Trail Factor Half Marathon

Oh my gosh. 

Hey, hey!

The worst blogger award goes to yours truly…

Me.

What’s up, guys?

I owe you a recap of my half marathon. Let me say that I haven’t done hills like that in so long and my ass hurts badly.

Well, on May 28th I did the Trail Factor Half Marathon. If you haven’t figured it out by the name already, it was a trail race, which are my favorite.

The elevation was crazy amazing. I’m a sucker for hills and climbing up dirt trails. 

Those squiggly lines mean steep incline.

Anyway, the race started at 8 AM and I was there at 7 AM because my mom is a spaz like that. We showed up, I sat around, and listened to Miley Cyrus Rob Zombie.

I am almost positive that I was the youngest person there. It’s no surprise. I don’t know many 19 year old’s who love running fifteen miles on their free time instead of going to the movies. It’s okay. I have accepted the fact that I’m a weirdo.

Example A:

I have a fake tattoo of bullet holes on my leg. So cool.

Moving on. I obviously peed a few times before everyone starts moving to the starting point. (There is a 50k going on at the same time too.)

And boom! The race started with a, “Go!”

The incredible thing about trail races is that you get to be by yourself on the trail for the majority of the time. I made sure I made my way to the front and I stayed there the remainder of the time. That gives me time to think about whatever, sing out loud, and cuss every time I hit another switch back. 

So, for the next 13.1 miles (probably more), I ran and ran and ran…

Is that Bigfoot?

I think my running stance for my hands is just a permanent thumbs up. Seriously.

After the half way point, I passed one dude. He was pissed too. I caught up with him and then his shoe kept coming untied so he stopped to tie. I was like… really? I have ran two cross-country races with untied shoes. I told him, “Just let it be, man. Keep going.” Such a hippie thing to say.

I passed him and then with, like, a half of a mile to go, I passed another guy.

I crossed the finish line in 1:37. I was 8th place, 1st female, and 1st in my age group. 

It’s funny because the so-called master female runner didn’t finish until twenty minutes after me.

All and all, it was a good race. I love racing. I’m a very competitive person so racing for me is almost natural. I guess that’s the word I’m looking for.

I did win a jacket for being the first female at the half way point. Hurray.

Also, I found out I was adopted that day…

Just kidding. I’m just the only photogenic person in my family.

My family loves me.

Well, that’s my race recap.

Race on, fellas, race on.

Easter + Ramblings

Happy Easter!

My Easter started off with a good breakfast. This is my normal breakfast…

I usually eat melon or cantaloupe with a banana, apple, and/or pear. I don’t eat all three. I eat a banana and an apple or something like that. The chow hall always has a lot of fruit so my breakfast is mostly fruit with cottage cheese. I cannot resist cottage cheese. It’s not like I get Greek yogurt here. Wahhh.

Then, I went on a run. I have to sneak off by myself to run since no one wants to run a billion miles with me. I did 10.54 miles @ a 6:58 pace. I wanted to do more miles, but my legs haven’t been feeling ‘fresh’. You know what I mean?

I followed the run with 24 minutes on the elliptical. My legs feel rather deadish.

Believe it or not, the barracks I am currently living in have a gym. I won’t lie to you. It’s a pretty average Joe gym. There are some weights that the dudes hog, two ellipticals (one is broken), a treadmill, and a stationary bike. I want to lift weights more; however, I’m too intimated. I don’t know why. I use to lift weights at my old gym all the time. Here, I’m intimated and embarrassed that I lift like 20 and 30 pounders while the guys lift 80’s.

Back to running…

On base we have The Battlefield. It’s actually a little tourist section with amazing running trails. Every time I run in the trails, I see deer and horses. It’s beautiful. It reminds me of home actually.

Well, this week I ran basically every day on my own time except for Wednesday. Wednesday’s here are considered ‘field day’ where we clean our rooms for an inspection. That means no liberty so I can’t run. Nonetheless, we do have PT every morning with our class. PT here is a joke. Yeah, it gets you moving, but we run for like twenty minutes at, like, a 12 minute mile pace. I swear I can walk it. PT here is for body maintenance, which is funny because a lot of people here are chunky. Not all, but there are quite a few. I blame the vending machines with donuts, Poptarts, and potato chips.

