Three Things Thursday 2/6

This week seems to really be flying by! I can hardly believe it's already Thursday. Yay!! Almost Friday. :-)

I've got a few exciting things to share!

1. I ran the first race for this round of #5bythe5th virtual race series and GOT A PR! I waited until the 5th to run it because I had a tempo run on schedule for the 5th and thought that would be perfect! Turns out it was! It was only in the 40s, so I wore my new Crazy Compression sleeves and a LS shirt. I was still cold, but I think that made me run a bit faster. I was listening to one of my favorite Rock My Run mixes - Grrl Power. I tried to use the music to push me faster instead of just singing along. Whenever I was tempted to sing, I thought, If you can sing, you can run faster. So instead of singing, I'd run faster.

Here are the numbers:

Total Time	27:04
Avg Pace	8:49 min/mile
Mile 1	8:38 min
Mile 2	8:45 min
Mile 3	8:41 min
3.1	:59 min

I was pleasantly surprised - not only with the PR, but with actually pushing myself to run a tempo run. This is probably one of the few races I feel like I actually raced. With a goal of getting a sub-25:00 5k, I need to keep up with the tempo runs (and other speed work), but I feel like I'm heading in the right direction.

2. Don't forget that tomorrow is National Wear Red Day! Katie at From Ice Cream to Marathon and I are co-hosting a little linky party to celebrate - Wear Red Selfies. Be sure and stop back by tomorrow to share your selfie and why you're wearing red. For more information on heart disease and National Wear Red Day, visit goredforwomen.org.

Feel free to snag this little button for your post.

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If you're not a blogger and still want to link up with us, you can still link up. I'll tell you how in tomorrow's post.

3. Jeff and I have some exciting plans for this weekend! I posted a teaser pic on Instagram last night. Can you guess what we'll be doing? Hint: I has nothing to do with the bikes in the background of the picture.

What's exciting you today?
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Factors of 36 Winners!!

Thanks again to everyone who joined me in my Factors of 36 virtual race!!

I had a blast knowing I was running with such awesome company.

I loved hearing how you all pushed yourself to go just a bit further or how this virtual race helped motivate you to keep up with your training or start running again.

You're all winners to me!! Together we ran a total of 991 miles. Sah-weet!!

I wish I had a prize for each of you, but alas, I had to choose only seven. Each run logged on the spreadsheet counted for one point + sharing points + early registrations equaled a total of 391 entries.

I drew 7 random numbers using Randomizer.org.

And the winners are...

• Adrienne from Runner Mom * Not Fast but Not Last
• Chris from Inspiral Coaching
• egb from Running on E
• Matt from Muddy Calves
• Nicolasa from Shoe Laces & Bibs
• Rhonda from Kids Running Wild
• Teresa

Prizes will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis, so email me at enjoyingthecourse@gmail.com ASAP with your top two choices.

If you didn't win (or even if you did!), I threw the Factors of 36 logo onto a few items at CafePress - in case anyone was interested in buying a little memento. :) This is my first time using CafePress, so let me know if you run into any issues.

Make Custom Gifts at CafePress

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Other ways to follow Enjoying the Course:
Twitter → @EnjoytheCourse
Facebook → EnjoyingtheCourse
Instagram → enjoyingthecourse
Pinterest → clarindad

Five for Friday!

I, for one, am super happy about it being Friday! Having Monday off, this week actually went by pretty quickly, but I'm still loving that it's almost the weekend.

Here's a few things on my mind today.

1. No big plans for the weekend! We may go car shopping, but mostly just relaxing and getting caught up on stuff.

2. My Factors of 36 virtual race has been going on for a week now. I'm loving this race and hearing all your stories about how it's helped motivate YOU.

Like Matt who pushed himself to run an extra 0.6 miles, so he could log 18 miles for the day instead of 12.

Or Tyly who didn't want to get off the couch.

@EnjoytheCourse Your #Factorsof36Race played a big part in getting me off the couch, so thank you!
— Tyly (@tylyshab) August 10, 2013

And then there's my sister-in-law, Trudy, who is using the race to get back on the wagon.

You're all helping to motivate me as well.

Thank you, thank you, to everyone who is participating.

If you haven't joined the fun, there's still 10 more days to run! You can still join us, just fill out this form or shoot me an email at enjoyingthecourse@gmail.com.

3. Speaking of virtual races, when mine's finished, why not sign up for Laura's Fall 5 or 10 Virtual Series. It will be similar to the one she hosted from Jan-June, but instead of  5k or 5miles before the 5th, it will be 5 or 10 miles. Perfect for anyone training for a fall/winter marathon.

4. Did you know that I recently became a Diet-to-Go Ambassador? You might recall I did a review of their meals back in February. I was so impressed with everything I tried - from the quality to the quantity - that I was very excited when they reached out to me to be an Ambassador.

Last night I participated in a very fun Twitter chat about getting back to healthy habits now that school is starting up again. The new school year doesn't really affect me, but it's always good to refresh my healthy habits. :)

Diet-to-Go is also currently hosting an I Live Healthy photo contest.

The contest started a couple days ago, but you can enter your photo through 8/29. Voting goes through 8/31 and winners will get a week of free meals. Yummy!!

You can enter, vote, and get all the details here: http://woobox.com/ciqtzc

5. I've shared 227 happy moments on my A Happy Moment A Day blog. I think that's pretty much a record for me for doing anything.

