2012 Goals Recap

I can't believe it is almost 2013?  Where has this year gone?  I have to say, this one one hell of a year!  The beginning of the year was a rough year for me!  I don't know if it is even possible to recap it?

I started the year out with a running injury..Damn IT Band, and was not running until end of April.  That was 4 months of no running, and to make things better, I wasn't doing much else in the sense of cardio.  My work life stressed me out beyond belief, and if you know me, you know what happened there. (or would like to hear more about that, feel free to send me an email. )  I managed to pack on almost 20 pounds with the stress!  Once I started at my new school, things defiantly got better, well until Sandy hit New York and the New York City Marathon was cancelled.  That was a really hard, and what was even harder, going straight into Goofy training.  I thought I would have a nice recovery period where I would get to sleep in, nope, that didn't happen.  I burnt out, and I burnt out quickly.  You can see all that here.

I am not going to go into much details of what happened this year, I am going to leave that for another post.  I did want to go back and look at my running goals from last year.  You can find that post here.


As I read them, I am not sure how attainable they were.  I am not sure how often I even looked at them.
                                         ---------------------------------------------------
I would love to be 123 pounds...which isn't too far off :) Finally!! When I wrote this, I was maybe 7 pounds away, which I could have done, if I chose to watch what I ate.  Instead, stress and emotions got the best of me!

I want to run a 5k in 28 minutes What was I thinking when I made this goal?  I wonder if this was achievable if I wasn't out of commission for 4 months?

I want to run a Half Marathon in 2:17.  This was a far off goal, and I knew that going into it.  My real goal was a 2:28, because I will never forget what my now X, and X, for many a reason said. "I ran my first half, without training, faster than my girlfriend".  I did, I did accomplish that.  You can read all about that amazing race here!

I want to run a Full in 4:30  (I will happily settle for a 5 hours marathon though)  Again, what far off planet was I on when I made these goals?  My 2013 goal is 5 hours or NYC :)

Weekly Workout Roundup and Goofy Training Week 8

WOW!  I can't believe in less that 2 weeks, I will have completed the half marathon portion of the Goofy challenge and will be in the process of the Full.  I can't believe how time flies!  I remember when I signed up back in April(ish) with Team in Training.  

This weeks runs were both good and bad.  I can definitely tell its taper because I have the urge to run and know it's a No-NO.  I am feeling all different pains in my body, especially my knees.  It is just plain awful.  This week also put me in the 100+ mile month which is probably also why my body is screaming at me. That is a big accomplishment for me as I am not the best at weekday runs, but as they are getting shorter, it is becoming more manageable.  

Last weeks 20 miler!

This is what my week looked like:

Monday's 3 miler was supposed to be for Sunday but I held it off.  My plan was to just walk, but I wanted to see how my legs felt.  I was able to do mile 2 in under 11 minutes.  It started to rain and my plan was to go to Publix to get some items and walk back.  I still managed to do that, but don't you hate when you run to the store and it rains on you, literally!

Tuesday's 6 miler ROCKED!  I did 20 miles on Saturday so I was surprised at how fast I was going.  I tried a new route and it was perfect.  My overall pace was 11:02 (for me, after 20 miles, fast)  and the last mile at 10:20.  That run what HOT!  I was surprised how warm it was on Christmas, I even wore shorts to the movies!

On Friday I attempted 6 miles, but at mile 3 my IT Band was screaming at me and I was taking no chances!  My miles were still low 11's then I walked back.

13.1 miles for the victims of Sandy Hook

Saturdays 13 miles, that is a story all in itself.  The first half was amazing!  I love running in the rain, I truly do!  I think it makes me run that much quicker.  We were popping our those miles at 11 mpm.  Then we hit the half way mark and my body started to yell at me.  I am really hoping it is the taper, so I am going to keep it easy the next few weeks.  A few of us ran this as 13.1 for the Sandy Hook Elementary Virtual 5k and Half Marathon.  We wore our bibs proudly, until the rain ripped them off.  With all the rain, my skirt was bogged down and was just plain uncomfortable.  This actually taught me to bring shorts if the weather calls for rain on marathon day, 26.2 miles in too much clothing and the rain, no fun!  I am so lucky to have had such an amazing group to train with!  They stayed with me to the end when my stomach was cramping and a nap sounded perfect!  Thank you TEAM!

