January in Review

My very early, peaceful, and enjoyable 3 mile run in spring-like temperatures on January 31, 2012 brought my January training to a close.  Although it might be more accurate to say those 3 miles brought my January running to a close since I am not technically training for a specific event at the moment but at any rate I give you my final numbers!

January 2012 stats
100.1-- running miles
6-- bike miles
1--  pool workout
106.1-- total miles
156.8--  weight as of January 31, 2012

Current 2012 stats
100.1-- running miles
6-- bike miles
1-- pool workout
106.1-- total miles
156.8-- current weight

2012 "to do list" January check-in
2012 Running Goals
1. My number one running goal is to run a sub-1:50 half marathon
-No work has been done on this.  I need to decide when I want to attempt my sub 1:50 and then follow a training plan to help me do so.
2. Secondary to the goal of a sub-1:50, I would like to attempt to run another marathon PR (sub-4:10:11) with a stretch goal of running a sub-4:00:00
-I have had a few thoughts in regards to when I want to run another marathon.  I am thinking October...no other thoughts about this right now.
2012 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month
-100.1 miles run in January
2. Run a half marathon each month
-Rock N' Roll Arizona 1/2 Marathon on January 15, 2012 (1:57:43)
2012 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Increase the amount of cross-training/strength training I do on a monthly basis
-2 cross-training/strength workouts done in January...baby steps
2. Focus on choosing and cooking healthier foods
-14 well-balanced meals prepared in January
3. Drink more water
-This remains a struggle for me.  I am not happy with my water intake for January so I need to make a conscious effort to step it up.
4. I promised a certain someone that if they ran a marathon with me I would learn to swim so I intend to make good on that promise this year.
-Aside from looking at the swim lesson schedules a few times in January I haven't made any further progress on this challenge but I intend to.

I am very pleased with my January.  Now I am looking ahead to February and I am very excited to start my February challenge tomorrow.  There's still time to join me in my quest--simply click here to find out the details!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Who's Ready to Leap Into a Challenge?

Considering this year is a leap year I thought it would be fun to create a 30 day challenge for myself and anyone else who would like to join me.

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Now I am fully aware that there are only 29 days in February this year so my plan is to finish the challenge on day 30 even though it will be March 1.

Starting on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 I will start the following 30 day challenges

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I challenge myself to not eat any sweets for 30 days.  Some of my staff has decided to participate in this part of the challenge with me but they have asked for an exemption on Valentine's Day considering there are 29 days in February this year.  I granted them their exemption because they are willing to give it a try and I would say 28 days of no sweets is a good start.  I however will not be granting myself the exemption.

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I challenge myself to not eat any potato chips for 30 days.

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I challenge myself to complete a 30 day fitness program in addition to my February running.  I haven't confirmed which 30 day fitness challenge I am going to go with as of yet.  I am looking into Jillian Michael's 30 day shred and a few other things.  I will make the decision prior to Feburary 1 so that I will have everything I need to complete the challenge.

They say it takes 21 days to create a habit, just imagine what 30 days could do!  I plan to do post on my progress with these challenges so stay tuned!

Okay, so who's with me?  Who wants to leap into a challenge with both feet?

Rock N' Roll Arizona 1/2 Marathon Race Weekend

Last Friday I was obsessively checking the airline website to make sure that my flight was still on time and in fact going to be leaving Cleveland for Phoenix.  I was pleasantly surprised to board the plane right on time.  We did spend quite a bit of time on the runway while our plane was de-iced.  In the end it was a pretty uneventful flight and we arrived in Phoenix right on time.  Once to the airport I headed to grab my rental car and then headed to Chandler to find Nikki's sister's house.  Nikki's sister was kind enough to let us stay at her house as to not have to worry about hotel costs.  I found her development with no problem which is impressive for me as I have a horrible sense of direction (there's a reason Deb always drives when we go places) however I was having a hard time seeing the addresses on the houses so I had to get out of the car and walk on the sidewalk to make sure I was in fact at the right place.  I can't even imagine walking up to the wrong house and trying to open the door with the key.  Shortly after getting settled in I decided to call it a night.  Of course with the time change I woke up at 4:40 AM on Saturday morning but I managed to convince myself to try and go back to sleep and fortunately I was able to.  Once I woke up for good I noticed how nice it was outside and knew I had to go out for a nice, slow run to take in the scenery.