What's going on with you today?
Any fun plans for the weekend?
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Other ways to follow Enjoying the Course:
Twitter → @EnjoytheCourse
Facebook → EnjoyingtheCourse
Instagram → enjoyingthecourse
Pinterest → clarindad

Factors of 36 Sponsors #2

Are you getting as excited as I am about this virtual race??

I have three more prizes for you all, and I'm super excited about them. While I haven't personally tried them myself, they are definitely products I've been wanting to try for awhile, and I'm pumped to be able to include them in the list of prizes.

Since I haven't personally tried these products, I reached out to some of my fellow FitFluential ambassadors, and I'll share with you their thoughts on these products.

Handana

Have you heard of this? It's a sweat band that you wear on your hand! I love the concept, because it leaves your hands free, and gives you something to wick the sweat from your forehead before it drips to your eyes.

Lea from Running with Ollie loved this product so much that she even wrote a limerick about it. :) Seriously, though, she's not a towel-carrying or bandana-wearing girl, so she prefers the hands-free convenience of the Handana.

Sarah-Jane from Fit Betty tried this out during a variety of workouts and found it convenient, portable, and sturdy! Perfect!!

Elle from Eat, Run, Sail also liked the versatility it provided during a variety of workouts, but especially she liked not having to carry tissues out on a run. Plus the Handana fit nicely over her gloves during colder weather.

Picture courtesy of Elle at Eat, Run, Sail

Prize: $5 gift certificate

Website: http://www.myhandana.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest

One More Mile

If you like fun, clever slogans on your running apparel, look no further than One More Mile Running. They are sure to help keep you motivated. Seriously. I don't know where they came up with some of these. Of course you can always order without the sayings. But where's the fun in that?

Coco from Running with Perseverance ran into One More Mile at a race expo and loved some of the clever sayings.

My favorite? “Does this shirt make my butt look fast?” bwahahahah

Prize: One race belt (your choice of slogan)

Website: https://www.onemoremilerunning.com
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

Tommie Copper

Ok. I'll admit it. I've never actually tried any compression gear, but I've already heard such fabulous things about Tommie Copper! One day, I'll give it a try. One day.

Tommie Copper is kind of unique in their compression gear because their yarn is infused with copper (hence the name).

According to Julie from ROJ Running, Tommie Copper is more in the recovery market than in the wear-while-running market.

Sarah from Mom Running on Empty is a firm believer after being pleasantly surprised by how good her swollen foot and ankle felt while running in a Tommie Copper ankle sleeve.

Carrie from Maine Mom on the Run loves Tommie Copper, too! She's a compression addict and has tried TC knee, calf, and ankle sleeves, as well as compression shorts. Her legs love them. :)

Elle from Eat, Run, Sail has so many great things to say about TC! Once she had a really long moving day, and TC helped her get comfortable enough to fall asleep despite some leg cramping. She's written a ton of other reviews, too. Just do a search on her site, if you want to find more.

Pic courtesy of Maine Mom on the Run

Prize: One pair of sleeves

Website: http://www.tommiecopper.com/
Social Media: Facebook, G+, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube


There you have it - SEVEN FANTASTIC prizes up for grabs!! Please take a moment to drop by and give them a visit!

If you missed the first four prizes, pop on over to yesterday's post.

Don't forget to register! Just fill out this form. Registration ends tomorrow!!

Already registered? You can earn bonus entries for sharing the race! Be sure and use #Factorsof36race and/or tag me, so I know you shared. :)

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Factors of 36 Sponsors #1

First of all a HUGE thank you to everyone who has entered my race so far!! If you haven't signed up yet, here's a little more incentive!

I mentioned all of our wonderful sponsors in my post with all the details about the virtual race, but I wanted to tell you a little more about these great prizes! I'm going to split this into two posts, so be sure and come back tomorrow to learn more about the rest of the prizes you could win.

Bondi Band

I've been wanting to try one of these FOREVER, so I was super excited when they offered to send me one headband to try and one to give away. Here is what they sent.


It was hard to choose which to keep, but, if you follow me on Instagram, you probably already know that I opted for the "Quick Like a Bunny" one since it's something I say all. the. time. Usually when Sallie is moving too slowly. :-D

I tried it out on my last run, and LOVED IT! Definitely lived up to all the hype. It was a bit warm heading out, but I was very grateful for no stinging, burning sweat dripping into my eyes. Bonus that it will be perfect for the Vegas winters when it's cold enough to want to cover your ears, but not so cold you need a full hat. Whoo hoo!!

Prize: One headband (pictured above)

Website: http://www.bondiband.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest 

Good Beans

I won a sampling of these from Danielle over at It's a Harleyyy Life and fell. in. love.



These chickpea snacks were so delicious!! Alone, of course.
But I also loved the cracked pepper and sea salt tossed on my salad.
Or the sweet cinnamon sprinkled over ice cream. Yes, I know I'm bad.

Prize: One sample pack, as shown above

Website: http://www.thegoodbean.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Handful Bra

Love, love these bras! They are super comfy and give the girls just a bit more lift - cuz sometimes I need to feel a little sexy to get my butt out the door. :-) Plus, I love that I can wear this to work without looking like a boy. Hehehe.

I know, I know. I should have shared a pic from the front, but I couldn't find one at the moment. Plus aren't the criss-crossed straps pretty?