Grab a button and link up! I can't wait to hear what you did this week?  

How do you handle the taper?
Did you push through any hurdles?
Have any Personal Bests?
What races do you have coming up?

I love to hear what you have to say!

Friday Letters

I cannot believe it is already Friday.  This week is going by too quickly.  I am off this week for the holidays.  That is one perk of being a teacher.  This is the first time I am also at my computer in over a week and therefore that is the reason for my non bloggingness.  

Here are my Friday letters to share with you:

Dear Friday, It is bittersweet that you are here.  It means one week of vacation is gone and I only have one more of you before I head back to work.  It also means we are that much closer to the Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon Weekend! Yay!! 2 weeks till I am there :)

Dear IT Band, you stink, pain go away!  Today will consist of icing, stretching, and maybe some ibuprofen.  

Dear Running,  We have had our moments.  Sometimes you are amazing and sometimes you stink.  I guess that is just something I am going to have to deal with.  This weeks runs were pretty awesome well, the one I did this week.  

Dear Future Husband, I am still waiting to meet you:)

Dear size 6 pants, Now that I have just declared my size on the internet, I am happy to find you again.  I do have one complaint, Why are sizes not universal?!

Dear Premier Protein, Thanks for the amazing package!

What are your plans for this weekend?

Have you found a brand of clothing that always fits the same?  

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Friday Letters

Happy Friday!

I have only one more Friday after today before winter break!  I am beyond excited and have been counting down since before Thanksgiving break.  I am completely burnt out and when we get back from break we have one week of review then a week of finals.

Dear Friday, Thank you for coming around again just when we all need a break.  Dear Weekend, you are going to be filled to capacity I am not sure how I feel about that!  I am excited there is so much to do I keep remembering, one more week, one more week!  Dear Color Run, I am so ready for you!  I can't wait to be dressed in beuatiful white and and have color thrown at me as some of my favorite peole and I run and walk 3.1 miles!  I can't wait to experience what everyone is talking about.  Dear TBLB, I am really excited for the cookie swap Steph is hosting.  I hope your cookies are all so gross so I don't stuff my face too much.  My clothes aren't fitting very well and I need to get on top on that.  (I am not very good with saying NO to chocolate of cookies).  Dear sorority sister, I can't wait to see so many of you for the color run!  Dear Samantha and West, I am so honored you told me there was a little Moody coming before you announced it to the world!  Dear Trader Joes, I love you.

This weekend is going to be packed full of fun!  I have a 14 mile run, the color run, a Melting Pot Fodue team in training fundraiser, and a cookie swap with the tampa bay lady bloggers.  I am not sure when I am going to get in all my planning and grading, but I am ok with that! 

What are your plans this weekend?

How do you manage to get in all your fun activites? 

Overachieving and harsh realizations

I have these big dreams and goals of completing and accomplishing certain races.

I tend to take on more than I can handle, especially when it comes to training for events.  I have race after race, run after run until March.  I didn't really realize how much I have planned until someone mention, are you racing every weekend?  Well, sort of...

I had these BIG dreams of doing the Croom 50k and Augusta HIM 70.3

I have been toying with these ideas for about 6 months now, and I have no doubt I can physically complete them.  I then realized how much more training would need to go into a HIM.  I would need to do two a days.  When did I ever think I would have time for that?  I can't even complete my scheduled runs now.  

Right now, my marathon training plan was given to me through team in training and I believe was a little too ambitious for my schedule.  I have two medium long runs during the weeks, which now, are 9 miles.  I think to myself, this takes me almost two hours.. so coming up at 7, impossible.  Next training cycle, more realistic plan will be made and will incorporate speed because one day, I would love to qualify for Boston!

