I did it!

It's been a week since my last post, and boy, what a week! Currently I am enjoying my Spring Break, relaxing at home with my little puppy. BUT there is probably something more exciting you want to read about...

I completed my first half marathon!

And I did it in 2:03:29

I am so so excited that I completed it! I will start my day from the very beginning.

4 am: Woke up after having a crazy dream about my half marathon
5 am: Woke up after having another crazy dream....
6 am: Woke up after yet ANOTHER dream....
6:45 am: Rise and Shine, time to wake up! I was actually pretty relieved to wake up because my dreams were so stressful. But once I woke up, I was still so nervous, I could hardly eat! I planned on a nice hearty breakfast (toast and peanut butter, yummm), but after eating about half a slice, I thought I might puke. Gave some to the dog and threw the rest away :P
7:30 am: Leave the house to go pick up Eric, and head to Issaquah for my race
8 am: Arrive at Lake Sammamish Park in Issaquah, WA. From here, until about 9am, my stomach was just in KNOTS. I was so nervous that I wouldn't be able to complete my race, that I would throw up, or have a heart attack or something. If you have been following my half marathon story, you know that I have never really been a runner-- what if I didn't train enough?! Eeek!

My mom pinning on my number before the race!

8:50 am: Pre-race meeting. All the runners (1300 of us!) lined up near our pace markers. Throughout all my training, I had been running about a 10 minute pace. On race day though, only the older out of shape people or mom's with strollers were back there, so I lined up at the 9 minute pace. I only planned on doing this once, I didn't want to be in a crowd of lame people for my big moment :P  At this time, I also started eating my Clif Shot Bloks. Love these guys, and would absolutely recommend them to anyone. Taste good, and they seriously work. In training, I only ate 3 before a run, but I ate all 6 on race day!

9am: 5...4...3...2...1...GO! Holllyyyyyy crapppp. This is the only way I can describe this moment. Of course there is the starting line traffic jam, but I just put my head phones in and tried to find my pace. It was weird though, because I was so so nervous, and as soon as I started running, I felt completely fine. It's like my body was like "oh yea, we know how to do this..."

I am on the side closest to the camera, in the white jacket (number 515) seen in the other photos. This is just a minute or so out of the gate.

Seemed like the 2 mile marker came up so fast, I wasn't expecting it. Looked down at my stop watch and saw it had been 18 minutes. Not too shabby. Pretty soon, I came up on my first aid station. They all had little snacks and things, but (even though this wasn't exactly my plan going into the race) I only took water. I wasn't quite sure how to chug this little dixie cup of water, but I just kinda threw some in my mouth, chucked it in the garbage, and felt pretty much like the awesomest person in the world. Pretty dorky sounding, but I promise I mustu' looked awesome.

Mile 4 seemed to come up soon too! My family cheered me on!

Aid stations were about every two miles. Everyone was so nice and so helpful. I didn't really know what to expect, but at every station, there were just about 10 or 15 people along the sides holding out cups or snacks, telling you what was in them. Like I said, I always went for the water, but there were pretzels, bananas, nuun hydration, and lots of clif products.

I had a great playlist that kept me going all 13.1 miles. I never stopped once, and honestly, mile 13 came faster than I had expected. I really pumped it up that last .1 mile, and even more once I saw the finish line. I had no idea I had it in me, but I ran pretty quick across that line! Definitely a great way to start my special day (my 20th birthday!!!)

It is a little sad to have my race over with! When I ended, I was tired, but I felt like I could have (and should have) done more. Now I am thinking about doing a marathon, a triathalon, or even a few speedy 5k's! I was happy I accomplished it, but I feel a lot different than I expected. I thought I would feel so awesome for completing my half, but unfortunately, I just feel all unstoppable :P I am not satisfied with just one race, now I want to do a billion of them! Will I always be a runner? Is this just what I do now? Couldn't I have picked an indoor sport?

Regardless..I DID IT :)

Sporting my new Lake Sammamish Half Marathon shirt and Medal! Evergreen Trail Runs put on a great race, and I would definitely use them again. Happy running!

Mixed feelings...

Welp, just 3 more days until my little body starts pluggin' away at 13.1 miles. I am kind of sad! I feel like I worked so hard over the past 8 weeks, and it's a little sad for all of that effort just to manifest itself for just a small moment. So, after my recovery is done, I am planning on starting a new training plan. Should I begin a marathon training? Should I do a tri program? I have no idea! I was thinking I might just continue a half marathon program so I have extra time for weights and swimming and such. Feeling sad that I won't have a gym over the summer... :((

Classes are going alright. Still getting good grades of course, but right now the only interesting class is geology. You know, I am just ready for spring break! In just 2 days I will be on my way back to the west side. So excited to see my family and more of my friends again! It will be nice to get away from school for a bit!

