Category: Working Out

Success!

Sadie3 Comments

I survived the half marathon!  Thanks for all the well wishes along the way!  I had such a great run!  I had a vague goal of beating 2:10 because I wanted to try to break a 10 min average mile.  But I had a really good race, and I felt like running fast so I ended up at 2:04 which put me at an average of a 9:26 mile.  I’m feeling pretty good about it.  It was a perfect day for racing: warm enough to be comfortable but cool enough to keep you from sweating like crazy.  All in all it was a great experience!  Congrats to all my fellow runners!

Here are some of the songs on my shuffle that got me through the race:

  1. Va Va Voom by Nicki Minaj
  2. I Cry by Flo Rida
  3. 2 Reasons by Trey Songz feat. TI
  4. Hummingbird Heartbeat by Katy Perry
  5. This Head I Hold by Electric Guest (random but awesome)
  6. Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys feat. Nicki Minaj
  7. I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift
  8. Your Body by Christina Aguilera
  9. We Run the Night by Havana Brown feat. Pitbull
  10. Katy Perry Mega Mix by Katy Perry and Tommy Sunshine

After the race I hung out with my parents who came to Richmond to cheer me on.  My mom is a big fan of the VMFA (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts), so we spent the afternoon there checking out their Chihuly exhibit.  It was mainly all kinds of crazy blown glass.  Here’s just a sample of the stuff we saw:

What’s on your workout mix these days?

Half Time

Sadie5 Comments

Tomorrow is the big day.  I’m running the Richmond Half Marathon!  My very first half marathon, and definitely the longest distance I’ve run ever.   Even though I’m a workout fanatic, I’ve never been much of a runner.  I just don’t feel like my body was built for that kind of exercise, it doesn’t love the amount of impact.  But I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself.  I chose a half marathon because I felt like it was an attainable goal given that I have an erratic schedule with grad school.  I really need some level of flexibility with my workouts, and I like variety in my workouts.  With a half marathon, as opposed to a full marathon, you don’t have to run every day, and you’re not doing training runs that take three hours.

I’ve been running about three times a week with longer runs on weekends.  The last few weekends I’ve done about 11 miles.  I feel like I’m ready because if I can do 11, I could squeeze in 2 more.  Plus I’ve been running on a hilly path and I think the race is a flatter course.  I’m super excited!

I’m ready with my race outfit.  I did a dress rehearsal with it last weekend to make sure it was comfy for a long run.  There is nothing worse than doing a long run with sports bra that rubs, or pants that slide down!  I think this outfit is going to be a winner for me.

You might notice that I’m wearing shoes that I bought last February from DSW.  Well, not really.  I actually liked those sneakers so much, I bought another pair.  Then it was so close to the race I figured I needed a relatively fresh pair, so I bought them again.  I actually had to write numbers on the insoles to remember which pair is which!

And don’t forget the accessories!

 

Wish me luck!

Do you have any fitness related goals this year?

 

New Toy Alert!

Sadie1 Comment

I’ve officially signed up to run a half marathon in November in Richmond so I’ve been getting a little more serious about running lately.  I chose a half marathon because I wanted a significant challenge, but I didn’t want to limit myself to running for months. A typical half marathon training plan incorporates a significant amount of cross training, which is perfect for me.  Plus I don’t think I really have the time to commit to the three and four hour runs that happen towards the end of a marathon training plan.

Since I’m being a little more methodical about my running lately I decided it was time to  get a Garmin to help track my runs.  

I saw a post on Skinny Runner, a really hilarious running blog, about a new lesser priced Garmin that was recently released.  I figured it was the perfect option for me because a. Garmins can be pretty expensive and I don’t need that many bells and whistles, and b. it’s pink.

Now that I have it, I can go running outside and track my pace, distance, time, and calories.  It’s awesome!  I used to just guess how far I ran based on the time it took.  Plus I think it makes me run faster.  I know I usually run slower outside than on the treadmill but now that I know my pace outside, it motivates me to go faster.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to run and wants to track their progress.  Not only does it eliminate the guessing game, but it makes me excited to get a new PR in my training runs!