Prize: One sports bra of your choice

Website: http://www.handful.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

KonaKase

Have you tried a KonaKase? You can read my review here, but it's a great little box filled with motivation and fun surprises that gets delivered right to your door! It's a great way to try products that maybe you're not familiar with.

Here's what came in the August box.


Prize: A September box

Website: https://www.konakase.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

That's it for today! Be sure and come back tomorrow to hear all about the rest of the sponsors. In the meantime, feel free to visit these sponsors and give them some love! Be sure and tell them I sent you - Enjoying the Course on Facebook and EnjoytheCourse on Twitter!

You still haven't registered? Just fill out this form.
Already registered? Don't forget about bonus points for sharing the race! Be sure and use #Factorsof36race and/or tag me, so I know you shared. :)

What would you most like to win?
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Factors of 36 Virtual Race

I'm incredibly excited to announce my first ever virtual race!

As you know, my birthday is fast approaching, and I thought it would be super fun to celebrate with all of you - my favorite running peeps!

I've been kind of planning this for a couple of months, so I'm excited that it's finally time to announce the...

This isn't your normal virtual race.

This isn't a 5k or a 10k or any traditional race distance. Here's the twist.

I'm turning 36 on the 10th, so I wanted to incorporate my new age into the virtual race and came up with this fun idea.

Here's what you'll do:

• Run any distance (in miles) that is a factor of 36.
• Run as many times as you want (no more than once per day) from the 10th to the 25th.
• Each entry will earn you a chance to win a prize from one of our fabulous sponsors.
• Earn a bonus entry if you run exactly 36 miles during the race period.

This race has a distance for everyone! In case you're not sure what the factors of 36 are, each run could be 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, or 36 miles.

You can run these miles fast or slow or even walk them.

Virtual races are so much more fun with great prizes, check out our sponsors.

More on them later.

I hope you'll celebrate with me.

All you need to do right now is just fill out this simple form. I'll keep registration open until the 8th, and I'll shoot you an email on the 9th with a reminder and a few more details to get you all set to run on the 10th.



Oh! I almost forgot!! You can earn extra bonus points now through the 8th by sharing this virtual race on FB, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. When you share be sure and tag me and then come back and leave a comment. You can share as many times you want, but you can only earn one extra bonus point per day.

Have I mentioned how excited I am about this?? Can't wait to celebrate my birthday with YOU!!
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Final 5 by the 5th Virtual Race

Let me start by wishing you all a HAPPY NATIONAL RUNNING DAY!! I'll be heading out for a run later today, but wanted to tell you all about yesterday's run first.

I ran my final 5 by the 5th 5k.

I decided to take the same route as my first 5 by the 5th 5k. I'd like to say that my improvement in time really wow'ed me, but this 5k was actually 7 seconds SLOWER than the one in January. *sigh* Of course, with the heat difference from Jan to June, I'm certainly not going to beat myself up about it.

This was also my first run with my new Soleus GPS Fit 1.0. I hadn't run with a GPS watch in years, so I was super excited for this to arrive. Way back in Feb, I won a gift certificate to Holabird Sports from #RunChat. It took me months to decide how spend my $50, but I finally decided to put it towards this GPS watch.

When I took it out of the box Monday night, Jeff commented that he might just have to steal it. What would you possibly do with a GPS watch? I had to ask my non-runner husband. LOL. He just liked the look of it.

I thought the watch a little less intuitive to set-up than I would have liked, but after one run, I think I'm much more confident in how it works. Of course, there are definitely some features I have yet to investigate. It is a pretty simple watch, though. Not a whole lot of bells and whistles, but that's not really what I need anyway.

What I need is some additional motivation along the way. And this watch certainly seemed to help push me along.

I ran this race yesterday with no music, no phone. Just my new watch. The occasional glance here and there kept me motivated to push a little harder.

Well, until I started the 3rd mile. :)

Mile 1 - 9 minutes, 9 seconds
I felt great. Maybe started out a little fast, but I was okay with it. Just enjoying the route and the run.

Mile 2 - 8 minutes, 37 seconds
Wow. I was shocked at my speedy-ness. I worked hard for that mile, but I still felt great.

Mile 3 - 9 minutes, 30 seconds
This mile was hard. I kept wanting to push myself to keep up the pace, but my legs had other plans. They kept slowing down despite all my mental tricks. It seemed that every time I glanced at my watch, my pace got slower and slower. Never did it get slower than 10:00 min/mi, though. Yay!

Mile 3.1 - 1 minute, 15 seconds
I really felt like I ran this final 0.1 miles a LOT faster. I pushed it at the end, but this time doesn't seem to reflect that. *sigh*

Overall time - 28:31
Definitely no PR on this race, but like I said, no big deal. It was already in the 80s, which seems quite cool compared to the 100+ temps we've been hitting, but, in reality, is still quite warm for running.

I'm sad to see the end of this series. :-( It was fun and a great motivator to start the month out right.

My times were kind of all over the place throughout the series.

Jan - 28:24
Feb - 27:09
Mar - 27:21
Apr - 31:16
May - 27:40
Jun - 28:31

But I'm so glad that I stuck with it for the entire series - even the months when it took a LOT of convincing to get my butt out the door. I had hoped to see some improvement in speed over the 6 months, but I'm totally happy with the results of this series.

Did you run some or all of this virtual race series? I'd love to hear how it went for you!
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Race for the Cure 5K

This past Monday, I received an email at work asking people to sign up for Race for the Cure on Saturday.