Thinking about spring break just reminds me about how I am going to be gone from Pullman for summer too! I don't want to leave! Nice, sunny vacation weather...fun people...beautiful hills...walmart...I will miss it all! I wish I could figure out a way to stay, but idk if that is in the cards right now. I recently had a job interview for a camp counselor position with great pay and housing included, but I am not so sure I got the job. Kind of started looking at other jobs in Pullman, but (despite a few offers from friends) I am not sure if I could find a good housing situation. I have a job waiting for me in North Bend and a great home to stay at :) but I would miss Pullman. Might have to vacation for a week or two back on the East side with my buddies :P

As you can probably tell, my mind is a blur with like a million different thoughts right now. So I will just cut this post off...BUT I recently just watched this video and I thought I would share it!

Love Love Love

Haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would take advantage of my 3 day weekend and write a bit!

Valentine's Day was SO much fun! Eric even got me roses :))

I get out of class around 12, and Eric talked to his TA and rearranged his lab schedule so we could go out and have fun!

First we went ice skating!

Eric is Canadian, so he was born on an ice rink, and I have always enjoyed going. Just recently, our church rented this rink for an activity. We took a look at the schedule when we were there and decided to go for Valentine's Day too! It was really awesome because the ticket guy gave Eric a huge discount. Even with the skates, only 7 bucks! The only thing I love more than romance is a good deal :P

After skating, we went to one of our favorite restaurants:

Mexican is rapidly becoming my favorite type of food. Salsa...burritos...cheesy goodness...Mmm! As you can probably tell, we didn't take any pictures inside the restaurant, but just imagine us looking cute eating chips.

After dinner:

A day or so before, we made yummy chocolate dipped strawberries and stuck them in the fridge so they would be ready to eat on Valentine's Day. Boy, were they delicious. Since Eric was already a good sport and watched The Vow with me on Friday night, we had a fun evening in, chomping down on chocolate strawberries and watching Top Gear! Even though it is sort of a boy show about cars, I always think it's hilarious so we both had a great time!

My parents also sent me a load of yummy treats!

As you can see, the chocolate box is empty. I promise you, it didn't come that way :)

Since then, it's been a pretty busy week. Keeping up with my running schedule. Managed to shave 4 minutes off my 10 mile run this week. Hooray! Also in the fitness realm: just discovered Clif Shot Bloks. Seriously, these are miracle workers. I have been really brave in trying different (and disgusting) fitness products, and I absolutely believe these are the best of what is out there. Small little gummy chews, 100 calories a serving, loaded with Sodium, Potassium, and Carbs without any fat and low in sugar. I always use fitness products without caffeine (for those of you that don't know, caffeine already speeds up your heart and can be dangerous to exercise with. More apparent, however, is the fact that a higher hear trate actually makes you more tired so it won't yield good speed results) and this one fits the bill! You get 6 cubes (2 uses) for about $1.25 (cheaper than power bars, which are about $1.25 for a single use). Another great product I recommend is Sports Beans. Yum!

As far as the running goes, I have just really started to understand how much the human body is capable of. I started off as a relatively fit teenager, running 2mi every few days, tons of knee pain...but now, that is all gone! I had no idea that, if I only train myself, I could run 10 miles, and not feel very worn out.  My training is lightening up a bit, and I am almost a little sad! I am capable of so much more than even 13.1! Dare I say I have a full marathon in my future? :)

In other news, today I just had my short 5mi run, cleaned and vacuumed my car, filled the tank up with gas, vacuumed my room, and I am just about to finish cleaning up and go out to grab some lunch. I love it when things are so clean going into a new week. Feels great!

Hope everyone is enjoying this extra day off!

I should be studying right now...

Like the title says, I should be studying for my political science exam on Monday, but I am a little worn out and I just want to have fun! I actually thought I was done studying, and then I noticed that I hadn't downloaded all of the pages from the study guide...yayyy :/

Went on my first double digit run today! I ran on the Bill Chipman trail, which is a historical train route between Moscow, ID and Pullman, WA. It's kind of fun because there are little historical signs along the way that help pass the time. Total, the trail is 8 miles, but I just ran 5 miles to Moscow, and then turned back for a total of 10.03 miles! What I loved was seeing the next mile marker off in the distance, a little more inspiring than a regular route or treadmill.

