Short Run on a Long Day

There's a little rainbow towards the center of the picture on my way to my running group!

Yesterday morning I met up with my Galloway training group to do our long run that was actually a short run since our 4 miler race is on July 4th.  Only 30 minutes this morning and the weather was perfect.  I wore my Nike Rival 4" shorts and I LOVE them.  They do a little riding up but not too much and they are comfortable with lots of pockets.  I'm on a hunt to find them cheaper than $60 so I found a pair on clearance and snagged them (of course).

I was slightly disappointed because there wasn't a leader for our faster group so we had to combine our 30/15 group with the 30/30 group.  It wasn't horrible, just wish we could have kept our faster pace than we did with the group we joined.  But it's all good!  We did just over 2 miles on UNF's campus.

Did some reading by the pool afterwards :) 

This morning I had an itch to get back outside so I went to walk by the beach.  I almost love walking/running next to the houses more than the actual beach because I love imagining I live there!  I wore another new pair of shorts (I know I might be going a little overboard with the shorts testing but still haven't found the PERFECT pair).  I tried the Oiselle Roga shorts:

I'm glad I went a size up because the material was a little snug.  I went for it without any spandex underneath and loaded up the Body Glide.  They actually weren't horrible but they did ride up in the middle.  I think if I got the longer version they might be ok so next time I'm ready to try a new pair I think I'll buy a pair of those.  

Marathon training starts in TWO WEEKS!!  SO excited that I made the decision to go for it with the Galloway group.  It gets me out there meeting new people, gives me something to look forward to during the week, and it gets me involved in a goal I NEVER thought I wanted to accomplish :)  

Can't wait.  

Numbers Game

I think most runners can admit that they play a numbers game while they're running.  Whether it be positive or negative, you inevitably end up counting things that occur on your run when you have nothing else to think about.  Here are the numbers for my run this morning:

Number of miles = 2.29
Number of calories burned = 327
Number of times I thought about what to eat for breakfast = 4
Number of spider webs I ran into = 2
Number of times I wondered what would happen if someone accidentally drove up onto the sidewalk = 10
Number of firetrucks that sped past = 1
Number of times I checked my watch to see if I was going any faster than the moment before = 34
Number of times I pulled my shorts down after riding up = 999

On a more serious note, my legs were slightly heavy this morning but my will was stronger and I was able to push it a little harder than normal.  I went just slightly farther than my 30 min run on Tuesday (score!).  I've definitely gotten back to the habit of running and feeling excited to get my runs in.  This weekend I have 30 minutes with my running group and then one more week before our 4 miler!  

Have a great day!

A Little Ridiculous

I will fully admit I had a lot of fun playing with my new running clothes this morning.  I want to wear cute, fun, new clothes that I haven't had since high school... sometimes... haha.  So I've been trying out new workout clothes/shorts in particular and I'm slightly disappointed so far.  Definitely disappointed in the shorts I wore this morning on my run:

Looks cute, right?  I wore my new sports bra that worked pretty well but I think the cups might have been just slightly too big because I started bouncing around a little more than I prefer about 15 minutes in.  I wore my favorite spandex, Nike, under my new shorts and thank goodness I did because those babies rode up like no other...

Yes, this is how I looked 99% of the time I was out today - ridiculous.  The 1% that I didn't look like this was in the moment of pulling my shorts back down.  It's a shame because I really like them otherwise!  But those will definitely be a no-go in the future. 

Here's how I ended up.  The goal was to do 30 minutes at 30 sec R/15 sec W and that I did.  I'm really struggling with my pace mentality.  I used to run 3 miles in 30 minutes in my prime and now I'm only doing 2.3 but I'm still working on getting myself back to tip top condition.  And I'm proud that I was able to keep the same pace I do with my running group on the weekend - no slacking off on my own!  

Thursday I'll try another pair of shorts my mom ordered for me by Brooks.  We shall see!

Sunday Picture Day

After pushing myself yesterday I was happy I woke up with no sore muscles or aches and pains other than my traps... which says to me that I need to work on my posture!

