Super Fast!

How on earth does the winner of the NYC Marathon run 26.2mi in 2:03:02? I sit here and simply can not comprehend running that fast for that long. Congrats to him, because that's incredible.

Now I've admitted outright I don't run to win or set course records. (I'm not just saying that because I never have either) I'm trying to keep myself fit, basically, and I happen to like running outdoors. I'd be willing to bet this guy, after finishing 26.2 miles, could still beat me in a 1mile race if I were well-rested and feeling my best. I could train my entire life and still wouldn't come within an hour of him for 26.2. I know Kenya and Ethiopia are the places that produce insanely fast  marathoners and not the PA suburbs, but this is still so ridic!

Well, go me.  I did 4miles today... in....38min. Not exactly record breaking pace :)

Those marathon winners- this is prob who they train with

Tiiiiired

Well, the good news is my OctoRun 13K was a success this morning. A success in 40deg weather no less. It was sunny and brisk with little wind, so a perfect fall morning really. Keeping with my promise of posting my results- the official online results aren't up yet, but I'm pretty sure the clock said 1:17:00 when I finished. Definitely off pace from my Broad St time back in May, but I put a lot more into preparing for that one. So I'm satisfied with this effort. I guess I'm more satisfied with the fact I can slack off for 6wks and still jump out of bed on a cold Sunday morning and run 8 miles in a fairly decent time. I'm not looking to set any course records here.

These runs still have the same super tiring effect for hours afterwards. I suppose that's normal considering I'm not a professional athlete. It seems anytime I do more than 6, it just sucks the energy out of me for the rest of the day... and this leads me to the conclusion that a full marathon will never be in my future! yay

I mentioned that I was done with races until next Spring, BUT... that intoxicating runner's high got the best of me, and with a little browsing I saw there's a Turkey Trot and Reindeer Romp (same one I ran last year) coming up. Knowing this, how could I possibly turn down completing the holiday race trio? Thankfully those two are 5Ks, which seems easy breezy after this morning.

With the cold weather upon us, it's time for me to head back to good ol LA Fitness and start the strength training again, which I've abandoned for strictly cardio since last Spring. Too bad there's not a Crossfit gym near me. That would be a rude awakening for sure!

How cute is this? It was a fun race. Love Halloween!

Back at it

After a little bit of a hiatus with all this hot weather... I'm back

With fall being my favorite time of year for outdoor activity, I needed a push of motivation to get me back on the program. Motivation of this sort comes with a date on the calendar and a swipe of the credit card. That's all it takes- and I'm ready to go.

I opted not to do the 1/2 marathon. Ehh just wasn't feelin it.  I'm not sure I have enough time to properly train and the one I chose is in the burbs and much more exciting... ready?.....

A Halloween themed 13K

 (blackandorangeblackandorangeblackandorange)



I love Halloween and 8.07 miles sounds a whole lot better than 13.1! The registration fee was also $80 less. I'm not about paying a high price for all that sweating and physical exertion. This is totally doable, won't require tons of time dedicated to training, and will keep me following a schedule as we head towards the holidays, my favorite food season of the entire year!

I tend to hit my stride at the 3-4 mile mark. Maybe that's why 5Ks never did the trick for me. 6-10 feels just right. Enough to keep me in shape and not cut into the rest of my life. Double the laundry and showers, you can't escape that, but at least the runs won't go much beyond an hour+.  I want to keep it where I enjoy it. I didn't run XC in high school all those years because I hated it. If it becomes work and like a chore, you're in danger of turning something you really like into something you resent. Not a good thing.

So it's back on the plan... only 2 months to go  :)

Less Than 2 Months To Go...

Ah!

The Broad St run is less than 2 months away! I've been stepping up my training, and starting to think about it more and more. Got some new, much needed running shoes today. My bad for not realizing I bought my current ones last May. I've run hundreds of miles since then, and could really tell the difference going for a run today in the new ones. Oops.

I strayed from my beloved Nikes and went with Saucony this time. Not in love with the color (white with grey/mint green accents) or the white laces, but sometimes looks aren't the top priority. 2 months should be plenty of time to break them in before the big day. I've told myself, as an emergency last minute out, I can always turn the Broad St run into the Broad Street walk if things get really bad... that would be just shameful though. Downright wrong. I can do this. I'm not going for superhero times here, just to finish it and not pass out at the end. Totally doable.

I like planning everything out as much as possible, so you can bet everything, down to the rubberband holding my ponytail, will be carefully selected to stay put, and not irritate me at any point during this run. Everything I eat and drink (no alcohol) the week before will be carefully selected as well. I better get started on the most kick ass playlist known to man to make the 2hrs fly by. I've been changing my workouts up by adding some hill sprints. This brings me right back to HS when they used to make us do them over and over and over during lacrosse season. All that stuff is easy breezy when you have 20 of your friends goofing off and doing it with you, no FT job, time constraints, schedules, etc to worry about. I'm not complaining. I mean, I could always try and gather up 20 people to run the hills with me...and I'm pretty sure 90% of my friends would give a big fat emphatic NO to my invitation.

So I will continue preparing, and in less than 2 months I can add another 10 to the total miles logged on my new-ish shoes  : )