As I was saying, I ran basically every day this week. My stats look like this:

Monday: 8.39 miles @ 7:11 pace
Tuesday: 12 minute run (two miles at least) with a staff sergeant under a seven minute mile pace + weights + 50 minutes on the elliptical
Wednesday: PT run in the morning
Thursday: 8.51 miles @ 7:12 pace
Friday: 8.62 miles @ 7:04 pace
Saturday: 11.17 miles @ 7:10 pace
Sunday: 10.54 miles @ 6:58 pace

Total mileage: 49.23 miles

Of course that is not even close to what I want to be running!

Of course not everyone can be like Miley either…

I bet she’s better than Kara Goucher.

I kid, I kid.

Anyway, you can add a few miles that I run for PT in the morning with my class, but I can’t even count those because they are so darn slow.

As you see, I run like eight miles daily. Doing a bit over eight miles takes me an hour and that’s all I can do when I have a buddy running with me. It’s only fair to them. I know not everyone is a crazy runner like me. That’s why I am a weekend warrior with my eleven miles. Hah! I wish I was doing seventeen.

I hope this week to ramp up the mileage even though on Saturday I will be at an amusement park all day. I’ll just run on the treadmill at 10 PM. I don’t care. I just want to run.

My running face

And I absolutely love my running shoes. My mom sent me these:

They are like six ounces or something. Whatever they are, they are incredible. They go great with my unshaven legs.

Well, I hope I have a better week of running. I have a few posts up my sleeve about what I’m eating, reading, ‘dieting’ and more running. Obviously.

Enjoy the rest of your Easter!

I got some honorable eats for you. I couldn’t forget…

“Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you’re young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don’t let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself.”
-John Bingham

Reviewin’ the Good Stuff

One week. 

Next Monday I will be on a plane for boot camp for the Marines. 

Oh my gosh. I can’t believe it.

I have these moments where I am deadly afraid and today I actually wanted to go. 

I’m done working. Boo. However, that means I can blog and bug you guys instead. Lucky you. 

And, I didn’t do anything for Halloween. I was invited to a party by a guy at my work, but I was working that night then my mom told me no. Uh, I’m 18. If  I can decide to join the Marines and I can go to a party.

Anyway, hi everyone! I hope everyone is doing great.

I barely remember what I did last week workout wise. I’ll try my best though.

Monday: Ran 8.48 miles @ 7:17 mile pace (the day before I ran ten miles)

Tuesday: Ran on the treadmill for 3+ miles and track workout (3.71 miles) I did a mile in under six minutes!

Wednesday: 11.66 miles @ an extremely slow pace. I was tired from waking up at six. It was awful.

Thursday:  Ran on the treadmill for 2+ miles and a track workout. I only did a 3k and some 800′s for a total of 2.80 miles.

Friday: A lovely trail run! It was a great run. I did 6.86 miles.

Saturday: Spin class + weights

Sunday: Spin class + weights

Total mileage: 39.51+ miles.

I’m sure I did more than that by maybe a few miles. I know it is not a lot of mileage as I would like, but all my workouts were varied. I did speed, tempo, recovery, and a medium long run. 

Anyway, as I said, I left my job since I’m leaving in a week for the Marines.  I loved my job. Granted, this is what I worked with daily…

I probably tasted every thing in that case. Best thing? The mint brownies or revel bar, which was like a mixture of a chocolate bar and an oatmeal cookie.

Everyday I got to eat good food at Laughing Planet Cafe.

They have the best burritos and salads.

My work was located next to Saint Cupcake.

  Vegan German chocolate cupcake
Mint chocolate cupcake
Fat Elvis
They also have cookies. That eaten cookie is an alder-smoked chocolate chip cookie.

There a lot of things I will miss, but I am starting a new chapter in my life.

Change is good.

And change starts with an empty peanut butter jar and Greek yogurt.

Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.
-Confucius

 

 

Warrior Dash

Hiya!

I bet you want to hear all about the Warrior Dash. Well, that’s gonna have to wait. I’m going to rewind a bit.

Friday: No work! I woke up at six anyway to workout with some Marines. You know how that turned out. After that, I rested for a bit before I headed to my acupuncture appointment. It was incredible! The back of my legs (hamstring, calves, part of foot) was done. It didn’t hurt at all. I’ll have a single post on acupuncture for runners later on. I also got a massage. The woman giving the massage told me my right leg was extremely tight and so was the arch of my right foot. Go figure because that’s where my current problem is now. My right foot/toe area is bugging me. Now it’s not so terrible and I feel like I could run, but I’m holding it off.

Anyway, I’m hoping to go to another acupuncture appointment soon. It seemed to really help.

Friday night I went out to dinner, too, with my folks as well as my brother and his girlfriend. My family usually doesn’t eat at commercial restaurants, but we went to Outback Steakhouse. That use to be my favorite place when I was meat-eater. Besides, they have delicious bread. I got the Mahi with a salad and grilled onions.

Let me tell ya, I love onions. I seriously thought my meal was so good. I was really surprised and impressed.

After that, we raided fro-yo.

Saturday: I worked all day. No joke. After work, however, I did get Voodoo Doughnuts. In case you never heard of Voodoo Doughnuts even though they appeared on Food Network and the Cooking Channel, they are the best donuts ever.

They are rather popular in Portland. Voodoo Doughnuts makes some of the awesomest (yeah, I said it) donuts.

I just got the classic Voodoo donut as well as cereal one.

Sunday: Warrior Dash!

 

It was rather hectic getting there. My mom decided to bring two of our dogs and it was 90+ degrees out. We were trying to park and there were 200+ cars in a single file line trying to drive down a dirt road to a giant field where there would be parking. My mom was freaking out since we were running out of gas and she’s just a spaz. I got angry and left the car, got my bib number, lined up, and raced.

It was tougher than I imagined! It started with giant hills. Not like any hill, but hills that were so steep I could not run up them. I was running in a shuffle, luckily passing others. There was so much dirt too. I was eating and breathing dirt.

The first obstacle was going into deep water and climbing over logs. I was too short to even reach the bottom of the creek/pond/whatever it was water.

The next obstacle was jumping over cars. That was simple. There were plenty of wall climbing and running through hanging tires or ropes. I know it sounds like a piece of cake, but I was so out of breath from the running. Amazingly enough, my foot did not hurt until I dropped a few feet from climbing over a wall.

I was passing people like crazy though. It was the most I have ever cussed in a race. Also, it was the first time I walked in a race because I swear it turned into a hike. I felt like I was crawling up a mountain.

The last obstacle included jumping over fire then swimming in mud.

Exhibit A:

The price I paid for getting into that mud… hives. I have little red bumps all over my chest and back right now. I am itching like crazy that I went home from work early today. I couldn’t take it. I am not on enough medicine that I am passing out while I type this.

Warrior Dash was hella fun and tough. I don’t know why I thought it was going to be easy. I finished in less than 30 minutes though.  Some people took over an hour. It all depended on your fitness level. I know mine could definitely be better.  I can’t blame myself though. All last week I did not run. I was on the elliptical because of my damn foot.

It’s just odd that I felt nothing running in the race. Then, today, it felt okay. It didn’t run still and now I really want to run. I do not understand how I can run 50 miles for a month then reduce mileage insanely and that’s when I get hurt. It angers me.

Anyway, Warrior Dash was a blast! If it is different next year, I will definitely do it again.

After I finished the race around 3:00 (I’ll have more accurate info when I get my results), I went to look for my mother. Yeah, she was not there. I sat by a tree for two hours. Turns out she left and didn’t even watch me race. I suppose she was a terrible mood that day, which caused me to be a terrible mood today too.

