20 Miles..In the Books!!

Thats right kiddos, I tackled the 20 miler this morning! And it actually wasn't so bad.
I didn't even have to get up at the crack of dawn to run either because the weather has been PERFECT here. It was about 65 this morning, with a little bit of a chilly breeze, so it was great for running.
I woke up around 730, strapped on my camelback, packed up some GUs, ate a cliff bar, started up the Garmin and the Ipod, and was out the door by 8!
I swear sometimes I feel like I'm bogged down with all the crap that I have to bring on long runs, but it really does make all the difference to have all of that when you are running for more than 3 hours at once.
I ran on my usual running trail, out and back. The first 10 miles were great, I started out slow and just tried to enjoy the run and before I knew it, it was time to turn back around and head for home. I stopped for a bit and stretched out my legs and ate a GU and then booked it for home.
I was planning on stopping at mile 15 and stretching again and taking another GU, but when I hit mile 15 I was still feeling pretty good so I decided to keep truckin'
I'm not gonna lie, my legs are pretty mad at me, but I still feel good about the run and feel like it was a strong run. This makes me SO excited for the marathon! Let the taper begin!
Here are the splits:

• Mile One: 9:45
• Mile Two: 9:27
• Mile Three: 9:28
• Mile Four: 9:31
• Mile Five: 9:36
• Mile Six: 9:28
• Mile Seven: 9:24
• Mile Eight: 9:23
• Mile Nine: 9:27
• Mile Ten: 9:19
• Mile Eleven: 9:14
• Mile Twelve: 9:25
• Mile Thirteen: 9:07
• Mile Fourteen: 9:08
• Mile Fifteen: 8:57
• Mile Sixteen: 9:12
• Mile Seventeen: 9:04
• Mile Eighteen: 8:59
• Mile Nineteen: 9:16
• Mile Twenty: 9:09

I feel pretty good about the splits! I don't know if I can do the sub 4 hour marathon that I would LOVE to do, but we will see! The half next weekend will be a semi-determining factor. So we will see how that goes :)
Does anyone have any Labor Day races this weekend?

18 Miles...CHECK!

Today I completed the longest run of my marathon training so far. 18 miles! Oh yeah!
Last night I got everything ready...my camelback, my ipod, my garmin, my running clothes, my GUs...man it takes a lot to be a runner huh?!
I set the alarm for 6AM and went to bed ready to tackle my long run this week! I'm not gonna lie, I was DREAMING about being finished with this run. I know pretty nerdy. I kept waking up thinking it was time to get up. Man I really need to get more of a life outside of running! ;)
Before I knew it the alarm was going off and I was rolling out of bed to start my 18 miles.
I'm pretty sure that I was still half asleep for the first 3 miles, but after that I snapped out of it and really started feeling good. It is such a confidence booster when you can run like that and still feel good afterwards. Maybe I actually will complete this marathon! :)
I ate one GU at 7 miles and then the other at 14. And I stopped at 13 miles to refill my camelback. Here are the splits:

• Mile 1: 10:08
• Mile 2: 9:50
• Mile 3: 9:32
• Mile 4: 9:30
• Mile 5: 9:08
• Mile 6: 9:04
• Mile 7: 9:03
• Mile 8: 9:27
• Mile 9: 9:06
• Mile 10: 9:06
• Mile 11: 9:22
• Mile 12: 9:06
• Mile 13: 9:25
• Mile 14: 9:12
• Mile 15: 9:02
• Mile 16: 8:46
• Mile 17: 8:20
• Mile 18: 8:24

Total Time: 2:47:12 
Those are some weird splits! The first mile was slow because after about half a mile I got a nose bleed! I had to stop and walk for a bit and I almost turned around and came back home. But I kept walking and after a few minutes it stopped. I took it easier for the first few miles after that just in case, but it never came back. Weird huh?! I also worked on picking it up and paying more attention to my pace on the way home. The first half of my long runs I usually don't even look at my Garmin and just try to stay at a comfortable pace. I am pretty proud of my time thought, because I was really planning for about 3 hours.
Good thing I have the rest of the day off because I am taking it easy! I have a Target date with the boy tonight when he gets off work. Gotta replenish that toothpaste and paper towels. Oh we live exciting lives :)
I leave you with one of my favorite pictures from the Double Birthday Weekend:

Anyone else have any good runs this week? Any long runs planned?!

Favorite Running Gear

Yesterday I  got a request from Miss Erosion to do a post on my favorite running gear. I LOVE requests and I love talking about running gear, so I thought it would be the perfect post!
Here we go!
Shoes:
Currently I have two pairs that are on rotation, or used for different purposes.

• For everyday runs and training I wear the Brooks Trance 10.

• For races and longer runs (because they are lighter) I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Mizuno Wave Elixir 5:

These shoes have been loved so much that they are about to retire. I have been looking into buying the newest version of them which is the Mizuno Wave Elixir 6:

Clothing:
Here is where I am the weirdo of the bunch. I like the Nike Tempo shorts, but they are not my favorite. I feel like they fit me weird and I have found ones that I like better. These include:

• Asics Favorite Short: For some reason these just fit me the best. They are very similar to the Nike Tempos, but I like that the pocket is on the back, they fit a little better, and they are super comfortable.

• Nike Dri-Fit Tanks: I will give Nike some props for their Dri-Fit tanks, because they are my all time favorite. I like the tanks better than the t-shirts and I usually buy mine one size up so they fit a little looser. My favorite one that I own is this one, mainly because its awesome:

Other:

• Garmin Forerunner 205: Yes, I have the old old version of the forerunner. I got it a couple of years ago and newer versions have come out since, but this one has been my little running buddy for so long I just can't bear to part with her!

