my next half:under two hours

and yes, those are my favorite running shoes :) mizuno wave creations, to be exact.
well friends, its time for me to start training again! in just 10 short weeks, i'll be joining two friends, brittany & jess to run my fourth half marathon. crazy! over the thanksgiving break, i teamed up with my uncle and cousin to run the thanksgiving day half and scored this sweet medal

and although i didn't have the most stellar time (2:07) i definitely earned my turkey! but its a new year, 2012 brings lots of energy and excitement for me, and as i mentioned in my resolutions, this year, i will run a half marathon in under two hours. even if its 1:59:59, i'm determined. the date of the big race is march 18, and the race will be the publix half. i ran it last year in 2:14, so we are shooting at shaving off 14 minutes. totally doable, right? i think so!

not my actual time because when i crossed the start line, there was already several minutes on the clock due to start waves

so i'm getting ready to lace up my shoes & get to work. the last week, i've been easing myself back into running. i took about a month off, which was much needed, but now it is much needed that i get back to work. so i'm going to be sure and include updates on here for you, including race day coverage! here's my training plan, in case you are interested. and as i have mentioned before in my blog, you can follow my training on dailymile, via the widget over there on the right side.

(m=monday, t=tuesday, w=wednesday, th=thursday, f=friday, sa=saturday, su=sunday)
(r=rest, m=miles)
week 1 (starting jan. 9) m=r, t=5reps of 200yd hills, w=5m, th=3m, f=workout, sa=6m, su=3m
week 2 (jan 16) m=r, t=4reps of 600yd hills, w=3m, th=4m, f=workout, sa=8m, su=3m
week 3 (jan 23) m=r, t=6reps of 200yd hills, w=3m, th=4m, f=workout, sa=7m, su=3m
week 4 (jan 30) m=r, t=5k for time, w=4m, th=6m, f=workout, sa=9m, su=5m
week 5 (feb 5) m=r, t=5k for time, w=3m, th=5m, f=workout, sa=7m, su=3m
week 6 (feb 13) m=r, t=6reps of 880yd hills, w=5m, th=6m, f=workout, sa=10m, su=5m
week 7 (feb 20) m=r, t=6reps of 880yd hills, w=4m, th=7m, f=workout, sa=8m, su=3m
week 8 (feb 27) m=r, t=4m for time, w=6m, th=7m, f=workout, sa=12m, su=6m
week 9 (march 5) m=r, t=5m, w=5m, th=8m, f=workout, sa=8m, su=3m
week 10 (march12-RACE WEEK!) m=r, t=5m, w=5m, th=8m, f=rest, sa=5k for time, su=13.1!!!!!!

so there ya have it. might have to switch around some days, but thats my plan for the next 10 weeks.
i would love your encouragement, and if you're up for it, a running buddy! pick a mileage and a day, name the place, and i'd love the challenge!!

anyone else planning on running the publix half marathon or full marathon? check out some details here! http://georgiamarathon.com/ 

25:29!

this past weekend, while up at berry for mountain day, nathan and i, along with our whole crew of buddies, ran in a 5k. it was a blast running berry's campus like i did as a student, plus it was fun to get active with my friends! (most of our hangouts involve lots of food and most of it on the not so healthy side:) ). to top it all off, i had an awesome time that i was quite proud of- 25:29! 

yay for new shoes!

so the other night, i ordered new running shoes- yay! 

i had to tell you about the site i used to order them- after going thru ebates, i found this site called roadrunnersports.com. not only did i get 8% cash back through ebates, they had this awesome option to purchase a VIP membership for 1.99 that ultimately saved me $14! so basically, i paid $2 for a $14 coupon. but the good news is, the membership lasts for a year! and it got me free shipping, which is basically another $7 or $8 off. 

my shoes were shipped out within a few hours and i got a nifty email documenting that. they should come in tomorrow, which i am pumped about. all in all, i definitely recommend them!! check them out for your running gear!

update on my five fingers!

so i ran in them...and it was great! now mind you, i do most (ok, really at this point ALL) training on a treadmill in my mom's room in front of the tv (while usually watching duggars or dc cupcakes, or, when it is in season, the biggest loser). so anyways, i run on a treadmill. but they were great! i actually ran my fastest mile ever in them....7:27! that was a big deal and i was quite proud. i took them off after the first mile because i am going to ease myself into them (per recommendation of vibram's website). i really enjoyed running in them- after i got over the initial first few awkward strides. i can't wait to run outside in them. the one thing they really made me notice was how much i slam my heels down when i run- need to work on correcting that. after changing out of them after the first mile, i went on to run my fasted 5k ever- 23:50! proud moment :)

so yeah, i recommend them for sure!

dailymile

let me start out by saying- those of you who started following/reading/have just taken a peek- thanks!! hope you enjoy! please feel free to leave comments, questions, notes, whatever! if you ask, i'll blog on any topic (well, almost) that you are interested in, so send it on!:)

now, as many of you who know me know, i started "training" for a half marathon back in maybe my junior year of college. i'd run consistently for a while, then get distracted. i was training really well my senior year for the berry half, and my papa lost his battle to Alzheimer's. in the midst of traveling and memorial services and then finishing my senior year, my training got off and i decided not to run.  i kept running here and there until i got married (i'll be really honest with you- i didnt diet at all to get ready for my wedding. any weight i lost was from running & stress, and maybe because i didnt like all the food in d-hall at berry), but once married, i kind of stopped. by kind of, i mean, in the first year of our marriage, i ran twice. yikes.  a few weeks before one of my friend's wedding, i decided i missed it- and missed the effect it had on my figure! not just the weight that it kept off, but when i run, i feel strong. i feel less stressed. i feel like i have at least a little control. i sleep better. i feel better. i feel like my emotions are more stable. i feel more focused. i eat better (well, mostly). i feel confident.

all that to say, i started running again. and of course, as soon as i did, all the benefits of running started coming back. finally, i got the courage and registered for a half marathon.  in march, i accomplished one of my life goals- i ran it! i finished!

my actual time was 2:14:53 (we were staggered because there were so many runners- i think they said around 19,000 runners ran the whole, half, and other runs going on.

since then, i have continued to run and am hoping to run another few halfs. my goal is to get my time down under 2 hours.
typically, i run on a treadmill at my parents house (they live down the street from my work). i dont run by myself (for a lot of reasons) so me and that treadmill have gotten pretty close. plus, since nathan and i dont have cable/satellite, i can record all my favorite shows and watch them while i run. its great!
in addition, i have a site that is a great tool to log my runs and keep up with mileage. its also inspiring to go back and see what i've done and how far i've run. so i wanted to share it with you today. its called dailymile, and it integrates with facebook and twitter if you'd like.  you can have "Friends" just like facebook, and you send motivation to your friends. most of all, it can show you your pace,  average miles, and a lot of other great analytics. here's some screen shots for you:

my profile page

so there you go. enjoy! good luck! anyone want to run a half with me? im game!