What Now?

I'm done with the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and Nike Women's Half Marathon.  I am not registered for any more long distance races and I don't plan to be for quite a while.  I don't have a training plan I need to follow or weekly mileage I need to get in.

So, what do I do now?  Keep moving, that's for sure.  My yoga studio is starting a 21 classes in 25 days challenge.  And while I know I can't meet the challenge due to work travel, the idea of increasing my yoga practice is appealing.  Maybe I'll try my own personal challenge when I get back from Kansas.

That's right - Kansas.  WooHoo!  I've never been and I'm going for a week long work trip.  It will be nice to get away from the office and interact with some different people.

Not much else exciting is going on - I'm still going to the gym, taking spin classes and I've starting adding more strength training to my routine.  Weight Watchers is still going really well.  Life is pleasantly boring.

We Run DC

This weekend I ran the inaugural Nike Women's Half Marathon in Washington, DC.  I had mixed feelings going into the race, but for the most part I just wanted it to be done.  Race anticipation is the worst.

Friday night, Alexa and I carpooled to Georgetown for the race expotique.   This was unlike any race expo/packet pickup I've experienced.  I mean, how many race expos have chandeliers hanging from the ceiling?

 I also loved the display of the race  route.  It looked a lot neater in person, but it wasn't the usual street map version.

The race started at 7 am so I met Alexa the Metro station at 5:45 - super early in my book.  The train got us there a little earlier than I had thought but the extra time turned out to be a good thing as we searched for the bag check and made our way back to the corral.
 

The race started with a moment of silence for Boston and the National Anthem, then we were off.  My only complaint about this race is they didn't start the corrals in waves with time between each wave.  This resulted in quite the runner congestion for the first 2 miles or so.  I think I almost ran into people a few times, but after the second mile or so the pack started to thin out.

8 miles or so of the course was pretty much the same as the Cherry Blossom 10 miler I ran a few weeks ago.  There's a particular section of that route I hate - it's about 3 miles through East Potomac Park, down to Hains Point, and back up.  It just seems to go on and on before the turnaround and there's usually some good wind blowing from the Potomac River.  Across the river is National Airport so watching the planes take off and land was a good distraction.

My body started to break down after mile 10 - everything hurt, especially my feet and hip flexors.  I seriously wanted to walk the last 3 miles but Alexa kept me going.  I had another little mental breakdown after mile 11 - instead of turning around where I thought, or maybe hoped we were going to, the course kept going.  I think I kind of got angry.  I just wanted to be done at that point and back on the train home.  While the loop seemed to go on and on, it did pass right in front of the United States Capitol, so it was nice to see that landmark. 

My Garmin lost signal a few times when we ran through tunnels so I have no idea what my race time was and I haven't seen them posted online yet.  I know it wasn't the 2:30 I had set as a goal so many months ago.  I am super ok with not reaching that goal - I pretty much threw that out the window when I hurt my foot and lost some training time.  My goal became to finish the race on both feet.  And I did that with Alexa running beside me.

After getting rehydrated, I had a lovely blue box and a finisher's shirt waiting for me at the end.  Inside that box was this necklace.

It's super cute and you better believe I put it on after I got home and showered.

Since I'm done with long distance races for now, I'm glad this was the one to go out on.

On Track

A few years ago I used to blog what I ate daily.  I was deep in weight loss mode and I felt it kept me on track.  I've gotten away from taking pictures of every meal I eat because honestly my bowl of oatmeal doesn't change day in and day out.  It looks the same, is made the same, and tastes the same no matter what day I make it.  

I think from time to time I would like to start posting some meals again - I know there's the What I Ate Wednesday, so I may stick to that.

Aside from food, here are a few things helping me stay on track lately.

Breakfast daily is a must.  Lately I've been making omelets when I have the time - 1 egg, 2 egg whites, some turkey sausage sliced up and a little goat cheese.   Coffee is also another daily necessity.

As we all know, drinking water is an important tool in weight loss.  I drink my fair share but sometimes I get bored with it and want to switch it up a little.  So, for the past few days I've been adding sliced fruit to my water bottle.  I had lemon and lime slices one day and lemon slices and strawberries the next day.  I saw this idea floating around on Pinterest so I finally thought I'd give it a try.

Spin class is my new favorite cardio and I try to get in 2 classes a week.  The classes I go to are really social and the instructor is great - honestly, I think that's a lot of what keeps me going back.  Plus, it's an awesome workout. 

Avocados!!  I don't know why it took me so long to realize I liked them.  I know, the fat content is high, but a little goes a long way and it's totally worth it.

So, that's it - a few of the things keeping me on track lately.

Catching Up

Since it's been a month or so since I've last written a post, I thought I might play a little catch up.

Life is plodding along.  Weight Watchers is going well even though I haven't really lost any weight since before my trip to New York in February.  I switched to following the program online a few months ago but made the decision I need to go back to meetings.  I'll be attending my first meeting since February tomorrow morning. 