Yes, please! Sign me up!!

The timing was perfect, of course, to count for my 5th #5bythe5th virtual race. Sweet!!

I somehow convinced Jeff to ride with me to the race, and then just walk around or hang out while I ran. I always forget how much he dislikes going to races with me - especially so early in the morning - but we managed to leave with plenty of time to bike downtown.

It was a beautiful morning, and we found a relatively quiet route to get to the race. Bonus that some of our route was also the race route, so the streets were already closed. :)

We found a great bike rack to lock up our bikes.

I loved this sign above the rack.

After getting our bikes all nice and secured, we headed toward the start line. Of course, I had to stop at the port-a-jane. :-)

These weren't nearly as nice as the Eco Commodes at RagnarZion, but they did flush and had plenty of hand sanitizer. Score!

The actual start line was still a few blocks away, so Jeff and I parted ways. He went to go wait by our bikes and the finish line, and I continued to the start.

There was also a 1-mile walk option, and I loved how they had separate starting shoots for the runners and the walkers.

Now the actual race was HARD for me. I didn't exactly set myself up for success. I hardly ate anything for dinner last night and stayed up WAY too late for how early I knew I'd have to get up. To top it all off, I didn't have much for breakfast either.

{TMI warning!} When the race started, I immediately knew I'd chosen the wrong bra. My boobs hurt with every step. Ugh! But then, I reminded myself that the pain/discomfort I was feeling would be mild compared to those who have had to suffer through breast cancer.

For some reason, this thought plus all the signs pinned to runners' backs of who they were running in honor of really made for an emotional start.

The first 5 or so minutes were a little agonizing. I felt like I was really pushing it. I started pacing with another runner until the first mile, and that helped a lot. She was going the perfect pace - until she stopped for some water.

So many times (yes, even before the first mile) I wanted to stop and walk for a bit, but kept telling myself it was only 3.1 miles. I COULD DO THIS!

I hit the split button on my watch as I passed the 1 mile marker. 8:47. Wow. I was impressed. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up that pace the entire time, but I just didn't want to walk.

I never ended up seeing the 2 mile marker, so I don't know what the rest of my splits were, but my overall time was 27:40. It's definitely not where I want to be, but I was able to push it at the end.

Now, it's definitely time to concentrate on some speed work. I mean I don't see how I'll possibly beat my goal of a sub-25 without some serious refocusing.

I was breathing so hard after crossing the finish line that it took a bit to pull myself together. I grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the finish line goodies.

I got a great Trader Joe's reusable bag, a fruit smoothie, orange, Fuji apple (my favorite), and a banana! So much yummy fruit. We walked around a bit, and Bahama Breeze was giving out cups of fruit as well. Whoo hoo!!

While I really loved getting all the fruit, I would have liked some bread or something salty. That's such a minor complaint, though. Overall, I was really impressed with the organization of the race. There were lots of water stops throughout the course. Though I did run through each of them, it was nice to know they were there for those who needed them. For as many people as were at the event, there wasn't really too much congestion. Yay!!

This race was a great start to my weekend. It kind of made for a lazy afternoon, but that's okay. Next week, I hit the treadmill or find an outdoor track to use, so I can ramp up my speed work. Wish me luck!!

What are you doing this weekend?
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Here it is.

I can't believe it's already the end of March. 2013 is really flying by!!

March started out pretty strong. Thanks largely to the 5 by the 5th virtual race series. That always seems to kick my butt into gear.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem very long before I could feel a big slump coming on. And boy did it hit me hard. I found it super difficult to find the time/motivation/desire to workout, go for a run, or even ride my bike to work. I was eating like crap and feeling just the same.

I knew why and knew I needed to change, but simply couldn't find it within myself.

Around mid-month, I signed up for 3 virtual races for the second half of March. I did one right away for St Patrick's Day, but then just couldn't seem to get off the couch to get in the other events.

The Running with Spatulas virtual series was from Mar 18-29.

There were five options to choose from: 10K run, 10K walk, 10K bike, 30K any way, and 5K run/walk. I was feeling ambitious when I signed up for the 10K run, bike, and 30K any way.

And then I sat and sat and sat.

Finally on Mar 28, I went for a 10k run after work. I really didn't want to, but I'm glad I did! It was probably my slowest 10k in forever. I had to fight a lot of crowds on Las Vegas Blvd, but I did catch a glimpse of the volcano show at the Mirage. :)

I also stopped to take a couple pics for the #runchathunt.

Friday morning came really early after staying up too late watching a movie, but I still managed to hurry enough and get out earlier than usual. I added a bit of distance to my morning commute, which allowed me to get in the 10k bike option. Phew!

Of these 3 races, the one I was the most excited about was the Jelly Bean virtual race - and the only one I'd signed up for ahead of time.

This race has four options - run a 5k, 10k, or 1/2 marathon OR bike a 21K (half marathon). Last year, I managed to completed all 4 events, but this year, I haven't even done one. Boooo!!!!

I suppose I could use my 10k time from the RWS race on Thursday, but somehow that feels like cheating to me. :D.

I still have today and tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get out there for a 10k run this afternoon and (hopefully) convince Jeff to join me for a 21k bike ride tomorrow.