I decided on just a quick post with a few pictures :)

I've been working on my 'Merica map to track the states I've run races in.  It's not proportionate AT ALL but it's fun and creative and I love it so far!  

Lots of work to do still.  

Thank goodness for an excuse to buy donuts!  My Dad has always loved Krispy Kreme donuts and we happen to have one about a mile from where I live so I had to get him a couple of his favorites for Father's Day :)  Oh, and on the healthier side, a kayaking trip.  

This was so cute - my parents have always been healthy but they are trying new things like running and chia seeds.  They were struggling to find chia seeds at the grocery so my mom ordered some on amazon and this HUGE bag arrived in the mail today.  (Seriously, roughly 3 pounds of chia seeds at least)  You best believe I took out an entire bag for myself before I even took the picture, haha!  

Lastly, I'm still working on trying new shorts out to help with the ride up issue so I bought a pair of Reebok running shorts and a pair of Carrie Underwood's Calia shorts to try.  I LOVE the look and feel of the Calia shorts and they seem a little better because they cut all the way to the hip so there's lots of room for movement.  I was super excited that Dick's had a Moving Comfort bra on sale for only $33 in my exact size to try!  I can't wait to try out my new clothes on my run tomorrow morning!

Happy Father's Day!

Saturday Long Run

Howdy!  Got up at the crack of dawn this morning to get my long run in with my running group!  We went to tapestry park again, which is a really pretty area.  I stuck with the regular 30/15 group and we kicked butt!  Our pace last week was 14:10 I think and this week it was 13:30!  There was only four of us today and our leader didn't show so we did it ourselves :)  I'm proud of us!

For my birthday my mom got me running shoes, running socks, and a handheld water bottle like this one except mine is blue and highlighter pink:

Last week I felt like I lost energy quickly and the heat really got to me so last night I decided to fill  up my Nathan with water and freeze it so that it was like a cool pack and water in one.  It worked very well, I think.  We also got to sample a BCAA drink while we ran from the local nutrition shop.  I think I want to get some myself but dang those drinks are expensive!  The sales pitch was pretty compelling and I'm really trying to work on replenishing my vitamins/minerals/proteins since I'm a picky eater.  I think I'll make a pit stop there sometime this weekend to learn more about my options. 

Oh, and my running group said they're all signing up for the full marathon training... that's the little push I needed to get signed up!!

Happy long run day!

Jax Marine Corps Half Marathon

I'm officially signed up for my next half marathon!  I really wanted to do one in Arkansas to check off another state on my list but I'm quickly running out of vacation days at work after our trip to Indiana in August and Oregon in September...  so I'm going to wait until next April to do their Russvegas half marathon.  If only we didn't have to work, haha!

Instead I decided to settle on a race closer to home, Jacksonville Marine Corps 1/2 Marathon so that I don't have to travel/miss work.  Plus I love anything that supports America (duh) so I'm excited to get patriotic and celebrate our freedom!  The training program that I'm doing with Jeff Galloway got me a discount of ten dollars and the race was only 50 to begin with - bargain!!  Makes it even better :)

Many things can change in the next few months but currently my goal is to do my fourth half marathon in October (signed up) and my first full marathon in February (not signed up).  I have my eye on the Hilton Head Island Bridge Run in February but that one I'm not quite ready to commit to.

Training
My run/walk didn't go very well yesterday.  I'm really struggling with stress from work and I'm exhausted by the end of the day.  I did complete the 27 minutes but barely.  About half way through I switched from 30/15 to 15/15 and that helped a little.  My stats aren't great, I think a little over 2 miles.  I'm hoping tomorrow will be much better.

Somewhere Sunny and 75

Since Thursday, I've been so excited to get up for my long run this weekend.  It was already almost 80 and sunny this morning making it slightly difficult to run but we powered through.  We had the same woman from last week as our leader and I liked her a little more this week.  The goal was to run/walk for 40 minutes total so we went out running around UNF for 20 minutes out and back.  We did 30/15 and I'm pretty comfortable with it at this point.  I felt great the whole way out but right around the turn around I started losing steam.  I haven't sweat so bad in my life!  At least, if I have I don't remember.. haha.