I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Race at the beginning of April. 

 I signed up for this race because I knew it would be a great training run for the Nike Women's Half Marathon and a way to gauge my progress.

I ran the race with Alexa and I think she honestly saved me.  We spent most of the race chatting and distracting each other from the miles ahead of us.  And I finished without the fear of being picked up by the bus used to corral those runners who can't keep the required pace.  Ever since my experience at the Marine Corps Marathon, I worry about getting picked up by the bus.

I made a quick 4 day trip to Florida - I got to see my family, celebrate my niece's 6th birthday, and sit on the beach.

I can't believe I used to live there and was able to be on the beach pretty much every weekend.  I'm considering moving back for the beach alone.

It's finally spring here in Virginia - I've been taking advantage of the weather by getting outside, enjoying nature, and hiking.  Hopefully once the half marathon is done I can spend more time exploring the mountains and trails.

I always find something cool and interesting when walking in the woods, such as this historic abandoned farmhouse.

If you've seen the movie Mama, this totally reminds me of the house in the middle of the woods at the beginning of the movie.  I did get closer and peeked in the windows, but then I freaked myself out and hurried back to the trail.

The next big thing I have coming up is the Nike Women's Half Marathon on Sunday.  After that, I have a couple of quiet weeks ahead of me.

Marathon Take 2?????

Wednesday is a big day in the running community (not that I really consider myself a part of it) - registration opens for the Marine Corps Marathon.  Last year it sold out in a number of hours and is expected to do the same again this year.  Ever since I ran my first (and only) marathon, I've been saying that I wanted another chance at it, that I didn't want that experience to be my only marathon experience.  And so I was fully prepared to sign up again and spend my summer training.

I'm not planning on signing up for the marathon anymore.

There are a number of reasons why I made this decision but the big one is I just don't like training for long distance races.  That's really hit home for me during this training cycle for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler and the Nike Women's Half Marathon.  I like running; I like that it's something I never would have been able to do when I was at my heaviest.  I don't like when the training runs become a burden though.  I don't like trudging through double digit weekend miles because I have to.  I don't like when training for a race makes me feel awful about myself.  If I've learned anything over the past 5 years, it's that I really shouldn't be doing things that make me hate myself.

And who knows, my feelings toward long distance races may change in the future.  But for now, this is where I am and I need to honor that.  Not every person who runs wants to train for a race.  I'm okay with being a runner who just runs. 

Short and Slow

Today I ran. 

It was a slow, short run to test out my foot, but I ran.  And while it wasn't great and I still felt some pain, I can work with it.  I'm still worried, though, that I won't be ready for my races in April.  I'm not the strongest runner - it doesn't come naturally to me.  So, I'm concerned that missing a huge chunk of training time will put me too far behind.  I'm worried that I don't have enough of a base to fall back on.

I'm going to try and run again tomorrow and Friday.  Then, I'm supposed to have a 10 mile long run this weekend.  As things stand right now, I don't think that will happen.  I may be able to do half that, we'll see.  I may have to run slower and start using the Galloway method again.  And I may have to come to terms that I might not reach the time goal I set for myself for the Nike Women's Half Marathon at the end of April.

I'll continue to push myself in other ways besides running - spin classes, hot yoga and strength training.  Hopefully these activities, plus the running I am able to do, will get me across those finish lines in April.

Random because I don't want to complain

I don't want to write about how I've been struggling the past few weeks since returning from New York City.  I don't want to write about how I feel all over the place and can't seem to get my head on straight.  I'd like to think I'm just in a funk, that I miss sunshine and warm weather. 

So, I won't write about any of that.  Instead, I think I'll just write about some random things.

I keep looking at this picture to remind me of how far I've come in the last 6 months.

My foot is slowly getting better but it is amazing the different shades of purple it has turned.  I've been able to take a couple of yoga classes, a spin class, and do a strength training session.  I'm going to try a slow run tomorrow to gauge where I am at.  I need to start running again because I'm afraid I'm going to lose all of the progress I made.  Plus, it's only 19 days until the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.

I've gotten off track in planning my meals and exercise.  I'm the queen of excuses lately and that needs to stop.  Tomorrow it's back on the train.  I really want to start cooking healthy meals again.

I've been thinking a lot about what being healthy means to me.  I haven't totally fleshed out my thoughts but when I do, I want to write about them.  I do know it means balance.  More veggies less wine.

I really want to thru hike the Appalachian Trail.  I've recently started reading blogs of people who just started their journey and I am totally inspired.  I may shoot for 2015...if I can figure out a way to take 4-6 months off of work. 

My vegetable intake has been pathetic lately.  I miss vegetables.  Must get vegetables back in my life!

It snowed again today.  Hopefully this is the last snow we get this winter.