I've got a few challenges in mind for April, but I think that's for another post. :)

What are you up to this weekend?
How do you stay motivated when you find yourself falling into a slump?
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Running and Biking and Baseball

I had a really fun weekend. And by weekend, I mean Sunday.

Saturday, I was pretty much down for the count due to female issues. Boooo...

Thankfully by Sunday I was feeling much better, so I decided to tackle the St Patty's Day virtual race.

As far as I can tell, there is no specified distance for this virtual race, so I attempted to push myself with a 10K. I'd been pretty crampy (TMI??) the day before, so I wasn't sure how it would go. Plus, I decided to do a 5K route twice instead of mapping something new. This is usually too mentally difficult for me, but it would allow me to end after a 5K if I needed to.

I DIDN'T! In fact, continuing and starting the route over seemed like just about the most natural thing ever. Woot woot! There was a brief moment about 43 minutes in that I started to hit a small wall, but I jumped right over that mother and crushed it.

I'd never run a 10K in under an hour, so in the back of my mind that was my goal.

**drumroll please**

I FINISHED IN 58:18!!

My previous PR was 1:04:54. Virtual races totally count for PRs, right? :) The best part? I didn't even feel like I was pushing it all that hard - even though I did get super sweaty.

I even had enough energy left over to finish my 7-Day Arm Challenge, and bike to a spring training game - about 5 miles from my apartment.

I started this run a bit lot later than I really should have, so we ended up leaving for the ball game later than we'd hoped. In fact, by the time we hopped on our bikes, the game had already started. Oops!

We're not die hard baseball fans by any means, so it wasn't really a big deal to us that we didn't get to the game until the 3rd inning.

You can't really tell from the picture, but we were watching Cubs vs Rangers. It was a fun game. Sorry to all you Cubs fans out there, but they really didn't seem to bring their A-game. Both teams, actually, didn't seem to be very alive out there, but the Rangers at least seemed to be a little more awake.

All I could think about, though, was an ice cream cone. I really wanted one! A nice soft serve ice cream cone. Mmmm...

They didn't have any, but they did have Ben & Jerry's. It would have to do. LOL.

The final inning was probably the most exciting! The score was 8-5 Rangers and the Cubs were up to bat. Bases were loaded. Two outs already on the board.

Would he hit a home run? With that single hit, the Cubs could win. So exciting. Unfortunately, the batter struck out. How embarrassing. :D

Our bike ride home was nice and easy - other than a few dick-ish motorists. Please, please read and share this post on sharing the road! So many times we have to just shake our heads at how ridiculous motorists can be. *sigh*

How was your weekend? 
Any running or biking or baseball for you?
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March's 5 by the 5th

I can't believe how quickly this came up. It seems like just last week that I ran the Run for a Wish 5k/February 5 by the 5th.

I've been in a bit of a running slump for the past couple weeks, so I put off this 5K until the very last day.

It's finally getting light early enough for me to run outside before work. Well, for this week anyway, because Daylight Savings starts up again on Sunday, which will put the sunrise back an hour, again. :( Don't forget to Spring ahead!

I decided to do the same route that I did for the January edition of 5 by the 5th. Since I really hadn't done much for speedwork lately, I had no high hopes of achieving any kind of PR.

I just wanted to finish and FEEL GOOD!

It was a bit of a struggle to get out the door this morning, but once I'd walked to the end of the block, I was pretty mentally ready to Rock My Run. I had a great music mix going, and I WAS READY.

Unfortunately, my legs disagreed. :( They seemed so tired and heavy. They were moving, sure, but it wasn't without a bit of protest.

Sometimes, 3.1 miles seems to take forever. The beginning was great and the last little bit was pretty good, too, but the middle was not really happening.

Of course, it must not have been too bad, since I did shave more than a minute off my January time. So, not exactly a PR, I am still quite pleased with this run and my overall time.

Jan - 28:24
Feb - 27:09
Mar - 27:10

I really thought I was going a lot slower, but I guess mind over matter really showed my legs who was boss.

Did you run the 5 by the 5th virtual race series in March?
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Grandma Lill’s 96th Birthday Virtual Race!

It was super windy yesterday. I know, nothing compared to Nemo or Orko, but when it comes to weather, sometimes I'm a big ole wimp.

I wanted to get in a 5 mile run, and I tried to convince myself to put on some warmer clothes and head outside, but I just. couldn't. do it.

I headed to our little fitness center instead. To run on the treadmill. I figured I'd do the first 3.1 miles for a virtual race.

I did this much later in the day than I usually hit the treadmill, and my heart wasn't really into it, so this was TOUGH! No surprise that I didn't PR.

My speed on this varied between 6.5 and 7.0, and the incline varied from 0.0 to 2.0. I think it was the inclines at a faster pace than I'm used to that did me in.

I paused the treadmill to snap a quick picture.

And had the hardest time finishing out my 5 miles. I tried running and then switched to walking for a bit. Even when I increased back to a run, I only went up to a 6.0 speed - and had some trouble maintaining that.

Of course, my goal for every single run is to do it with a sub-10:00 pace. Some days I really have to work hard for it. Like yesterday.

In the end, I did manage to eke out a 9:53 pace.

Have you signed up for this virtual race?  What are you waiting for? She's got some great prizes. Head on over to Livin the Sweat Life for all the details. You have until Feb 21st to run a 5K. Good luck!
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Run for a Wish 5K

As I mentioned in Thursday's post, I signed up to run the Run for a Wish 5K this morning. I didn't go into this expecting to get a PR, based on my foot still bothering me a bit + kind of a crappy-I-wanna-die treadmill run on Wednesday, but **spoiler alert** I totally did!