Back to Croom and Augusta, I think I am officially burnt out.  I want a social life!  I want to run because I want to, not because I have a training run.  I think I am saying goodbye to running Croom and doing Augusta in 2013, but there is always 2014.  Not to mention, a tri is very expensive and I certainly do not have the money at this time to invest in the proper training and equipment.  I am so thankful for the friends along the way to help me out this far.  

I want to be proud of my race and know I have done all that I could do :)

Will I have a change of heart in the next few weeks once Goofy is over?  It is possible, but I am staying away from the "Register Now" button for a while, until I am 100% sure I have the time and the energy.  

So what is up next?

Dec. 15 The color run

December 21- 10 miles

December 22- 20-22 Miles

January 12 DIsney Half Marathon

January 13 Disney Full Marathon

January 27 ING Miami Full or Half Marathon

February 9- Mud Run

February 17 Donna 26.2 or Half?- Possible with Meghan

February 24 Disney Princess  Half Marathon with Meghan, Tori, Caitlyn

March 9- Gate River run with my best friend Jamie

March 17- Sarasota Half Marathon (Hoping for a PR)

What runs are you planning?  How do you get motivated again?

Weekly workout + Goofy Training week 5

How can you tell like if a little crazy, when you cannot remember what week of training you just completed.

The last two weeks were a little crazy and I got sick so that didn't help too much with the whole training for a 39.3 mile race.  With that, I also made a few race decisions about to upcoming year.

Grab a button and link up your workouts anytime this week! Leave a comment and I will stop by and say hello :)

I am going to roll the last two weeks workouts into one short and sweet post, why?  Because it won't take too long.

I wish I knew how to make running a priority with a new job, new classes, and new responsibilities.  I can't wait until next semester when it is time to redo many lessons, but not start from the beginning for three classes.  I can't wait until my lease is up so I can move closer to work.  (Sorry for my vent session and thank you for listening)

Last week, training week 4, I was extremely busy with being back from break and getting everything in order, and just when the week was calming down, I got sick.  I was so ready to do 2 back to back runs and neither happened.  I was supposed to run the Brandon Half Marathon on December 2nd, but was smart and pushed it to the 5k.  The day before, I was supposed to do another long run of 14 miles but when all I wanted to do was leave work, I knew that wasn't going to happen.  I actually slept over 11 hours and night and believe that is what my body needed.  I was sad I couldn't do the Brandon Half, but was hurting during the 5k, it was hard to breathe, I stopped twice to blow my nose, and just wasn't feeling right.  I did PR though for my 5k, so I wonder how much better I could have done without a rotten cold.  

The following week, I started to feel better and was still very busy (I have to spend many afternoons after school practicing for a secret Pep Rally Thing a ma jig)- It will be over This week.

Tuesday was track practice where I was able to get a mile done in 9:20.  Yay for getting faster :)

I had a few unanticipated rest days due to work.  Friday I went home right after work to get my runs in, I did it, but body wouldn't go so I turned around early :(

Saturday was a long run of 19 miles.  I had a good friend push me along for 14 of those miles until I felt bad that she was taking it slow with me!  I told her to take off and I was my slow self and powered till the end.

I hope that my body learns to move again, and I see improvements in my run.  At this point I am starting to get down about Disney :( I have to remember that I am not doing this one for time because it's two back to back runs. I want to have fun, even though I would love a time goal!  

How did your workouts go this week?

How do you get over the mental hump?

Foodie Pen Pals

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This month I decided to participate in Lindsay’s Foodie Pen Pals. Basicially, she assigned you a person to send some goodies to worth about $15.00.  

Courtney was assigned to me and I was assigned to Victoria.  When I received Courtney's email, she asked me what I liked, what I didn’t like.  If I had any allergies, would I be Ok with homemade, real great questions because I had no idea what to expect.  I told her I do not like nuts, am staying away from dairy, love chocolate and peanut butter.  About a week later, a package came in the mail!  I was so excited and it came just at the right time!

I opened the box and started going at it!  Almost before I was able to snap a few pictures.  

On top was a card letting me know all the items enclosed were made in her town.  Wow, what a great idea!  I just sent my Penpal some of my favorite holiday treats :)

Inside there was mustard, jam, coffee, peanut-butter chocolate bar, and an almond toffee dark chocolate wafer.