Well, here’s the review of August 5th through August 11th:

Monday: Ran 8.58 miles @ a very slow pace
Tuesday: Ran 5.71 trails
Wednesday: Elliptical + Weights
Thursday: elliptical and strength class
Friday: Elliptical + stair master + weights
Saturday: Elliptical + weights
Sunday: Spin class + Warrior Dash (3.1 miles)

Total mileage: 17.39 miles

I wish it was higher, but whatdaya gonna do? When you can’t run, you can’t run. Good thing I don’t mind the elliptical and good thing I am giving up desserts.

Honorable eats:

Apple tart
Spicy fritata
 Apple quinoa
Sweet potato cakes + eggs
 

That’s it for now! I hope you  all are having a fabulous week.

“Just do the best with what you have, and you’ll soon be doing it better.”  -Gil Hodges

Lazy Weekend

Your comments were incredible in my last post. I hope you guys know how beautiful and strong you are. It’s true.

What a lazy weekend I had.

I went shopping…

Check out my new watch, yo.

I also got some new V-neck shirts from Victoria’s Secret and Target as well as Pac Sun. Then, I got another pair of tempo shorts to add to my collection.

Read until I fell asleep…

I drunk a lot of ice coffee…

Thank you, Starbucks, for spelling my name correctly. 

Ate a lot…

 I am never  going back to regular ice cream again.
Eggs + mushroom leek tart + potato knish

Moreover, I decided to add more weight lifting days in my schedule.

On days that I lift, I will only run for an hour or less (if it’s an easy run day). I really do love lifting and it’s obvious I have gained muscle.

I believe I gained eight pounds in the past few weeks. Initially, I had no idea why. I mean, I was eating the same and working out the same so why was I gaining? Why all of a sudden would I gain weight like crazy? It had to be muscle because I went to shopping and I still fit in all the same sizes. At Forever 21, I could fit in a double zero or zero. (They are cheaply made clothes though.) Then, at Lucky’s, I could fit in a zero. Sorry if a size zero is shocking to you, but it’s what I am. I use to be a size 9 so… whatever.

Anyway, I love lifting weights. However, I hate the weight lifting routines or whatever you want to call them in Women’s Health Magazine. Fitness and Shape have worse examples. They literally say grab a five-pound dumbbell and do a rep 898484 times. Literally that number, guys.

Men’s Health Magazine, on the other hand, has great workouts. My brother gets the magazine, but I end up ‘borrowing’ it from him. I really do not think he uses it, to be honest (not rude), because he beer belly still exists. That’s beside the point. Men’s Health Magazine is for anyone who is serious about lifting and fitness in general. Also, the meal plans are awesome. They are not 1,500 calories, but hell of a lot more.

Besides, Men’s Health puts rather attractive men on the cover.

I know this week, thanks to Men’s Health, I will be doing this upper body workout. If I’m going to be a Marine, I need some arm strength.

WEEKLY PROGRESS TEST
EXERCISE		SETS	REPS
1	Inverted Row	1	As many reps as you can in 30 seconds. Retest weekly.

WORKOUT 1 (WEEK 1)
EXERCISE		SETS	REPS	REST
1	Deadlift	3	3	60 s
2A	Pullup	3	6-8	0 s
2B	Back Raise	3	6-8	60 s

WORKOUT 2 (WEEK 2)
EXERCISE		SETS	REPS	REST
1	Deadlift	3	3-5	60 s
2A	Inverted Row	3	10	0 s
2B	Lat Pulldown	3	10-12	60 s

WORKOUT 3 (WEEK 3)
EXERCISE		SETS	REPS	REST
1A	Scapula Pulldown	4	10	0 s
1B	Barbell Shrug	4	12	0 s
1C	Back Raise	4	12	90 s

WORKOUT 4 (WEEK 4)
EXERCISE		SETS	REPS	REST
1A	Face Pull	3	6-10	0 s
1B	Lat Pulldown	3	8-15	0 s
1C	Back Raise	3	10-15	90 s

  The Payoff   

• Bigger Muscle This workout trains your rear deltoids, rhomboids, and trapezius—all commonly neglected muscles of your upper body. By shoring up these weak spots, you’ll pack on muscle and build a more symmetrical physique. 
• A Wider Upper Back The pullup and lat pulldown in this workout are slightly different from standard versions. You’ll initiate each move by sliding your shoulder blades down. This allows your lats to contract through a larger range of motion, so they develop fully. 
• Total-Body Strength The deadlift is more than just a muscle builder for your lower back and hamstrings. It strengthens your back from top to bottom and conditions your “posterior chain”—all the muscles on the back of your body—to work in coordination.

