Tag: half marathon

Running Link Love

SadieLeave a comment

Happy Monday!  This week I am in taper mode for my second half marathon on Sunday.  Since I’m in a running mode right now, I thought I would share some things that have helped me out recently.

I would not consider myself an experienced or a very serious runner, because I’ve never been very fast, and my interest has varied over the past few years.  Sometimes I will run multiple times a week for a few months and sign up for charity races, and then other times I will only run when I’m out of other workout options.  I don’t think that my body was particularly made for running, I’m definitely working against the laws of physics.  But I keep trying to bend those laws and convince my body to run and run faster.

In the past few months there have been a few blog posts/articles that I have come across that have given me some great insight and tips into the running world.

  1. Teri over at A Foodie Stays Fit, posted about her methods for increasing her running speed. I found this post very helpful, and while I’ve dabbled with running intervals in the past, it has inspired me to do it more regularly, and I have been seeing results on my longer steady state runs.
  2. I saw a link for this article about the golden rules for runners. It has a lot of great guidelines and suggestions that are so helpful for less experienced runners. It definitely helped me cut some corners rather than learning some lessons the hard way.  Things like how to dress for the weather, or how long to use your shoes, and many more.
  3. And even though I hate the treadmill, I do spend some time on it during the week because it’s a great training tool, especially to build speed.  The Skinny Runner, who I find hilarious, posted a link to this chart that does a little conversion for the incline on the treadmill.  When you run on an incline it obviously adds intensity so this chart shows you how the incline and pace you choose translates to a faster past without an incline. It’s hard to explain, just look at the chart.
  4. And lastly, if you’re in the Williamsburg area and you like running, you should sign up for the Yorktown Victory Run. It’s an 8 mile run from Newport News Park to the Yorktown Victory Monument and I’m the race director!  It’s a race that my business school organizes every year, and all of the proceeds go to Kidz’NGrief, a local charity that specializes in counseling children whole have lost a loved one.

The groundhog said Spring is coming so lace up those sneakers and get outside! And when you get back from your run, you should probably make yourself one of these…

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?