What's Next?!

Well, it hasn't even been a week and I am already itching to start running again!


I took a good solid 3 days off and just rested and relaxed. Yesterday I was about to chew my arm off because I wanted to go for a run so bad! SO today I threw on my running clothes and grabbed my playlist from the marathon and did an easy 3 mile run on the treadmill...and ALOT of stretching.

After that I came home and sat on the computer for hours trying to plot my next running move! Another marathon? A half marathon? Maybe a few smaller races over the next few weekends? Ahhh, the possibilities are endless!

And the boy thought that he would get to stop hearing all the running banter every night after I ran the marathon ;) It didn't burn me out at all, only encouraged me to do more! And hey, if I put up with him looking like this when he takes me out to dinner...

Then he can put up with my "running-obsessive-ness".
AND he isn't the only one that can dress up with balloon accessories either!

Anyone have any suggestions for future races?! Tell me about your races coming up!

Not gonna stop me!

Yesterday I was scheduled for a 5 mile run. I had decided that since I worked at 8 until around 4 that I would just go for my run after work. I wanted to start my run by at least 5 so that I could be back in time to cook dinner for the boyfriend (yes, I like to play house wife). Well, obviously SOMEONE didn't want me to go for a run because one thing after the other popped up to try and stop me.

• FIRST: On my way home from work there was a MAJOR traffic jam...that I imagine looked something like this:

oh hello, downtown Denver at 5 oclock.

• Because of said traffic jam, I did not make it home until 515. Thats right people 45 minutes for a 15 minute drive. But thats OK, I wasn't gonna let a little 30 minute draw back stop me!
• SECOND: I quickly change into my running clothes, grab my keys, my ipod, and....wait....where are my headphones?! I searched and searched, but they were nowhere to be found. I decide, "hey, I can run without them, no. big. deal." and I'm out!
• THIRD: Half way to the gym I realize I had forgotten something very important....water. I turn around and go back.
• 2nd time going to the gym, half way there, I remember where my headphones are. I decide to just keep going and run without them. typical.
• FINALLY get to the gym! Pumped out a miserable 5 mile run on the treadmill with no music and two obnoxious breathers right beside me.
• Made it back to the apartment at 7:00, one hour later then I had planned.

Yes, today's run was a challenge. But thats OK. Sometimes things are going to pop up that present themselves as challenges and you just have to work through them. I could have let any number of those things stop me from my run and just put it off until tomorrow (believe me, I thought about it multiple times). But in the end, when I have finished that run even with all those things trying to stop me, it just feels that much better that I actually did it! So, in a way I think I like challenges, because it reminds me that I can do anything I set my mind to, know matter what comes up to try and stop me!
I hope you guys tackle some of your challenges today and let them make you stronger! Today I have a 3 mile run scheduled, shouldn't be too difficult...but ya never know ;)

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

Still Going Strong

Hey guys! Guess what?! IM BACK!!

I decided to start up blogging again, now that it is summer time and school isn't taking up every single last second of my life. :) I also decided that rather than going back to my old blog (you may remember me from The Life and Times of Em) that I would start fresh with a brand new one! There have been a lot of things going on in my life since I stopped blogging and the best way to embrace those changes is to start a whole new chapter. You may remember from my last blog that I was beginning to get into running more and more. I ran one 10K and was hooked. I spent the last two months training for a half marathon, and totally beat my goal time of 2 hours with a finishing time of 1:58:38! Since then I have been motivated to train harder so that I can beat even that time, and eventually, hopefully, run a full marathon! If you read my last blog at all you know that this is a big deal because of some of the things that I have been through, and recovered from. I never thought that I would be strong enough to even run a 10K and now I am training for 26.2 miles!

I am starting this blog to document my training and also to help others find the strength to do the same. I hope I can continue to get the same support from you guys as I did from my previous blog and I am so excited to catch up with some of the people that I got close too before. If you followed my last blog then go ahead and click the follow button on this one, I hope to make this one even bigger and better than the last!

To start off the training I picked up a little toy yesterday...

A Garmin FR205! It has been sitting in its little charger all night and should be revvinn to go for my run today! I have never really gotten this technical with my training, so hopefully this will help me to be even faster by keeping track of my mileage, splits, etc. We shall see!

Alright guys its time to get this thing started...training for 26.2 starts NOW...

"Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can"

Update! I just got back from my run using my Garmin for the first time so I thought I would put my mile splits up to start things off. Sooo here we go:

Total Distance: 6.21 Miles

Total Time: 58 Minutes

Total Calories Burned: 508

Mile One: 8:36/mi

Mile Two: 8:01/mi

Mile Three: 8:57/mi

Mile Four: 8:43/mi

Mile Five: 8:59/mi

Mile Six: 9:00/mi

Not too bad...although I have to admit that I did probably push myself a little harder than usual since I knew what my pace was. I had to keep telling myself not to look at the watch and to just run like I normally would. After a while it got a little easier to not be too obsessed with checking my pace every 10 seconds. Im pretty sure that I am in love with my new running buddy though! 

Hope everyone is having a good day...and remember if you followed or subscribed to my old blog, please do the same for this one! Thanks guys!