Stats:
Time - 40:50 minutes
Distance - 3.18 miles
Pace - 13:18
Calories - 467

I saw this cool United States picture at Hobby Lobby and fell in love.  But I didn't want to pay $60 for it so I'm thinking about buying a canvas and making my own. I'd love to do it and then put pins on the states I've completed races in.  Might be cute!

Looking Eye-level

I know, it's already Thursday and this is the first time I'm posting this week.  However, I can say in all honesty I did my 22 minutes on Monday 30/15 and this morning I did my 24 minutes 30/15.  My legs were pretty heavy so I decided I need to try something different to get through.  Of course everyone says you should keep your head up and look at the horizon when running but it's hard to get out of a habit!  I decided to force myself to look ahead at eye level and it actually worked!  I felt lighter, more speedy, and it went by just a little faster.

I really LOVE my new Nike shorts - they're soft, lots of pockets, and they don't give me a muffin top - but they still ride up and my legs rub together!  Ugh.  Can I be the only girl in this running world with narrow hips and inner thighs that touch?!  Anyway, here's what happens when I run:  (yes, I recreated the situation in my bedroom so that I could document, haha)

I hate it.  Haattee it.  So I'm constantly pulling down my shorts while running.  It's super annoying and a little embarrassing because it's not really flattering to have your shorts look like they are riding up your legs... I decided I would rather people see spandex shorts than my actual inner thigh plus, it helps keep my legs from rubbing together.  I can either not care or find a better solution.  I think I will try to not care as I find a better solution..... 

Then on my way home I found a penny, picked it up, and all day long tried to find some good luck.

Last but not least, here's my running in numbers:

Oh, and as per usual my darn GPS took absolutely FOREVER to find me this morning so I missed out on about 5 minutes before it finally got started.  Grr.  But I don't care anymore because tomorrow is Friday thank goodness!

Quick Post

I'm excited that my running group posted the picture of our group on our run yesterday morning!  Yay!

If you look reaaalllyy close you can see the top half of the hot air balloon in the sky a little to the left of the center - fun!  This was the 30/15 group but in total there were about 25 people that came. 

After the run I convinced my parents we needed to go to the running store and buy some new clothes/shoes.  They are SO excited to be on the plan also it's so cute!  I really want to try some shorts but I'm just worried they will ride up and I'll chafe like always.  But the guy helping me said the ones I got should help so I'm willing to try!

Winded down at my Uncles house on the water.  Amazing.  And today we're headed off to the zoo, busy, busy!!

Saturday Running Group

I will fully admit that I did NOT want to get out of bed this morning.  Like, seriously considered just not going.  My aunt, uncle and cousin are in town from Arkansas so we went out to eat last night and then went to an outside cover band show till about 10:00pm.  So I didn't get into bed until about 10:30pm - way past my bedtime!

(Yes, that's my dad repping IU at all times, haha)

Anywho, I slowly but surely got myself going and headed over to 1st Place Sports at the Town Center to meet everyone for our long run.  It was already high 70's and the sun was strong - why didn't I wear a tank top?!  I showed up like a naive dweeb with my name tag on my back, again.  And yet again, NO ONE ELSE WAS WEARING THEIR'S!  So I got back in my car and practically pulled muscles trying to take mine off before I got out of the car real quick.  

We did 15 minutes out and 15 back.  30 seconds running with 15 seconds walking.  I was in a very small group that are a little faster and I felt so cool being in the "elite group"!  My favorite leader is away for a month and a half so we had a woman that I didn't love as much.  I was a little disappointed but maybe we'll get someone new next week.  We stopped at one point because the scenery was beautiful and there was a hot air balloon in the background so we took a picture - fun!  (I will be stalking their Facebook page for the picture, haha)  But when we got back going I forgot to start my watch again so I'm not sure exactly how far we went, ugh.  It totally convinced me that I want a running belt so that I can have my camera with me to capture awesome moments like that!  The running company gave us free samples of Gu for when we really get into some serious mileage - thankful for that!