Week in Review:

Monday: 9.61 miles @ 7.0 average pace
Tuesday: 10.41 miles @ 7:11 average pace (it was hella hot and I didn’t expect to go that long)
Wednesday: 5.15 miles @ 7:03 average pace
Thursday: 11.53 miles @ 6:53 average pace
Friday: Weights + Elliptical
Saturday: 13.66 mile trail run @ whatever pace. My watch says 7:48, but that would be feel like walking for me so I don’t think that is correct.
Sunday: Weight class + 15 minute spin class (I was bored so I left) + 4-5 mile run (I didn’t have my Garmin) + elliptical to cool down
Total mileage: 50.36 plus 4-5 miles 

Hell yeah! In the 50′s finally even though my first three runs of the week were slow. I didn’t really focus on my pace as much as I didn’t my mileage. So, this week I should really focus on both. 

Have a good second week of August!

“Now bid me run, And I will strive things impossible.”
- William Shakespear, Julius Caesar

Gettin’ Wild

Thank you so much for all your supportive comments on my thoughts about college and the Air Force. All and all, I am really leaning towards the Air Force. As soon as I have a day off from work, I am scheduling an appointment with a recruiter. Just like I think the Air Force isn’t for everyone, I don’t think college is for everyone either.

Let’s get down to business.

Yesterday was my second half marathon, but my first half marathon for a trail race. It was the Wildwood Trail Run. It was actually the same course as the Forest Park 20k I did so I was familiar with the path.

Since I knew it was the same course, I gave myself a goal of beating my previous time. My previous time was 1:36:41. In this case, the seconds matter because I PR by 18 seconds. I was rather disappointed that I didn’t at least do a minute better, but I realized that I started off way too fast. I was so wrapped up in the competition aspect that I didn’t even enjoy my surroundings. I was also so focused on pushing through my soreness from lifting weights the other day that I was afraid to slow down. I just kept pushing it. I felt super fast, but I don’t think I was going that quickly as I felt. It’s funny how that works.

Whatever, whatever.

My final time was 1:36:23.

I came in second place out of 167 people.

I was first in my age group and first woman.

Of course, I’m pleased with my results. Second place isn’t terrible even if it was out of 167 people. It was just one of those races that I wasn’t entirely pumped up for. I listened to some music before hand to get my fired up, but I was just so focused on picking people out from the crowd and telling myself I would beat them.

In actuality, I was a mixed bag of emotions Saturday morning. I was panicky, thrilled, and apprehensive all at once.

               

In the end though, I got my medal and I did set a new record for women on the course for the half marathon. Holla at your girl.

Just adding it to my collection.

That wasn’t a boast or anything.

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My appetite is slowly coming back. I somewhat did an experiment that Racing Weight recommended, which I will have a review of soon. In the past two days, I have been starving constantly hence eating sweet onion rings from Burgerville at ten at night. 

Have I stepped on the scale? Yeah…

I’m just telling myself it’s muscle. I mean, it really should be. My pants fit the same.

Who cares? I shouldn’t.

Whatever. Moving on to my new obsession:
So good and it says it helps skin, nails, and hair. I need that. Desperately.

