Feeling the Blog-Blah

I obviously haven't been around much, lately.  I haven't felt like there is anything going on in my life that is really blog worthy - nothing that others would want to read.  SO, I've been taking a break and enjoying what's going on around me.  I've taken more pictures and had more fun in the weeks that I haven't been posting than when I felt like I needed to take pictures and have stories ready to post.

My race is over, we live in an apartment (so there's nothing fun going on in my world of decorating), I don't have much extra money lying around to DIY/craft with and unlike most of the bloggers I follow, I am NOT having a baby - so I've been feeling like I don't have much to share.

I'll come back to more regular posts, but I have some busy weekends ahead and I don't want to feel an obligation to have 3 posts a week ready before I pack, before I go out of town to enjoy my friends and family.

Stay tuned - I'll be back here and there, and I'll have some good stuff to share... once I find it.

Half Marathon Recap

I cannot believe that we are half way through this week already!!  I have no idea where the first two days of the week went, but I know they FLEW by!

WELL, I officially survived my half marathon and really, I more than survived - I think it did a great job!

Last week started with me staying home sick and let me tell you, when you are trying to hydrate, a stomach bug is the LAST thing you want.  After a lot of sleeping on Tuesday, I felt much better on Wednesday and worked hard to get hydrated.  I ended up only done 1 training run before the half, but it was a good one and I finished that on Wednesday feeling ready to go!  I decided on that day that my ultimate goal was to PR, but I was going to approach the run with the plan to try and run a 2:10:00 race, which is a 9:55 min/mile pace.

On Friday, we went and picked up my packet and talked to one of the pace group leaders and I got this really handy temporary tattoo.

We went out for an awesome dinner with my parents and a couple of aunts and uncles (my uncles were also running in the race) and had a nice evening with everyone!

We woke up early (I hate mornings) and I ate some breakfast and we headed downtown.  It was amazing how much smaller the races were than what I ran the first time.  I knew it would be, but it was still a shock to me when it was so comfortable and not crowded in the corrals before the race.  The race started at 8:00 am and as soon as the cannon sounded, we were OFF!

J and my parents had planned a walking route where they were able to see me 3 times in the race - around mile 3, 5 and 9 and then we planned where to meet after the race.  The first four miles were down the same street - one long straight shot, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Mile 1 really sneaked up on me, and before I knew it, I saw J and my parents!  I was actually feeling pretty good at 5K

I saw them again at 5 miles, and was still feeling really good.  When I saw them at 9, I felt like I was starting to fade and get tired.  Miles 9-13 were tough - there were some challenging hills and when I got to 9 and started to feel tired, I decided that I wanted to have a strong finish, but I was not going to try to kill myself to get to 2:10:00.

I finished in 2:13:55 - my first half was 2:18:18.  Cutting those (approx) four and a half minutes from my time equates to running each mile about 21 second faster than I did the first time!  I was really happy with the way I ran the race.  I finished, I didn't walk or stop, I felt strong and I met my goal.

My (rounded) splits for the miles were:

Mile 1 = 10:31

Mile 2 = 10:03

Mile 3 = 9:57

Mile 4 = 9:55

Mile 5 = 9:46

Mile 6 = 9:55

Mile 7 = 10:00

Mile 8 = 10:06

Mile 9 = 10:15

Mile 10 = 10:37

Mile 11 = 10:40

Mile 12 = 10:53

Mile 13 = 10:11

13.1 = 2:13:55 = 10:13 minutes/mile

One of my uncles ran the 10K and the other ran the half, and they stuck around and waited for me when they were done.  It was awesome to hear them cheer for me when I came into the baseball stadium (where the finish line was) and it kept me going for that last 0.1 mile!  Here we are after the race...

I've been sore for the past couple days, but mostly just when I'm going down stairs/a hill and when I stand up after sitting for a long period of time.  I'm pretty sure I'm not going to lose any toenails this time around (hooray) and the worst thing I encountered on this race were the blisters on my toes...

When I got done with my first half, I didn't feel like continuing to running - I was tired of it.  This time, I don't really feel like that... I think I'll still want to get out and run.  Not this week (I'm taking the week off), but maybe a couple times next week  :)  I'm also feeling good about being able to reach my 2:10:00 goal next time!

Goals for Race Week

The week is finally here - less than 5 days until my second Half Marathon.  There are a few things that I'm going to REALLY focus on this week with the hopes that it will make me as prepared as possible for Saturday.

Running Schedule

I have to get 2 runs in this week - a 4 mile and a 3 mile and I HAVE to get them done today and Wednesday.  I want two days off between my 3 mile run and the race.