Happy weekend running!

It's All About the View

The only positive part to sitting in traffic, a pretty view!

I hate to admit this but I completely failed at getting my run in yesterday - ON National Running Day :(.  I have loads of excuses that I won't bore you with but I am disappointed.  I thought I could cheer myself up by taking advantage of the $20 discount with Rock n Roll marathons but I couldn't commit to a nonrefundable future race, haha!

But this morning I got out of bed and went outside for my run that I missed yesterday.  21 minutes at 30 sec running, 15 sec walking.  The weather was perfect and I was able to run down to the neighborhoods down the street that I love.  In total with walking after I did 27 minutes and 1.9 miles.  Now I need to avoid being ravenous all day but staying ahead of the curve with my food - very important!  I can't wait to get into longer distances!  For now, following the process and taking my time getting there.

View from my porch :)

Decisions, Decisions

The Jacksonville Sunny Runner Race Series involves an Independence Day 4 miler and a Halloween Howler 5k.  I finally got registered for the 4th of July race and I'm excited!  It's taking place in a really new and upcoming area that I've been curious about running around.  The cheap-o in me is wishing there was a discount if you sign up for both at the same time but that's all right, haha.

Speaking of races, I cannot decide what to do for my big races this fall/winter.  I have a few goals that I'm trying to combine into one or two races and I think I might be asking a little too much...

1.  Find a race in South Carolina to knock off another state
2.  Run a half marathon on October
3.  Run a ful marathon in February
4.  Participate in the Marathon High program this fall

Issue #1:  My training group is the 26.2 Donna foundation that hosts a half and full in Feb so I feel a little obligated to run that race but I've already done a few races in Florida

Issue #2:  I intend on volunteering with Marathon High this fall and that is leading up to the Donna and if I do it, the Donna will pay for me to do the half so that I can run with the kids - FREE RACE!

Issue #3:  There's this really cool looking full marathon at Hilton Head (South Carolina!!) BUT it's on Feb 13 - the day before the Donna.....!!

What's a girl to do?!  Whether or not I do the Marathon High program will depend on my race schedule but I won't know for sure that I got a school until August... but I'll be damned if I pay more than early registration for any race, haha!

Oh, well.  I have a little bit of time to think about it.  Any suggestions are appreciated!!


Sidetone:  I've been following quite a few running blogs on Bloglovin and I LOVE using the website  Never would I have thought I would be on it one day!  Who knows how many followers I could get but I'll never know until I try.  So I'm adding my link to get added on!
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Paranoid Much?

Saturday morning I hopped my little butt out of bed and headed over to Jacksonville Running Company for our long run.  When I pulled out of the neighborhood and saw this ahead of me, I was a little frightened!

It turns out it only sprinkled a little on my way and where we were it didn't rain at all.  There's about 20-30 of us that are in the training group and no kidding out of all of them only me and one other person had our name tags on our backs like they told us to.  No one else even had one on!  So I felt a little silly but oh well!  

We went into 3 groups for intervals - I went to the advanced group with 30 sec running 15 sec walking and I really liked it.  I felt good because I was able to keep up and work my way up to the front of the group with the leader and another guy :)  

The only thing I'm not sure about with this group is we never warm up!  I'm worried I'm going to hurt myself one of these days... 

This morning was a 19 minute run/walk on the schedule but I just rounded it out to 20 minutes.  I started with 5 min walking and then the 20 minutes and then a 5 min cool down walk again.  Feeling good!  I've been so paranoid lately, though!  I just keep wondering what if someone is behind me sneaking up or preparing to attack or a car pulls up and tries to get me in the car.  I've never felt this way in the past but lately with the crazy news I can't stop thinking about it.  So I've been running with my phone just in case!  

Have a great week!