In other news, here’s my week in review first starting with eats:

 Tamales w/ eggplant (good mix I know)
Dinner @ work. Tofu + snap peas + swiss chard + tuna casserole

Dinner @ work again. Tuna + asparagus + rice + potato ball of cheese

Workout review of 25th – 31st:

Monday: 10.01 miles @ 6:42 average pace (hills)
Tuesday: 9.06 miles @ 6:53 average pace
Wednesday: 7.46 miles @ 7:03 average pace (easy run)
Thursday: 10.21 miles @ 6:49 average pace (longer than expected. I got lost.)
Friday: Easy day of upper body weights
Saturday: Race! 13.1 miles @ 6:59 average pace
Sunday: Weights and spin class

Total Mileage: 49.93

I failed at upping my mileage once again. I just want to be in the 50‘s. I’m almost there. I either need to get speedier or go longer. I’ll aim for both.

Enjoy August!

By the way, just out of curiosity, how many of you would enjoy book reviews on normal books? By normal books I mean books not associated with running.

“Second place is not a defeat. It is a stimulation to get better. It makes you even more determined.” - Carlos Lopes

Rethinking

Holla amigos! 

I left you guys with a cliff hanger yesterday, didn’t I? I watch too many soap operas so I must say I am a pro.

Well, let’s begin with Tuesday. I had a bit of breakdown before work and I started yelling anything and everything. What came out was, “I don’t want to go to Portland State. I hate Portland. Blah blah blah. College… yada yada…” You get my point. I came home that night and my mom and I had a talk.

I have always been fascinated by military life. In high school, I seriously considered joining the army. However, I went to college preparatory school where the army seemed to look down upon. College was the focus and women need an education, not the army. I have a great amount of respect for anyone in the military though. I want to be respected like that. Many times people have told me how I am not good enough, not strong enough, and not fast enough. Due to that, I have zero self-confidence.

I am now seriously thinking of joining the Air Force. I want to show others that college isn’t everything. You don’t have to go to college to gain independence. The Air Force will offer me confidence, discipline, and the skills I need to succeed that I feel like college will not give me. After orientation at Portland State the other week, I felt like I was going to loathe it. I didn’t like the people nor did I like the classes that I had to take. I didn’t think I would fit in. With the Air Force, I just might fit in. I just might show others how tough I am. I’m not just a tiny woman who is shy and quiet.

I was thinking of the Marines too, but I like the lifestyle of the Air Force a lot more. I watched the videos online and the Air Force really appealed to me.  Besides, I get run in the Air Force. I can still run cross-country, which is majorly important to me. Whatever I do, wherever I go, I do want to run.

Of course I’m nervous. What if they don’t take me? What if I’m too small? What if I’m not strong enough? Can I still be a vegetarian? Silly questions, I know.

However, I am seriously considering the Air Force. As soon as I have a day off from work (HA, fat chance), I am going to speak to a recruiter.

All I know is that college is not appealing to me currently. Oregon itself is not appealing to me. It never was. I moved to Oregon about six years ago because my brother wanted to. Yes, my brother told me parents he wanted to move so we did.

With all of this, my mom is supporting me… somewhat. She understands how badly I want to run at a professional level. She also would be so proud of me for going into the military. She told me she would be more proud if I went into the military than college because everyone goes to college now. She is just nervous if they don’t take me, then what? Will I end up like my brother who works nonstop because he didn’t go to college? Nonetheless, my mom said she would allow me six months to re-think what I want to do with my life if I decide to not go to college.

Let’s just hope they take me because I think I would actually fit in.

I just have a lot to think about. 

I feel like I still need to talk it over with someone. Someone who too is considering the military or someone who has been in the Air Force. I have watched the videos on the Air Force’s website, but all the videos just have men in them. How can I relate?

In other news, tomorrow is the Wildwood Trail Run. It’s another half marathon. I am thinking of it as another normal run and not a race because I won’t get home until 9:30 tonight due to work then I bet I won’t go to bed until 11 since I’ll just be awake. Ahhh!

Better get my ass in gear now though. I’ll be back to regular posting soon. Until then, have a good weekend!

Wish me luck!

“Anybody can do just about anything with himself that he really wants to and makes his mind to do. We are capable of greater than we realize.”

- Norman Vincent Peale

Q&A:

• What are your views on the military?
• Ever had to really re-think your life? 