I looked at it unsure what to do because I hate coffee and mustard.  I never thought to tell Victoria this!  What I did was give it to my mom to try it and tell me how it was, she loved it!  I then went into the toffee wafer and was a little hesitant because it said almond on it and dark chocolate ( I do not like dark chocolate).  Once i opened it, I couldn't put it down!  It was one of the most delicious things I have tasted and really want to email her and ask for more.  Next was the peanut butter chocolate bar which was good as well.

I was very happy with her picks and believe she put a lot of effort into it!  I loved her theme of items of where she is from.

I can’t wait to tackle next months Foodie Pen Pal!

Have you participated in an exchange like this?  What do you think of it?

How do you decide what to send?  

And I promise to add pictures once my computer wants to work!

Weekly Workout Roundup + Goofy Training week 3

I am over the moon with actually getting my workouts in this week.  This week I was off! Yes, the whole week and it was absolutely wonderful.  I was able to lay in bed till after 5am during the week, get my workouts in without stressing about getting lessons done or things graded.  Last night, I was sleeping before 8 and slept almost 11 hours.  It was absolutely glorious.  I am now sad that vacation is over and I have to head back to work tomorrow with the rest of the world.  I am counting down till Winter break though, do not worry, I am countdown queen!

As for being countdown queen, 48 days till I am in Disney for the Goofy Challenge!  I am very pleased with my training this week (minus the stinky runs), I was able to get in the milage even though it was tough.

This is how it was broken down

Monday was a glorious Rest day after the Women's Half Marathon and I was out of town.  My cousin and I went for a walk to the beach to a lovely lunch.  It was defiantly longer than we thought it was and my butt muscle was screaming at me, not to mention everything else at that point.  This was my "shake out/Recovery" walk.

Tuesday I headed out to get some speed work in but have been having trouble in the "pain in the butt", and no, not my coaches but apparently my Piriformis.  I have been stretching and icing like it is my job.

Wednesday was spin day!  They gym got new bikes and I am in love!  It kicked my butt, I was drenched in sweat.  You know you like the instructor when you drive 45 minutes for a 1 hour class then 45 minutes back home.  That is why you see the "20" under Wednesday because our bikes have speedometers.  

Thursday was my first Turkey Trot.  My sister did her first 5k! and it was a rough course!  I was warned about the hills.  They did not lie.  I think this with the spin class the night before, this kicked my booty.  

Before

After

Saturday was 20 miles with the team!  It was a hot mess!  When at mile 1, your body hurts, you know it is going to be long.  But something Meghan has been saying on her blog was that for 26.2 miles, you are going to want to stop at some point, you just need to push through it, it really motivated me to keep going and not head home after mile 10.  Those miles were slower than I wanted, but my body was burnt from the week. My knee was hurting, my quads were screaming, my calves were not happy and the list can go on.  But my first 20 miler for Disney is done! 

Grab a button and link up!

How did your workouts go this week?

Are you training for anything special?

How do you mentally get over the hurdle?

Have you donated to the leukemia and lymphoma society?  I would love you forever!

Friday Letters

I cannot believe it is already Friday!  This may be the one Friday I am not happy to see.  It means break is almost over, and back to work for a few more weeks.  December is right around the corner!

Dear Friday, I am surprisingly not happy to see you, although I would rather is be Friday than Sunday. I am not ready to go back to work.  I need a few more days off! 

 Dear ShowerPill, I am so happy to have found you!  You make being around me tolerable and will be stocking up on you this weekend.  If you want to get in on the deal, on Amazon, put three in your cart and all you will do is pay for two with the code SPFRIDAY.  It makes my friends like me more.  

Dear Thanksgiving, I do not like most of the foods that are traditionally served, but at least I am not judged that I love the jellied cranberry sauce this day!  I was happy to participate in my first Turkey Trot and my sister completed her first 5k and is already looking at her next one!  She rocked it!