 

• Ipod Nano: The boy got me this for Christmas last year and I love it. Its perfect for running because it has a built in clip that you can just clip to your shorts and you don't have to buy anything extra to hold it on runs. I may do a post on my favorite running songs too, if anyone is interested!

 

• GU gels: These things are like MAGIC! I take them on all of my long runs and they really do make all the difference. So far my favorite flavor is expresso love (I prefer the chocolate or vanilla flavors over the fruit flavors)

 
These are some of the favorites that I am loving right now. I could probably make a whole other post with more, but these are the essentials right now. If anyone else has suggestions, requests, or questions about anything involving my training leave me a comment or email me. I love hearing from you guys! :)
Speaking of training, yesterday was my day off for the week, so I decided to get my long run in. I did 15 miles at an easy pace. Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 9:48
Mile 2: 9:44
Mile 3: 9:56
Mile 4: 9:39
Mile 5: 9:30
Mile 6: 9:33
Mile 7: 9:26
Mile 8: 9:23 (half way point, kicked it up just a little after this)
Mile 9: 9:19
Mile 10: 9:11
Mile 11: 9:10
Mile 12: 9:02
Mile 13: 8:43
Mile 14: 8:45
Mile 15: 8:39

Yay for negative splits! I have really been trying to make it a goal to run the second half of all of my runs faster than the first. And this run was great, I am happy with my times, for sure! I think I am getting more used to the longer distances too, because today I was barely sore at all. This is VERY encouraging for running that first marathon in a few months.
What is your favorite running gear at the moment?

Easy Run

So I decided to try out the advice that Kellie had given me in my previous post about slowing down my pace during my easy runs and concentrating more on distance than on time. This is sooo hard for me to do because I always get frustrated with myself if I feel like I'm running too slow. Hey, we are our own worst critics, right?!
But today I set a distance goal of 8 miles and thats it. I really even tried to slow myself down to the pace that I am supposed to do my long runs in, according to my training. I ended up going just a teeny tiny bit faster, but it went really well! I dont want to push myself so hard that I get burned out, so slowing it down was a nice change. Here are my stats:

Total Time: 1:23:03
Total Distance: 8.38 miles
Total Calories Burned: 700
Mile One: 9:38
Mile Two: 9:42
Mile Three: 9:59
Mile Four: 10:10
Mile Five: 9:58
Mile Six: 9:41
Mile Seven: 10:01
Mile Eight: 9:07

Keep in mind that my estimated pace time for training on long runs in 10:38. I dont think that I was too far off.

Also, Christy asked in my last post if I was training for a certain marathon. The answer is no, only because I can't decide which one I wanna do for my first one! Right now I am not technically training, since I dont have a set date for a marathon, but just trying to keep in top running shape and also to PR in a half that I AM running in October. Any suggestions as to what would be a good race to run for my very first marathon?! preferably one that is in october/november would be ideal. What was one of your favorite races?  

In unrelated running news, I just have to talk about something that I am SUPER EXCITED about. Three weeks from today I will be flying out to California to pick up my man! If you read my last blog you know that I have been in a long distance relationship for almost two years with Mike. He lives in California. The story of how we met might be a whole other post! :) Anyway, on his last visit we decided that we had both had enough of the distance and he said that he would move her with me while I finish school! Its scary/exciting/every other feeling you can think of. I bought a one way ticket and we are driving back across the country from Cali to my home in Tennessee! It will be a great adventure and I will get to see so many things that I have never seen before! And then I will actually have my boyfriend right beside me all the time, instead of 3500 miles away! :)
Whats that? You wanna see a picture of my hottie?! Well, OK if you insist :)

Not too bad huh?! hehe.
Well, ladies and gents, I'm off! Hope everyone had a wonderful Monday!
<3 Em

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hey guys! I hope everyone had a great weekend and is having a nice relaxing Sunday. I took yesterday as a rest day from running, because my knees where not feeling that great, and I didn't want to push it. I'm technically not in training until next month, so for now I am not running on a set schedule.
This morning I woke up and decided to get my mom out of bed to go for a run with me. Well, she walked, I ran. But I was impressed because she ended up walking a mile while I was running, so she did good!
I was surprised by my times and think that I may have been running a little too fast. I mean I was stocked and all, but I don't think that I should aim to run that fast if I want to go further distances and hold a steady pace. Which brings me to a question for you readers/running gurus. I have been doing some research in order to make out my training schedule, and most of the things that I find tell me that I should do my easy runs at about a 10 minute mile pace. However, usually when I just run at a natural pace on long runs I run a little bit faster than that (about 8:50-9:20 min miles). So here is my question:

How important is it that I slow down on my easy runs? Should I really try to slow myself down to that pace for the sake of training, or should I just run at my natural pace that is a little bit faster?

I know that a lot you have ran several races and have done a lot of training, so any input into that would be great!
So back to my run today. I ended up warming up with a mile jog and then running 3 miles, while my mom walked. Here are my stats:

Total Distance: 3 miles
Total Time: 25:11
Total Calories Burned: 250
Mile 1: 9:02
Mile 2: 8:17
Mile 3: 7:55

Not too sure what was going on there, not a steady pace AT ALL! oh well.
So, since it is Sunday, I will do a quick week wrap up of my workouts for the entire week. I only got my Garmin on Wednesday, so I don't have fancy stats for my run on Monday or Tuesday, just the mileage :)

Monday: 6.5 miles
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: 6.2 miles @ 9:21
Friday: 2 miles @ 8:25
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: 3 miles @ 8:25
Total for the week: 23.5 miles

I'm thinking about doing some yoga later on tonight, since I have nothing else better to do, and my legs are feeling a little stiff. So that should give them a nice stretch!
Hope everyone has a great day! Tomorrow is back to grind :(
<3 Em