Stronger, Faster, Quicker

I made myself wake up before six AM this morning to get in an hour run before work (weight lifting followed after work). Going on the run wasn’t the hard part. It was so beautiful out. The birds were chirping, the sun was out, and it was just generally peaceful. I was really enjoying my surroundings.

I guess I was enjoying them too much.

 I’m not fishing for compliments here or any ‘woe is me’ comments. This might as well be considered a jog.

I want to go back to these days. 

I know, I know. After coming back to running after not running for days, weeks, and months in a row, I shouldn’t be too concerned. I am though. I’m allowed to be.

Perhaps I should lay off the bread pudding. Yeah, it’s like the size of Shaq’s fist.

Whatever, whatever.

If my first Foot Traffic Flat half marathon isn’t amazing, then I always have

…the Wildwood Trail Run race. I signed up for another trail run. This time it is a half marathon. It’s July 30th and I finally signed up because I requested a discount for being ‘youth’. I got seven bucks off! Holla.

I think my double digit run tomorrow after work with my friend will be great practice.

Speaking of work, my boss has me working morning shifts all next week. I am pretty positive that I told him I cannot work mornings before I even got the job. I don’t know how to confront him since it’s my first job and I just started it. Any ideas? 

Recap of this week workout wise:

Monday: Ran 5.46 miles in 38 minutes + a random cardio/weight/Plyometric based class at my gym (~48 minutes) + 20 minute trail run
Tuesday: Ran ?? miles in 45 minutes or so followed by the elliptical.
Wednesday: Ran 7.19 miles in 52 minutes followed by the elliptical and water aerobics
Thursday: Ran 8.81 miles in one hour followed by the elliptical
Friday: Ran 8.61 miles in 1:01 then did some weights and the elliptical
Saturday:  1 hour spin class followed by the elliptical
Sunday: Ran 8.49 miles in 1:02 + 50 minutes of weights

Total mileage:  Approximately 45ish. I just forgot my Garmin on Tuesday. Well, I had it, but I forgot to press start after I stopped.

Thanks, Justin.

————————————————————————————————

I have not done honorable eats in awhile. What’s wrong with me? It’s tradition.

Honorable eats:

Crab cakes + noodles + mushrooms + yellow squash
Indian salad
Tomato + goat cheese galette  w/ Brussels sprouts x 1981651
Strawberry Napoleon  

Questions for you:

- How do you gain running speed?
- What’s your favorite dessert? Bread pudding. Hands down. I learned how to make it at my job today.

Hey, slow poke!

Workout: Ran 5.46 miles in 38 minutes + a random cardio/weight/Plyometric based class at my gym (~48 minutes)

Gosh that is slow! Don’t laugh at me.  I am just getting off a foot injury again. That’s my excuse. I have new shoes. That’s another excuse.

2nd workout: 20 minute trail run. I was a sweaty mess and it was only twenty minutes. Lots of hills though.

I have until July 4th to get my ass in gear for the half marathon.

The good news is my foot is hurting way less and the Adidas shoes seem to be working out. I still may buy the New Balance 1190 since I have a coupon for Road Runners.  Who knows though? I do see some new Nike tempo shorts in my future. Might as well add to my collection. I really want some blue ones for the 4th of July.

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I can’t believe I forgot to do a Father Day’s post yesterday! Shame on me. First I run too slowly and now this? Who am I?

I do love my dad even though I rarely show it.

He’s my biggest fan when it comes to sports. When I play softball and basketball, he practiced with me. I still shoot hoops with him. When I have a race, he times me and waits for me at the finish line.

I can be quite the little jerk to him though. I only see my dad maybe once every three months because of his job and I rarely call him. He irritates me sometimes, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for me to not talk to him. I love him. I do. It’s just his personality that aggravates me. It could be worse, however. I could not even have a dad. True.

I think I owe someone an apology. After all, if I didn’t have him, I wouldn’t have a number one fan.

Questions that need an answer:

Are you and your father close?

Who is your number one fan when it comes to running/swimming/sports/etc?

What was your workout today? 

 By the way, go see Hangover 2. It may be exactly like the first  one, but it is nonetheless hilarious.