Tag: half marathon

Third Time’s the Charm

SadieLeave a comment

Last weekend I ran the Richmond half marathon, which was my third half marathon ever. It was a lot of fun! I got to spend some time with great friends, and had a great run! Turns out I just keep getting faster! My first half marathon was the 2012 Richmond half and I finished in 2:04. Then in February of 2013 I finished the Colonial half marathon in Williamsburg, VA in 2:02. Last weekend my goal was to break the 2 hour barrier, but my expectations were low because I really only ran once, maybe twice a week this fall. I did a lot of cross training, but I didn’t think it was enough to improve my time.

My brother and I posing with the Governor pre race!
My brother and me posing with the Governor pre race!

On Saturday it only took me 1 hour and 57 minutes to run 13.1 miles! I was so excited!

I had a terrible night’s sleep the night before, and I wasn’t feeling particularly well. But I took a few tylenol and suited up with the expectation to try my best. Once I started running I actually felt great! I was running pretty fast (for me) and I just kept pushing because it felt good. Here’s how the race played out in terms of splits and some of the songs I remember that came up on my shuffle.

1: 9:20- Weaving through the crowd at the start. Lips are Movin by Meghan Trainor- I got this at the beginning and towards the last couple miles.

2: 9:01- Found my pace. Irreplaceable by Beyonce- This was a short uphill. Beyonce=motivation.

3: 8:58- Gold Digger by Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx- This one got me through mile 3, and reminded me of senior year of college!

4: 8:55- So Emotional (David Morales mix) by Whitney Houston kept me moving.

5: 8:57- Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson came on- It’s a classic.

6: 9:06- I think this was a little uphill. Stutter by Marianas Trench got me through.

7: 8:56- I’m surprised my splits were that consistent for 6 miles straight. If I Could Change Your Mind by HAIM.

8: 9:14- This is a rough mile (for me at least) because you’ve run 8 and you still have 5 more. You need to refresh that motivation! Rich Girls by Down With Webster definitely made me laugh on the inside at this point.

9: 8:50 This was when I really decided I could push it and make sure the tank was completely empty at 13. Amazing by Kanye West feat. Young Jeezy came on, I think I listened to this 3 times in a row in mile 9.

10: 8:37- Killing it. Shake it Off by Taylor Swift- Obvi.

11: 8:36- Killing it. Bailando by Enrique Iglesias feat. Sean Paul, Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona, because Enrique is the pinnacle of inspiration.

12: 8:42- Killing it. Dancing On My Own by Robyn, because Robyn is awesome running music.

13: 8:23- full disclosure: the last half mile of the race is downhill. I have no idea what songs finished the race for me. I was just so happy to be finishing!

This unflattering look says I'm freezing, tired, and ready to take a shower asap.
This unflattering look says I’m freezing, tired, and ready to take a shower asap. My brother is just happy he’s still in one piece. My dad is clearly elated with our accomplishment.

6 Month Check In

SadieLeave a comment

It’s July already! Where did the time go? Since we’re just over halfway through 2013, I thought it would be a good time to check in with my New Year’s Resolutions. I’m feeling good about my progress so far:

Personal Goals

  • Graduate with my MBA – CHECK
  • Find a great full-time job- CHECK (I start today)
  • Make at least one international trip- CHECK (Milan and London)
  • Read more books (like maybe 10 for the year)- working on it, but off pace

Fitness Goals

  • Run another half marathon- CHECK (Colonial Half Marathon)
  • Push myself to run faster- I’ve been going up and down in pace, but I’m definitely faster than last year
  • Lead a successful Yorktown Victory Run (I’m the race director)- CHECK
  • Learn the Pilates Reformer- CHECK (I love it)
  • Add more variety to my fitness routine- CHECK (I’ve tried both yoga and Crossfit and hopefully I can make them regular parts of my routine)
  • Continue to make weight loss progress, and continue to stabalize my nutrional routine- I think I’m making baby steps with this (I’ve gone up and down a little because of some vacations, etc)  but I think having a full time job will help me stabilize my routine further

Cooking Goals

  • Make a successful challah bread- nope
  • Broaden my savory dish repertoire- a little bit
  • Try at least 3 new techniques like making marshmallows or risotto, or cooking with a new ingredient like tofu- CHECK on the marshmallows, and I made vegetarian dumplings with my mom
  • Cook more dinners at home rather than using places like Panera as my dinner option too often- CHECK, lately I’ve only been eating dinner out maybe twice a week tops, otherwise I make my own dinner

And let’s see how accurate my horoscope for 2013 from Yahoo was:

2013 brings you sweeping change and intensity, Virgo. The biggest transformation takes place in the realm of the mind. Communication, correspondence and courses of new study carry great importance. Saturn, the cosmic taskmaster, is spending a good chunk of time in the sector of your chart ruling the mental realms and communication. If you’re not already a powerful public speaker, teacher or writer, get ready to discover your latent potential to sway the masses with your power of speech! You’re also hungry for knowledge in 2013, and will want to strengthen your skill set and beef up your resume with even more knowledge than you possess naturally.

I can’t say this is word for word accurate, but I think it corresponds well to my transition from grad school to a new promising job. I love horoscopes!

So the moral of the story is that I need to make Challah bread, continue to improve with my weight management goals, and hit the books hard. I think I can do that in six months!

Second Half In the Bag!

Sadie4 Comments

Well here’s another 2013 goal I can check off! Yesterday I completed the Colonial Half Marathon.  It started and ended on my school’s campus so I really had no excuse, I had to sign up. Here was my motto for the race.headband

Let me tell you, it was not a walk in the park. It was hill after hill after hill after hill. The last few miles were almost comical because I felt like around every corner was another uphill climb. I had no idea Williamsburg was hiding all those hills.

I started out pretty fast because I was feeling good, but the hills took a toll. By the middle of the race I definitely started slowing down.  I remember seeing the Mile 9 marker and thinking, “forget my time, I just need to finish.” My mile splits are very uneven but I ended up coming in at 2:02 which is an improvement from my 2:04 at the Richmond Half.  I dropped a couple minutes, but the effort was much more substantial.

Here are a few of the tunes that got me through the 13 miles:

1. Troublemaker by Olly Murs (feat. Flo’Rida)

2. End of Time by Beyonce

3. C’Mon by Kesha

4. What About Us by The Saturdays (feat. Sean Paul)

5. Say Somethin by Austin Mahone

On Friday we shall review all the awards season fashion, I hope you’ve been paying attention!