I got up early this morning to get ready for the race. I desperately need to shave. lol. And my hair was in need of some serious help. Seriously, it took way longer than it should have to get into two tiny pigtails and a headband. I just want it to grow faster.

I woke up my driver husband, ate some oatmeal, and headed out to the race. Sallie even came along for the ride. We parked a little later than I would've liked. I wasn't sure how long the line would be for me to get my race bib and t-shirt. Turns out I had plenty of time.

I kissed Jeff good-bye, met up with a friend, and headed to the start line. I wanted to start closer to the front of the pack than I did for the Great Santa Run, so we bobbed and weaved our way through crowds until we got to the front. Seeing the 4:00 mile sign was intimidating, so I convinced my friend we should move back a bit. We ended up starting right behind the 8:00 mile group.

Once the race started, my friend shot off super fast. I'd already started my Rock My Run mix, so I just pressed START on my watch as I crossed the start line. I started out a bit faster than maybe I should have, but I was just feeling the music and, even though I wasn't trying for a PR, I really wanted to push myself.

I stopped for water at the first water stop. Had a couple sips and then carried on. Truth be told, my tummy wasn't feeling exactly happy with me, and the water sloshing around wasn't helping.

But I continued pushing. I know I slowed down on the big hill. Both out and back. I skipped all other offers of water - holding out for bottles at the end of the race. Cuz I knew I'd be desperate by then.

Once we re-entered the parking lot, the 5K met up with the 1 mile walk. This was annoying because the walkers kept spreading out over the entire breadth of the road, leaving just a sliver for the runners.

Around mile 2.5 (I think), I started to speed up. I thought I was nearer the end than I really was. It probably wasn't a steady increase, but by the time I rounded that last corner, I was ready to sprint it out.

I finished STRONG and HARD, and was completely shocked when I pressed STOP on my watch as I crossed the finish line.

27:09

I was panting pretty hard by that time, so I barely had the energy to smile - let alone jump for joy. Inside, I totally was, though.

After finishing so hard, it took a few minutes for me to re-coup. I mean I was scaring all the children. My face has a tendency to get really red, and I noticed a few kids whispering to their parents if I was okay.

The best part of this race was the post-race haul. Mostly, because I totally wasn't expecting anything at all. I grabbed a bottle of water and a banana, and then was handed a goodie bag. The lady handing it to me said it looked like I really deserved it. LOL.

I was stoked about the water bottle and beach ball alone, but it also included a small bottle of sunscreen, lip balm, a pen, BOGO at Jamba Juice and Frost Bite, VIP passes to Stoney's, at $50 GC to Planet Beach (a contempo spa), and a $500 GC to RedStar World Wear. I normally don't really go through all the paper in the goodie bags, but I'm so glad that I did today!! I also got a t-shirt, of course, and 5-hour energy.

This was such a fun start race! Plus, the timing was pretty perfect, as I can use this race as double duty and count it for my February 5 by the 5th Virtual Race. Even if you didn't run this is January, you can still join in the fun. You've got plenty of time. Just saying.

What are you running this weekend?
Ever get surprised by a goodie bag after a race?
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5 by the 5th Virtual Race Series

The 5 by the 5th Virtual Race Series began this month, and I finally got out for a run this morning. The last possible day for January.

With this race series, you have the option of running either a 5K or 5 miles. Since one of my 2013 goals is to conquer a sub-25:00 5K, I chose to run a 5K. I figured it would be great for accountability each month and a nice way to hopefully measure some progress.

Unfortunately, I did several things wrong for this run.

Labor Day Virtual Run(s)

I'm sure you've all been sitting on the edge of your seats awaiting my official recaps of the Labor Day Virtual Run(s).

After my run on Friday, I decided that I'd definitely be able to tackle the 10-mile option for this virtual run. I planned to run this Sunday morning. I was so excited, I could barely sleep the night before! With every toss and turn, I'd wake and wonder, Is it time to wake up and run yet? I can't remember the last time I was so excited to run!

I finally got up and out the door by 7:30am. I had planned out the route the night before. This would be the longest distance I'd run in Vegas, and I couldn't wait to try out a nearby trail. It took about 3 miles to run to the trail, and then I was on the trail for 4 miles two out, two back, and then the 3 miles back home. simple out and back route.

The first half of this run went quite fast! I think the traffic lights on the way to the trail helped - forcing me to pause and stretch and catch my breath. I ran part of the Arroyo Flamingo Trail. It was a nice trail along the Flamingo Wash.

Side note: If you don't know what a wash is, don't feel bad. I didn't until I moved out here. My first group run was at Pitman Wash; I thought it was just a name, but after then seeing lots of signs for other washes, I finally asked my husband, "What the heck is a wash, anyway?" "Oh, it's to help prevent flooding by providing a channel for the water." Huh. Interesting.

It was a nice, well maintained though not nearly as pretty as running along the Mississippi in MN trail, and I look forward to running it again. I was kind of surprised that there weren't any other runners out. It was a gorgeous morning.

The second half of the run was much more difficult! I had some equip failure why, always during a timed run/race?, and I ended up needing to walk quite a bit. By 58:00, my walking was getting out of control. I decided to reign it in by structuring it with 3:1 run/walk intervals. That really helped at lot!