My view during my 3 mile run

The entrance to Nikki's sister's development



After my run I got ready and headed out to grab some coffee, something to eat, and some food for race morning.  Fortunately there was a Starbucks and a really good deli in the grocery store so I was able to take care of everything with one stop.  With all of my purchases made I headed back to the house to wait for Nikki and her family to arrive.  I decided to sit outside, in January, and read!

Poolside reading

Nikki and her family eventually made it to the house and then Nikki and I headed out to the expo to pick up our race packets.  Several times during the drive to the expo we talked about the race and how weird it was not to have Deb with us.  We certainly missed her!!  I had emailed RNR Arizona and asked if I would be able to at least get Deb's shirt for her and they were more than happy to help me out so Deb at least has a part of the race now.  I really like Deb's I-fitness belt that she runs with so I decided to go ahead and buy one at the expo.  I am very happy that I did.  It worked perfectly!  Nikki and I grabbed a map before we left the expo so we could figure out parking for race morning and then headed back to the house to grab her family so we could go out to dinner.  We grabbed dinner at Oregano's and then headed back to the house to get some much needed rest for the race.  Sunday morning Nikki and I were up bright and early getting our race gear ready and getting on the road to Phoenix since we had a 30 minute drive.  Nikki took care of the directions while I did the driving.  Of course the exit we were supposed to take was backed up at least four miles so Nikki had me go to the next exit and we didn't run into any traffic at all and decided to make a pit stop at McDonald's as to not have to use the porta potties once we arrived at the race.  The parking was perfect as it was right next to the finish line and it was free.  We parked the car and made the walk to the start line.

Nikki and I at the start line

Once we were at the start line there was an announcement that the start would be delayed by ten minutes as some people were stuck in the traffic that Nikki and I managed to avoid.  Of course I found it really funny that after they finally started the race, there were two more delays for "train crossing".  Seriously?  Who starts a race by running over train tracks?  It definitely made for a good laugh!  Our corral finally started the race at 8:00 AM.  I really didn't have a plan going into the race and I mentioned to Nikki that I would be happy with a 2:07.  My plan was to just run by feel and whatever happened I would be okay with.  I saw all kinds of fun people during the 1/2 marathon.

-Around the 2 1/2 mile mark I came across Dan Evans from The Biggest Loser sporting an orange tutu to support the Kids Fit Foundation that he runs for.

- Just after the 5K mark I came across Dan's brother who was also running the race.

-At mile 6 I came across a lady wearing the same exact shirt that I had on.  We joked that we must be on the same team.

-At mile 7 I came across a brother and sister running together who had run the Tough Mudder in Mesa on Saturday.

-Just before mile 9 I came across papa smurf and his smurf family complete with blue faces.

-At the 9 1/2 mile mark I passed the PF Chang's dragon.  One of the people holding up the dragon tried to get me to hold it for awhile but I told her I was good. 

-Just prior to mile 10 I came across a group of girls with shirts that said "running from the snow" on the back and I was almost positive I knew what the front of the shirts were going to say.  Sure enough I was right...CHICAGO!

-After seeing the Chicago girls I saw the most beautiful scenery ever....mountains and catci all along the course!

-At mile 10 I saw my watch, yes you are reading that right.  I looked down at my watch and saw my time (1:30) and realized that I had 30 minutes to run a sub-2 race so I kicked it up a notch and ran my fastest 5K of the entire race.

-At mile 12 I came across a group of girls wearing aqua leggings and rainbow knee socks.  According to their shirts they "belonged to a drinking club with a running problem".  Great shirts!!

-At mile 13.1 I saw the finish line and a fellow runner with some awesome socks!

Love these socks

I was very pleased to see my finish time of 1:57:43. 

My race results...pretty consistent

After I made it through the maze that was the finish line I was able to get my Desert Double Down medal for running Vegas and Phoenix 6 weeks apart.  After grabbing my medal I people watched while I waited for Nikki during which time I saw the three little pigs.  It was quite comical to see 3 grown men in head to toe pink pig outfits.  Once Nikki made her way to me we headed back to her sisters and decided to sit in the hot tub for a bit and it definitely helped with the leg muscles and I actually woke with zero leg pain on Monday morning.  After we sat in the hot tub we all went out to grab a bite to eat and then I packed everything up in preparation for my return flight home on Monday morning. 

Aside from the fact that we missed Deb, it was a good weekend. 