Dear Braking Dawn Part II, OMG!  I am not really sure what else to say!  Even though you may have been a little slow in the beginning, you certainly grabbed my attention quickly.  I can't believe you are over!  I don't want to say goodbye, I am not ready!

Dear Readers, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving Holiday.  I am thankful for your ongoing support.  I love reading your comments.  If you yet to say Hi, please feel free to do so and tell me if you blog so I can say hello back!

Dear Big, I am so exited you asked me to be a part of your wedding.  I am really looking forward to this being my first time as a bridesmaid.  Now onto the journey of getting healthy!

Are you partaking in any black Friday shopping?  What is on your must need list this holiday season?  I can't decide what I want

Have you checked out my stella and dot trunk show where 20% of your purchase goes towards my fundraising efforts to the leukemia and lymphoma society?

Women's Half Marathon Race Recap

WHM and NYC Marathon Bibs

I am not really sure how to start with this recap expect for saying I still have a grin on my face.  

I PR'd!  And it wasn't a little PR either!

This weekend I had 29 miles on deck, but if you have been following me, you would know my stomach sometimes likes to cooperate.  Saturday morning, I was up bright and early for my 16 miles.  I was actually very excited to be doing back to back long runs because I am doing Goofy with the Leukemia and Lymphoma society (have you donated yet)?  Unfortunately, it did not pan out as well as I had wished.  I made it 4.5 out before my stomach really began to hurt, I walked back because running made it hurt.  Luckily this time, it was just pain and I wasn't running for a bathroom.  On the way back, my IT band was screaming!  I didn't know what to do!  I was limping and couldn't walk.  I ced and foam rolled at least three times on Saturday.  

Because I still had 9 miles on my legs, I wasn't sure how a half marathon would pan out.  Would I run before or after the race to add more miles, would my stomach hold up.  Should I try to PR, should I run with a pace group?  I really had no idea what Sunday would hold for me.  All I knew what this was going to be a fun run!  After going to the expo and talking to my friends, I was just ready for a good time.  

Sunday Morning came and my alarm was set for 4am.  I quickly threw on my clothes, which included my Team shirt.  I grabbed a bottle of water, a bag of ice so I can ice my bum on the way to the race start.  I decided to get there around 5:30 so I would not have to mess and bother with parking or traffic. When I got there, I met Meghan who picked me up some compression socks because I could not find mine, and I found they actually really work, or it is just my mind. After we met, she was off to run 4 miles BEFORE 13 for a total of 17.5 for the day! She is pretty rock star!  She went for a run, and I quickly ran to the bathroom at the Hilton where my TNT peeps would be. I started my pre run warmup, but knew I was going too fast so I stopped, texted Pete and met my peeps.  I made it a half a mile in less than 5 minutes.  Too quick to me. I was talking to Pete, who was the race coach for the day.  He was actually the one who got me to the finish line of my first half, and helped me PR Sunday my running me in faster than I could imagine.  

GO TEAM!

Story time and being my typical self

After some pictures, we headed to the corrals and was ready to go.  Once I was there, I was peeking around for some friends, but unfortunately, I was unable to find any.  I waited, tried to keep warm, and chatted with some strangers.  At 6:58, the national anthem was sung, and at 7:00 the first wave was out, and we were all on our way.  

This course was beautiful, flat, and fast.

This is actually the only race (besides the Jungle Bell 5k) which I have ran more than once.  That is how much I loved this race the first time.

It runs along the water, beautiful houses, Mirror Lake, through Tropicana Field where the Rays plays, and it is also very spectator friendly which is always helpful.  

Miles 1-3: My body was playing mind games with me.  I started off what I thought would be too fast.  My muscles and body were getting warmed up and I guess I learned that it takes me a few miles to get into the groove.  At mile 1, I looked at my watch and saw a low number. AHH, was going through my head.  I wanted to slow down and not die too quickly.  At around mile 3, the 2:30 pace group caught up to me, and I was thinking about sticking with them.  I had this TOP SECRET goal of 2:30, but didn't plan to hit it until my March half marathon.  I also knew I had my team in training family at mile 3 which kept me going!  I really love having spectators along the course.  