After getting back home, doing some yoga and stretching, I logged my run into DailyMile. Despite my route planning the night before, I'd forgotten that this was a little short of 10 miles. I had planned on extending it a bit at the end as necessary, so after discovering that I hadn't, I went back out to finish the last .75 miles. Sallie got to join me for this last segment.

For those who like stats:

Even though it was tough there at the end, I really enjoyed this run!

I took a rest day on Monday. Well, a break of running. I did walk 5+ miles to get to/from a job interview.

Tuesday, I decided to re-do the 5-mile option. I was not nearly as excited about this run. In fact, I was not looking forward to it at all. The #runnerdphotoaday challenge was #inspiring, so I tried to keep that in mind as I ran. I ran basically the same route as the previous Friday, which meant I had to endure many of the same pedestrian bridges. I thought I'd changed it enough to avoid most of them, but well, I didn't.

The problem with this run was:

• My legs felt super heavy. 
• I had trouble breathing. 
• My right upper arm was chafing. 
• I developed a blister on my right heel. 

I tried to push through. If it hurts, run faster. It won't stop hurting, but you'll be done faster. I really did. I ended up walked quite a bit during the middle. It was tough to keep going. I just wanted to quit, but I was too far from home to stop early.

Finally, 5-miles arrived and I was right in front of my new favorite park!

One day I'd like to end my run here and do some yoga right there in the center of all the benches.
Not today, though. I've got to get back to stop at the office and request that the exterminator stop by our apt today.
But it's so beautiful!
But my blister HURTS!
But it's beautiful and peaceful and why not make ONE day be TODAY?

How could I argue with that? I thought about taking my shoes off, so I could feel the cool grass on my feet. I didn't. I knew that putting my shoes back on with the blister on my heel wouldn't go over so well. I didn't do much - only about 15 minutes, but it felt great.

If it weren't for the yoga in the park to finish this run, I'd definitely categorize this run as pretty awful. At least my pace was better.

During this run, I saw more runners out than I'd ever seen on this route. 6-8. Still not a lot, but it was still inspiring to see some other crazy folk out there!

Did you run the Labor Day Virtual Day with Mommy Run Fast?
Have you ever done yoga outside? Barefoot?
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5-Mile Friday :-)

Last Friday, I made my first attempt to run the 5-mile option of the Labor Day Virtual Run.

Before I go into details, but let me just say there was some equip failure that led me to the decision to re-do this race.

The Monday before this race was my first time running since the middle of July. I'd hurt my knee and took some time six weeks off to recover be lazy. I ran Mon and Wed and felt pretty good about running 5 miles on Friday.

I planned my route using DailyMile, and then decided to plan a different route, so I could run past the building where I had an interview scheduled for the following Monday. Two birds, one stone, and all that.

A portion of my run was along the Strip. Running along the Strip is always an interesting experience. I love dodging through the crowds, like I'm a super speedy runner whipping past all the slower runners.

Plus it's fun to see all the tourists and the crazy people in outrageous costumes posing for pictures. There was even a guy with a huge lizard that people could pose with! Yikes!

The bad thing, of course, especially in the section I was running, is all the damn pedestrian bridges. This meant I had the lucky pleasure of adding a bit of stair-work to my run.

I stopped to take a quick pic on the Brooklyn Bridge!

Overall, I. felt. great! I had no tightness in my hamstrings! No pain in my knees or shins!

The last 1.4 miles, however, were really tough to get through. I blame this on two things really. 1) The abundance of stairs earlier in the run. 2) The fact I didn't start this run until nearly noon, which meant it was HOT! I know I should have headed out much earlier, but, well, I didn't.

By the end, I had pretty much convinced myself to do the 10-mile option for the Virtual Run another day, of course as well. I figured if I got an early enough start, I'd be able to beat some of the heat - making the run a breeze do-able.

My route planning was off a bit, and I ended my run about a mile from home. My attempt at doing a vlog was fun, but completely worthless as the wind had other ideas. I won't be upset with the wind too much, though, because it sure felt great during the run.

So, all-in-all, this was a terrific run! Unfortunately, when I logged it into DailyMile, it had the audacity to think my pace was 12:03min/mi. There was no way this was right! And so, I decided that this 5-miler would have to be revisited before I'd submit my time for the actual virtual run.

Have you ever run the Vegas Strip?
Would you re-do a Virtual race for a better time?
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I'm a Total Sucker + Sept Goals

Even if it's not something I need or want or sometimes even like, if it's free - I WANT IT!

Yeah, I'm a total sucker for that 4-letter word.

If you're a Google fan and own an Android operated phone, you probably already know about Google Music. Well, did you know every day they feature at least one free song of the day? I've gotten some rather unusual great songs!

For today's run, I set my phone to randomly choose songs from the whole library, which led to an very interesting (read: very fun) run.

I'll do a full write-up on the run later, but as a teaser, let me just say - No knee discomfort though it is bothering me now. No shin pain. No hammie tightness. Plus fun times dodging the tourists on the Strip. Oh yeah, and LOTS of stairs and escalators.

I stopped midway to snap a pic of me at the Brooklyn Bridge the small one in Vegas bonus points if you can name the movie?

I even attempted an outdoors vlog during my cool down. Problem: It was really windy, which means lots of crackly feedback. Maybe I'll attempt to re-record the audio. Stay tuned.

