. I loved my hair this day, and I think I cut it shortly afterwards.

A Book that changed your mind about a particular subject- I don't have an answer for this one.

Name of a cocktail that would describe you- The only names of cocktails I know are "Screwdriver" and "Run & Diet Coke"...

A picture of a pet- Rexie, 4 years ago!!!

A film that reminds you of someone- Tomb Raider reminds me of my brother because he took me to see both of them when they came to theatres.

A song from your favorite album- Someone Like You by Adele

30 Day Challenge(s) Day 15 &16

2011-04-26T15:14:00.000-05:00

Something you don’t leave the house without- Keys. Always.

Favorite book dealing with foreign culture- I'm not really a foreign culture reader...
A song you wish was wriiten for you- Eh, nothing comes to mind.
A picture of someone you wish you were- Yes, this is a picture of me. I'm perfectly happy being Nina. Taken on New Years Eve.

A film you can practically quote word for word- Napoleon Dynamite!

a song that describes you-

Your celebrity crush- Angelina Jolie. Don't hate.
Favorite book turned movie- The Devil Wears Prada
What you would do if you were god- Not care if somebody is black, white, hispanic, asian, gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, etc. However, I would care about people who are unaccepting of those who are different from them.
A picture of someone you would like to spend more time with- I'd post another photo of boyfriend, but I don't want you all to get jealous. :) In all honestly, I would love love love to be able to spend more time with him.
A film you currently want to see- Water for Elephants.
A song that you used to love but now hate- Some of Lady Gaga's songs are getting old...

Work Out Odds & Ends

2011-04-25T17:57:00.000-05:00

Yikes, been a while since I've told you my workouts...

4/11- rest
4/12- 10 miles. Ran 7, walked 3 (back hurt when I ran). 7 miles took 1:09, 3 miles took about 40-45 minutes.
4/13- rest
4/14- bikram yoga
4/15-4/18- rest (more like too busy)
4/19- 6.2 miles, approximately 58 minutes
4/20- rest
4/21- 3 miles, 28:26
4/22- rest
4/23- 4 miles, approx 38 minutes
4/24- bikram yoga
4/25- rest

*on rest days i spend some time foam rolling and using The Stick. I love The Stick.

Upcoming this week, I've got 4 miles tomorrow, 4 miles Wednesday, bikram yoga on Thursday (or maybe just stretching on my own). Then it's up early on Friday for an early train to Elburn then a 3 hour drive to Urbana! 5k starts at 6:30pm but we want to have plenty of time to get to the expo, check into the hotel, and chill. We'll all be done by 7pm so we'll head back to the hotel, find some food, and chill in for the night. Then up at about 5:30 or 6am for the 7:30am half marathon start!

Then a few days for rest, then starts training for the Soldier Field 10 miler May 28th, which is really training for the 13.1 half on June 4th. Then I actually get a little bit of a break until my next race...RnR Chicago in August!
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On another note, I finished the Runner's World book of Women's Running. Pretty good stuff in there. Though I did skip a few chapters about body image and safety...There are training plans in there and lots of info about different types of workouts. I just run and I want to start working on my speed, other than tempo runs on the treadmill. I'll be starting to run to a nearby track, then doing some 400s and 800s, etc, then it's a cool down home. Also thinking of incorporating some suicide drills to help speed as well. I saw on daily mile somebody posted about doing surges every 20 minutes. I think that will be a great idea, every 20 minutes 'surging' for 3 minutes! Might try that out the second half of the half on Saturday...that way if I burn out I won't have much longer to go!