With state #8 complete, we were planning to run DC in March but we realized it was sold out so Deb did some research and our next race will be in Louisville, Kentucky at the Kentucky Derby Festival 1/2 Marathon in April!  Looking forward to another amazing trip with Deb and Nikki and anyone else that would like to join us!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Here Comes The Sun....

I can't get this song out of my head ever since I watched my daughter take her ballet class on Wendesday and I found out it was the song for her classes' portion of the recital in June.  As annoying as it is to have it stuck in my head, it is very approriate as I am heading to Phoenix tomorrow where I hope to find that sun!  Of course I won't arrive until after sunset so I guess I will have to get my first dose of the sun on Saturday morning!

This weekend I will be running the Rock N' Roll Arizona 1/2 Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona.

State #8

While I am looking forward to running a 1/2 marathon in warmer weather and knocking out my 1/2 marathon for January I am very bummed because my best friend , Deb, won't be there with me.  She called me last week and asked me to come and help her out with her kids because she was in severe pain.  Long story short, she is sick and may need to have her gallbladder removed.  She is having a test done tomorrow morning that will determine the next step in her journey to being fully recovered and back to "normal."  Sadly, she is unable to fly or run 13.1 miles which means Arizona is no longer an option for her.  I will miss her dearly but I will run the best race I can in her honor.

Deb and I in Vegas before seeing Garth Brooks

If you remember back to Rock N' Roll Vegas, Nikki was unable to join us and we decided we would have to go back to Vegas with her next year so she could check Nevada off the list in our quest to run a 1/2 marathon in all 50 states.  Nikki will in fact be in Phoenix this weekend to tackle her next state.  Of course when I talked with Deb we decided that we would have to do both Vegas and Phoenix again next year so Nikki can make up Nevada and Deb can make up Arizona.  The other reason we have to do both again next year is so Deb and Nikki can qualify for the Desert Double Down Medal.  After I cross the finish line on Sunday I will receive my Desert Double Down Medal but don't think for a minute that I won't be with both Deb and Nikki next year at both races!!  

Double Down Medal

Deb, Nikki, and I at Rock N' Roll Philly

I don't really have any time goals for Sunday as I plan to play it by ear.  I guess we will see what happens!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

So Far So Good

I recently read a post that Amanda from Get to Goal (here) did and I really liked the format of it so I'm going to go ahead and snag part of her idea from her and use it today!  Thanks Amanda for the inspiration!  :)

Where to start? Um...how about let's start with how my goals (to-do list) for 2012 are going.

2012 Running Goals
1. My number one running goal is to run a sub-1:50 half marathon
2. Secondary to the goal of a sub-1:50, I would like to attempt to run another marathon PR (sub-4:10:11) with a stretch goal of running a sub-4:00:00-- No work has been done on these two goals as of yet.  I will be running plenty of 1/2 marathons for #1 and I am thinking fall is a good time to shoot for #2.

2012 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month- obviously this is a work in progress and I am currently at 17 miles and going strong.
2. Run a half marathon each month- will be running the Phoenix 1/2 marathon next Sunday...check January off the list!

2012 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Increase the amount of cross-training/strength training I do on a monthly basis- did my first pool workout today while the kids were swimming at the YMCA

No, this isn't our YMCA but it is a pool!!

2. Focus on choosing and cooking healthier foods- I made three well-balanced meals this week plus a fourth balanced meal using leftovers.  I have stayed away from the sweets all week except for this afternoon when I did have frozen yogurt.  I went with strawberry/banana topped with strawberries and raspberries...does that count as a healthy dessert?

One of the meals made this week

3. Drink more water- this one is always a challenge for me.  I'm doing okay in this area but certainly need to be doing much more.
4. I promised a certain someone that if they ran a marathon with me I would learn to swim so I intend to make good on that promise this year.- I have looked at the YMCA swim lesson calendar and have thought about calling to see about private lessons but that is as far as I have gotten. 