******
I'm not really a huge goal maker, but as the final day of the August's Writing Challenge, I figure why not make a couple goals for Sept?

• First and foremost, FIND A JOB! I realize this is somewhat out of my control, but I need to focus and re-double my efforts. Time is ticking. I do have an interview on Monday. Yay!
• Run 60 miles. That's just like 13-15 miles a week. Totally do-able, right?
• Incorporate more yoga and stretching and strength training.
• And a couple of challenges. I think I'll try to creatively combine Fitness Cheerleader's Sept Writing Challenge with NaBloPoMo Sept Theme: Eye. Should be a challenge to combine the two challenges. I'm also hoping to join Candace by posting a picture every day on Instagram, Twitter, and/or FB. 

What are your goals for Sept? Will you be joining in on any of these challenges?
Do you ever randomly download free music?
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3 Things Thurs

I've got about 10 minutes before it's Friday...

1. I just finished writing a completely different post, but I'm too nervous about publishing it. Maybe this weekend or next week? Maybe never.

2. I am seriously freaking out! If I don't find a job in the next couple weeks, we are in some very serious trouble. I'm talking serious! I've never been so worried about money. NEVER!

3. I've had two great runs so far this week, and I'm looking forward to running this virtual run over the weekend.

At least for 5 or 10 miles I'll be able to hopefully clear my head.
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Training for Grandma's Week 8

This was probably one of my best training weeks! Still not perfect, but pretty good overall. I also started the Amazing Arms 'n Abs April challenge, which helped motivate me to actually do some weight and core work. Yay!

On the schedule...

Mon, 4/2 - Rest from running. I skipped the core work (no surprise there) and missed the first actual day of the arms 'n abs challenge. It was my first day back to school after Spring Break, and I think I was just exhausted and adjusting back to lesson planning after two weeks off.

Tues, 4/3 - Treadmill Hills. I chose an average level of 7, and I could have possibly done a slightly higher level. I played around a little with different speeds, too. It was a great workout, but I really need to find a good local hill to do repeats. Treadmill hills are good for working on the incline, but not so much the decline. I also did some arm work - bicep curls, triceps extensions, hammer curls, triceps kickbacks.

Wed, 4/4 - I was able to get some core work done - planks! Unfortunately, I skipped out on the cross training. :-(

Thu, 4/5 - I did nigh on to 5 miles. I think it's probably closer than DM says because I ran on the ped path, and they aren't actually on the map. I went a bit later than I'd have liked, and it was getting to be dusk. There weren't too many people out on the paths, so I let Sallie have a little more leeway on her lease. She was having such a great time. :)

Fri, 4/6 - I had a friend join me for today's 4-miler. As part of the run, I completed the 5K for the Jelly Bean Virtual Race. We really kicked this run in the you-know-what! Our time for the 5K was 27:38 and overall we did the 4 miles in 36. AWESOME! I really had to push it to keep up with my friend, but it was totally worth it. After our run, I came home and did some banana rolls. They were tough! And awkward.

Sat, 4/7 - I almost missed out on the 21K bike ride for the Jelly Bean, but I finally made it out the door around 6:30pm. I rode to Lake Nokomis, around the lake, and back home. It ended up being about 14.5 miles because of a wrong turn. At one point, I ended up on a pedestrian path. How embarrassing! Thank goodness the swarms of people on the path weren't nasty at all to me for being on the wrong path. Before and after the bike ride, I worked on some push-ups. Every hour, I would drop and do 10. I did manage to do them all on my hands and feet (as opposed to knees), but I wasn't really able to lower myself very far. Still, I figure the effort was there and eventually the strength will be there as well!

Sun, 4/8 - The final event for the Jelly Bean was a half marathon. Since I had 14miles on the schedule, I knew I'd be able to do this no problem. Since it was Easter, I wore some cute bunny ears. It was such a fun run! I did the half in 2:14:15 and finished the 14 miles in 2:22:43. My phone lost GPS signal around 5 miles, so it thinks it took me 2+ hours to go 5 miles for a pace of 29min/mi. LOL.

It was a beautiful day for a run. The sun was shining! It was a bit windy at times, though. Also, there were a couple of really killer hills. One of which I only ran up about halfway before I realized I would probably be going faster if I were walking. So walk I did. :)

Total Mileage
Running: 28 miles
Cycling: 14 miles

And now as a reward for making it through all that: Monday Listicles.

Things I learned from running in bunny ears:

1) After the 1st mile, I didn't even notice them. If I wasn't able to see my shadow, I had to randomly touch my head to make sure they hadn't blown off.

2) Bunny ears make people smile. I got a lot of comments such as: Love the ears! Nice bunny ears! Happy Easter! Great outfit! More than the comments, I got a lot of thumbs up and even more smiles.

3) Bunny ears make ME smile. Getting so much attention really made me smile. And they kind of made me push myself a little more. When crossing the Mendota Bridge, I even forced myself to smile, so all the people driving by would see the bunny ears worn by a smiling runner. Yay!

4) Of all the comments and reactions I got, almost none were from other runners. Were they just too focused on their own running? Did they see me as not as hardcore of a runner because I was wearing bunny ears?

5) I love attention! When I'm out running, I love it when other people acknowledge me with a hello, smile, wave, or nod. I try not to take it personally when people don't do something in acknowledgement. Wearing bunny ears seemed to facilitate this even more.