Mile 4-8: Went through snell Isle which was beautiful.  I was able to stay with the pace group, and actually got a little ahead of them.  I didn't want to push to hard and burn out.  That is what I was thinking the whole time.  At about mile 5, I broke off and made my way through the cobbled streets and over to the pier.  It was great seeing Caroline so many times!  At the pier, I ran into my handy dandy Pete!  The wind was bad, but I didn't find it horrendous as most people are talking about.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy, but I also knew it would be at my back soon enough.  Pete and I were talking when the 2:30 pace group came up behind us at mile 8, what this would mean if I stayed with them, etc.  At this point, it was go big or go home.  I chowd down on a powergel and we were off.  At this point I was still feeling pretty good and couldn't believe my pace.

Mile 9-11:  At this point, things were a little rough.  We headed up hill!  I started to fall behind the pace group.  I wanted to walk, I wanted to take a break.  Knowing I could run a marathon, mentally helped me though this.  Knowing I had my AMAZING Run Tampa crew at mile 9.6, allowed me to keep going.  It was so so so nice to see their smiling faces.  Hearing them cheer for "me".  When Tori gave me Yellow gatorade when I needed it instead of the orange (I hate orange flavored stuff).  That it was running is all about.  That is an amazing community.  After that, I was able to catch back up with the pacer, Don, and I felt like a million bucks.  We only had a 5k left.  This mentality doesn't really work for me on a normal basis, but it did today.  I know, just a little further till we hit the trop, were on flat land, and then it is all downhill.  Through the trop, I kept my pace and chatted up with some other ladies. 

Mile 12-13.1:  Yes! Downhill.  I was told we were about a 1 minute to a minute and a half ahead of schedule.  I had this even more secret goal in my head, that by the end of the year, I wanted to run under a 2:28.  (A 2:28 was what my X ran his first race and taunted me with it, yes, that is one of the many reasons we are not together, and couldn't be happier about that!)  I held steady for mile 12, and 13, we were off.  Don gave us permission, if we had it in us, go for it.  Don runs a 1:35 half.  No big deal.   At 12.5, I saw Pete! He was going to run me in, I asked him, he asked me my goal, and we pushed!  At about 12.75, my watched beeped at we were at 13. "F", why aren't we there yet.  He commented how fast I was going, and it helped that he was there to push me!  My body hasn't run that fast in a race.  I followed his lead, I crossed that finish line in under 2:28!

If you look back at my Halloween Halfathon recap, you see my finish time was between 2:35-2:36 and change.  That leaves me with a 9-10 minute PR.  

Here are my splits:

I cannot believe I have not one mile over 12:00, yet along the "slowest" was 11:46.  My fastest was my last mile, which was a first for me.  I hit paces under 11:00 which is a first.

I am extrmemly happy with this run, especially after having 9 miles on my legs the day before.  I really pushed myself.  At points I didn't think I could do it, but knew if I can go a little further, I could.  

Oh, more bling to add!

If you are in Tampa, come join in!
If you cannot, please take a look at my webpage and donate, donate, donate!
Genna's Goofy Fundraising Page

Thank you everyone who had the confidence in me!

How do you get past the mental block of pushing to a goal? 

Also, check out my Stella and Dot trunk show which 20% goes towards my fundraising minimum!

Weekly Workout Roundup

Last week was absolutely exhausting!  I had such high expectations with getting all of my runs in, but that simply did not happen.  I was very disappointed, but I think the "rest" helped me PR in the Womens Half Marathon I completed Sunday.  

Since I wasn't home this weekend, and the last week before school was a hot mess, I am going to keep this post short.  

Grab a button and Link up!

Here is what I was supposed to do.  

This is what I actually did.

On Tuesday, I went over to get my sister new sneakers then headed to track practice.  Unfortunately, the lunch I had earlier in the day kept coming up (yuk) and knew I wasn't going to make it.  After 3 laps around the track, I called it a day and went home to spend time with my sister who just came back from Hawaii

Wednesday is my new "late" night at work in which I grade, etc., and head to spin.  This was my second time going with Pete, and this time my resistance did not work.  That is ok, i peddled my little heart out and still walked out with wobbly legs.  Everyone needs to check out his class as he is doing a Black Friday/post turkey day ride for two hours! Ask me for details!