Eating

Time to carbo load!!!  This is never a problem for me... I love pasta.  I'm also planning to have a night of sweet potato hash, and probably beans and rice YUMMMMMM!

I also need to make sure I'm getting in some good protein, which means I'm probably going to get up and have an egg each morning - not something I'd normally do, but hopefully it will do my muscles good.

Hydrating

I can't go without my one morning cup of coffee - I just can't, but I'm going to get to work each day and start my morning with this...

The bottle and tall cup are 24 ounces each.  The small cup is 16 ounces.  In case you can't do the math, that's 8 cups of water... aka the recommended amount of water someone should drink EVERY DAY.  For me, this is something I have to focus on - this is something that I will only accomplish if the water is sitting on my desk staring at me, and I'll probably set some alarms for myself on my phone and/or calender that remind me to drink water.  My goal is to drink this much water EVERY DAY.

Stretching

I really have to commit to stretching, icing and rolling (on my foam roller) every night this week.  I also need to make sure I'm getting away from my desk while I'm at work so I don't get stuff from sitting.  I'm guessing the 64 ounces of water will help - I have to get up to go to the bathroom.

Sleep

Early to Rise, Early to Bed???  I know - that's backward, but that's how I have to do it.  It takes me forever to get sleepy at night.  It is not uncommon for me to be more awake at midnight than I am at 3 pm, but I have to get up early on Saturday morning and get going, so I'm going to have to practice!  It's going to be hard - my cousin has a game tonight (Go LA Sparks!!) and it doesn't start until 10 pm.  We have game night with friends tomorrow, so I'll be out later than normal on a weeknight.  BUT I am going to force myself to get up by 6:30 am every day this week and hopefully by Wednesday or Thursday night, I'll be ready for bed early.  I know to a lot of people 6:30 am probably seems like sleeping in, but I am rarely up before 7:30 am and it's usually 8 am so that's a big change for me!!

Pack

I am probably going to pack on Wednesday night and make sure I have everything on Thursday.  I'm heading out a little early on Friday afternoon so I want to be able to just pick J up and head to Fort Wayne so I can get my race packet and go have a delicious dinner with family on Friday night.  I'm going to have to give myself options.  I know what sports bra, shorts, socks and shoes I'm wearing.  I'm going to have to give myself some top options that will let me layer and probably find a long sleeved shirt that I don't mind dumping on the side of the road along the way.

I think if I can focus on my prep throughout the week, it will help to keep me from getting nervous about Saturday - I guess we will have to wait and see!

Last Weekend at the Lake

Last weekend was our last weekend at the lake before the construction begins.  We arrived on Friday evening to a beautiful sunset on a cool evening and I spent a few minutes at the end of the dock to enjoy the calm water and the beautiful sky.

The property has been in our family for a long time.  It was originally owned by my dad's grandparents and somehow, it ended up being handed down to my dad and my Uncle.  In the early 1990s, there was a storm that blew a tree over, and right through the middle of the original cottage I remember.  We rebuilt the house, from a small fisherman's cottage to a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house.  

My grandmother spent a number of years living here before she passed away, and while she was there, central air was added and a garage was built that is large enough to hold a car and a boat, with storage underneath.

Next week, construction materials will be delivered.  The roof is being raised on the house, and it's turning from a story and a half, to a full two story house with a master suite on the front.  Once that's complete, my mom and dad are going to move there full time and they will sell their house in Fort Wayne.  It's going to become a 4 bed, 3 bath house that should have plenty of room for visitors in the summer, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

We'll be up to the lake one more time in October to take the dock out, but we won't be able to stay there, so this was my last weekend at the lake house where my cousins and I grew up - where we had people sleeping all over the floor in the summer, and where I got to spend time with just my Grandma when I was in grad school in Indiana while my parents were still in Texas.

I'm excited for the next chapter of this house - the chapter that will eventually include my kids and my commitment to always have a place where my cousins and I can continue to gather!

Wedding Wednesday - I Couldn't Resist

I know it's been a long time since I've done a Wedding Wednesday post, but I just could not resist when I saw this on Pinterest!  It took J and I a long time to come up with groomsmen gifts, and I know that if I'd seen this while we were planning, it would have been a STRONG contender!

via

As are so many amazing things, this is an Etsy product!  The seller (MyPersonalMemories) has a lot of great stuff on her site, but these are definitely my favorite!  I loved that it's something that's personalized, but more importantly USEFUL!  Don't get me wrong, the pocket watches we gave to our groomsmen were great, and I liked the idea, but I'm guessing they aren't carrying around in their pockets all that often.

You can check out this and all my pins on my Wedding Wednesday Pinterest Board!
Happy Hump Day!!