I realize it is only January 7th but I am very proud of myself for my success this week.  Only 51 more weeks to go to achieve those goals and complete my to-do list!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

A Look Back on 2011 and A Look Ahead to 2012

January 2011
*Training for the Cleveland Marathon began (there were many long runs where Jenn and I were sporting our ninja masks to get our run in during the crazy Cleveland winter)
*I spent many a morning running in circles on the indoor track at the YMCA
*Ran 104 miles



February 2011

*Traveled to Austin, TX with Deb and Nikki to knock out another state on our quest to run a 1/2 marathon in all 50 states

*Finally met Joe M. and many other dailymile runners while in Austin

*Traveled to Dublin, OH where I paced Dave to his first sub-2 hour 1/2 marathon

*Ran 100.09 miles

March 2011
*Ran my first 30K and finished dead last while getting first in my age group
*Said goodbye to my Grandma
*Ran my first 20 mile training run for the Cleveland Marathon
*Ran 136.4 miles

April 2011

*Placed first female overall at a local 5K

*Met Olympic Bronze Medalist Lynn Jennings

*Ran the Cleveland 10 Miler as part of a 20 mile training run with Dave and Jenn

*Met some more great running friends (Deb, Missi, Kim and Brigette) thanks to Dave

*Traveled to Nashville, TN with Deb and Nikki to run the RNR Nashville Country Music 1/2 Marathon in honor of Uncle Joe who was in the fight of his life, taking on esophogeal cancer.

*Met Kara Goucher and she autographed my book

*Ran 129.81 miles

May 2011

*Finally got to meet my admitted girl crush and several other bloggers

*Finished the Cleveland Marathon upright and with a smile on my face with A LOT of help from an amazing friend

*Was reminded to appreciate the love of the run

*Ran/walked my daughter's third 5K with her

*Committed to a sub-4:15 training plan, created by Joe, for the Columbus Marathon

*Ran 78.81 miles

June 2011

*Placed 3rd in my age group, with strep throat, at a local 5K

*Officially signed up for the Columbus Marathon

*Started training for the Columbus Marathon

*Ran 90.1 miles

July 2011
*Ran many miles in Myrtle Beach while on vacation
*Took a girls trip to Columbus with my best friend, Deb
*Said goodbye to Uncle Joe
*Ran 172.8 miles
*Set a new monthly mileage PR

August 2011
*Continued training for the Columbus Marathon
*Returned to work after enjoying the summer
*Ran 180.21 miles
*Set yet another monthly mileage PR

September 2011
*Ran my 1,000 mile for 2011
*Traveled to Philadelphia, PA with Deb and Nikki to take on the RNR Philly 1/2 Marathon
*Ran the "Rocky Steps" a couple times
*Met Jackie and Dan from the Biggest Loser
*Had an amazing final 20 mile training run for the Columbus Marathon
*Ran 115.29 miles



October 2011

*Traveled to Chicago to support Deb and Missi in their marathon

*Met Amanda while in Chicago

*Had the time of my life at the Columbus Marathon on October 16, 2011

*Crossed the finish line of the Columbus Marathon in 4:10:11 with the support of my amazing friends

*Ran all 26.2 miles of the Columbus Marathon in memory of Uncle Joe, he will always be our Superman

*Ran 83.2 miles

November 2011
*Just ran to run with no training plan
*Enjoyed a few beautiful runs in PA while visiting for Thanksgiving
*Ran 51.6 miles
*Least amount of miles run in a month in 2011

December 2011
*Traveled to Las Vegas, NV with Deb to run the RNR Vegas Strip at Night 1/2 Marathon
*Enjoyed an amzing girls weekend while in Vegas with my best friend
*Ran into Darlene on the course in a sea of 45,000 people
*Was told by my doctor that I was the picture of health (BP 110/62, weight 153 lbs, and BMI 22) and to keep running because it is working
*Ran 57.69 miles
*Ran my 1,300 mile on my basement treadmill on December 31, 2011

2011 was a great year overall.  Although there was great sadness in saying goodbye to two amazing family members, there were many more tears of joy and accomplishment shed!

With a wrap on 2011, I give you my "to do list" for 2012

2012 Running Goals
1. My number one running goal is to run a sub-1:50 half marathon
2. Secondary to the goal of a sub-1:50, I would like to attempt to run another marathon PR (sub-4:10:11) with a stretch goal of running a sub-4:00:00

2012 Mini Running Challenges
1.  Run 100 miles per month
2.  Run a half marathon each month

2012 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1.  Increase the amount of cross-training/strength training I do on a monthly basis
2.  Focus on choosing and cooking healthier foods
3.  Drink more water
4.  I promised a certain someone that if they ran a marathon with me I would learn to swim so I intend to make good on that promise this year. 

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!