Thursday I had 8 miles on deck, but had to stay late for work for dance practice which is a secret!  By the time I left, I was exhausted. I went home, made mom take me to Trader Joe's, sweet tomatoes, came  home and went to bed.

Friday was a rest day because I was doing back to back miles Sat/Sun.

Saturday called for 16 miles which was cut to 9 because I didn't feel well.  Sunday was a rock star  Half Marathon where I PR'd by almost 10 minutes.  I will post that separately!

 You know the exhaustion where you just want to cry.  This is how my week went.  Saturday when I woke up, the only thing that actually got me up was knowing I had a race coming up in less than two months.

Just as an aside, after Lady Speed Stick Half marathon on Sunday, I booked it to brunch and stopped at Panera a Bread on the way to change.  I grabbed my clothes and ShowerPill and "bathed"  I didn't shower until that evening because I was in the car all day and didn't feel gross and disgusting!

If you use the code SPFRIDAY on Amazon, you can get 3 for the price of two!  I will probably be stocking up! I already have one in my purse an gym bag.  

How did your workouts go this week?  What do you have in store for this week?  How do you plan to get all your workouts in?

Link up!

I love seeing what you do!

Womens Half Marathon Race Expo and Shower Pill Code

When I hear the word “expo” and I know I can go, my credit card runs the other way.  Unfortunately, I know the number by heart and I am quick enough to catch it.  

Yesterday evening, after work, I headed to St. Pete to pick up my Women’s Half Marathon race bib and check out the expo.  This race was actually my second half marathon and I loved every second of it.  I did not originally register for this race because I would still be recovering from NY.  With NY being cancelled, I emailed the race directors to see if I can still get in.  I did :) and they donated 20% of my registration to Feeding America for Hurricane Sandy. 

My view to the expo- Sunshine Skyway Bridge

I got there at about 4:15 and found a parking spot close to the Vinoy and headed in, picked up my stuff and headed towards the expo.   I knew the expo was small due to the last time I was there, but I was certainly not impressed with what was there.  I was upset that the majority of the space was Fit 2 Run.  There wasn’t anything I “needed” but knew if there was stuff I wanted, I would purchase it.  I walked out with a gift for my sister from Raw threads that I will be giving her for Hanukkah.

All the pretty bags

What greeted us as we walked in to get our shirts and expo 

On the way out, I saw my Team in Training Peeps.  This race is benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, and I couldn’t be more excited.  I will be out there in my purple jersey hoping I don’t chaffe too much.  Glide will be my friend tomorrow.  

I still haven’t made up goals for tomorrow for many reasons. 

 1. I was just put on new meds for my stomach, Amitiza, and I didn’t get to finish my 16 miles I had on deck for today.  I only made it 9.  4.5 run out, 4.5 walk back

2. .On the way back, my hip started to hurt.  I have been icing and foam rolling all day.  it hurt so bad, I couldn’t walk.

3. I could have possibly PR but I didn’t have a rest day today, but it is still possible if I really push it. 

4. I would like to add some miles before or after the race to really focus on the "goofy" training.

How would you run this race?

I am so excited to be running with the Tampa Bay Lady Bloggers!  I get to see their faces running.  I am very excited Run Tampa is Hosting a water stop.  I am also very excited, my first Team coach, Pete is the on course coach and TNT has  a cheer station!  Lot’s of motivation to get me through the run.

After the race, I will be on a mad dash to a dear friends birthday brunch.  I won’t have the chance to shower and just in time, I received these amazing wipes! 

use code SPFRIDAY on Amazon for Buy 2 get 1 free!

 I cannot wait to use them.  I have heard such wonderful things about them.  I actually keep baby wipes in my car, but I am hoping they won’t leave me nice and baby fresh.  I have two packed in my bag ready to go!  

**I will have a recap of the race and the ShowerPill once I get back into town on Wednesday, or once I get to my destination Sunday night or Monday when I am not a walking zombie.

ShowerPill is offering you a black friday deal!  Buy two get one free on amazon.  You need to add three to your cart though and use the code SPFRIDAY

I can’t wait for the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge!  You get the opportunity to win prizes for staying active and staying accountable.  Go sign up here

  

Getting Personal

Here's a little tidbit about me:

I take things personal

It's just me.  

There are many things I will not talk about because I don't like "confrontation" or "arguing"  or "heated discussion".  I do not talk politics because even though it is not an attack on me, I feel as if it is.  It doesn't upset me when a person talks about the person or politician, but when they start talking about the supports, that is when I get upset.

People say certain sports teams suck.  Why would that ever upset me?  I have no idea?! But again, I take it personal even though it has, nor will ever have anything to do with me.

This is definitely one of my many flaws I have.  This is something I need to work on.  

I have contemplated getting off social media when the whole controversy surrounding the New York City Marathon.  People were criticizing the runners.  I wish people understood how much words can hurt even if they were not directed at Me, or individuals, and I also wish I had thicker skin.  I was a participant of the NYCM.  I did not choose for it to not be cancelled the first time around. I do believe it should have been cancelled, the first day, no denying that, but I do not think people need to be so mean.  I am not sure if I took it so hard because I am originally from New York.  I was born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island so maybe it hit me worse seeing friends and people I know saying this stuff.

I think people need to be aware of what they say.  I think the recipients need to be aware of the circumstances of what is being said.  People take things personal without hearing whole stories of whole comments.

Find out the truth in a statement, listen to peoples reasons for the statement.

Apologize and accept apologizes.

Don't be too quick to judge.


Do you take things personal?  What do you take personal?

Week in Review

Wow! So the weekend is over and boy was that a crazy weekend!  From killer runs to bachelorette festivities and a Yelp! party, I am beat!  I am so happy that I am off today to get caught up on life.  And by that I mean, see doctors, run errands, grade, plan for school, and clean.  Now lets see if any of this actually gets done.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  I am already looking forward to Friday because then I have a week off (again, to get more done). Here is a brief rundown of what my weekend was like.

Friday

Friday I jetted out of work and had to go shopping for some sequins for my good ole friend Amanda's Bachelorette party! I headed up to Wiregrass and found that Charlotte Rousse had lots to choose from.  I actually have never shopped there, but I couldn't beat the shirt I bough for $10!  I met an old coworker for dinner at Ciao!.  The food was gross.  We split an appetizer and entree and neither of us liked either.  It was a little expensive for our liking.  

Saturday 

Saturday I was up "late" for a long run with my Team.  It was so nice to be able to start a run with them, as I am normally there before because I had double the miles due to NY.  I had a lovely 12 miler which kicked butt!  I napped and headed straight to Orlando for the Bachelorette festivities! I made it to Westgate Lakes resort ight before 5pm, we relaxed and got ready.  We played some games that involved the male body part and a booty shaking contest.  The shuttle picked us up at 7:30 for an 8:00 reservation at P.F. Chang's.  The food was yum yum!  We then headed to Cowboys for some country line dancing.  I actually really liked this place because this is a venue that you can be on the dance floor alone.  Most of the times when we go out, we need a buddy to go dancing, this was just perfect.  We then headed downtown!  We had so much fun scavenger hunting a little booklet of things the Bride must do!  I was so happy to get back to the hotel though because man were my feet on fire!

Me and the Bride to be

All of us ready for a fun night!

Sorority sisters! celebrating the bride to be

Sunday

Sunday I headed home as soon as I woke up, napped, cleaned, and headed to the Yelp Livin' la vida Local event held at Datz! It was so much fun and great to see my pretty friends!  Sunday was pretty unproductive due to my 2 hour nap and my 1+ car ride home, but it was was I needed.  If i did not nap, I would have been cranky pants at Datz!

Myself and Meghan at the Yelp Livin' la vida local event 

How was your weekend?  Did you get all that you needed to get done? If you had an extra day off, how did you spend it?

have you entered my giveaway?