The only downside was the weather! Snow was dumping, and it was about 30 degrees. By about 5 miles in, I couldn't feel my hands (and believe me, I was starting to freak out a little), but that just made me keep going (so I could be DONE sooner!). At around mile 8, mile joints were all just frozen. My legs were like going on their own accord, but my red little hands were just balled up into fists :( I should pick up some runners gloves! At about mile 9 though, one of my favorite songs came on my iPod and I just wanted to tear up a little, I was so happy! It's hard to believe that I used to make a sour face at my 2 mile runs, and here I am, running 10! By the time I finished I was so happy, so excited...and not tired? I guess my training must be working because I feel wonderful when I end my runs these days.

Another 10 miler next Saturday, and then the two weeks after I have 12 milers, and then the next week is my half! Makes me a little nervous, but then I just think "this is why we train....this is why we train....this is why we train". I may not be ready for 13 miles right now, but seeing how I have improved is amazing. I believe I will do very well!

School has been stressful lately. Lots and lots of exams. So far, all of my quizzes have been A's, so I am hoping the same is said for my tests next week. My American History class is very hard though. I am nervous about that one. The material itself isn't too bad, but the teacher is very very old school, so he pretty much gives students C's, fewer get B's, and very few get A's. I am trying very hard, but at the same time, I can only do my best. It is early yet, so we will see how things go.

Just got a new roommate this week, adding to the crazy stress! My old roommate moved out after last semester because her good friend needed a roommate. The only problem is that my new roommate is nothing like her! I guess it's just a little hard to get used to. She is at a friend's place tonight though so hopefully I can get a little sleep....

Because of the new roommie sitch, things everywhere else have gotten a little more stressful. I kind of avoid my room at all costs, so I have to try to do homework other places. The study lounge has been kind to me recently, so I think I found my new home.

Eric and his roommate have also been kind enough to let me hang out there a little bit more than usual, which is very nice. Thought about sleeping in my car last night, but in addition to being sensitive to the chaos of the new roommate, I am also a scardycat so I just tossed and turned in my bed instead. I am so sleepy, I don't know how I can make it through!

Blehhhh.

Despite all of that lameness, I have actually had a lot of fun these past few days. Eric and I finally used that giftcard to applebees my Dad sent a few months ago (Thanks Dad!) and it was absolutely delicious. They seriously have the best wings I have ever tasted (better than wingers!). Yesterday, we went to a valentines dinner put on by our church, and that was delicious as well! After the dinner, there was a dance, but we opted to go see The Vow instead.

Going to be honest, not sure whether I should give it 5 stars, or 1. A very very sweet love movie (with cute actors and actresses too! None of that weird bug-eyed blond girl in this one) with a terrible ending. It kind of reminded me of Dear John in the sense that it is this great movie that is picking up and picking up, and then it just collapses into a ball of mush.


That being said, this was the first time in a long time that Eric and I have gone to see a movie which was super fun for us! Not to mention, he was one of three guys in line (outside in the cold). Total brownie points :P Today we got lunch together, played Halo, looked and funny things on the internet, went to dinner, and ran to the store to pick up some ingredients for our Valentine's Day treats! Can hardly wait until Tuesday! My second favorite holiday is ALMOST HERREEEEE!

So pretty much, this managed to be the longest blog post in the world. Thanks for reading! I guess I should get back to studying! :)

Week 2

Welp, week two of training for my half marathon is coming to a close! Ran another 8 miles Wednesday, today is my break, and then I have a few more lighter runs (5 miles, 6 miles, and another 5 mile) until my 9 mile run next Wednesday! So excited for another big milestone! When I look at the weeks to come, it just seems to be going by so quickly! In just a few short weeks I will be running 10 miles, than 12! Eeek!

On Saturday (1/28/12) I had my first 8 mile run. My leg muscles weren't sore one bit the next day (can you believe that?!) but my hip and knee were pretty painful to walk on. I was worried that I might have caused joint damage, but after looking up on runnersworld.com (my new best friend), I found out that the pain I was having was just muscle pain and not actual joint issues. For every problem, it seems like there are about three or four stretches for before and after you run to help you feel good. The crazy thing- they totally work! I have been running lots lately, and though I get tired during the run, I haven't been experiencing any pain afterwards. It's good, but it also means that I can do better :)

Gunna be honest- I ate like crap today! It was all going so well, and then I decided I would have a burger for dinner (not as bad for you as like a McDonalds one, but it wasn't the greatest for me either!) and then I had popcorn later! Calorie wise, my day actually was pretty great, but the fat content was up there! Saw a quote the other day "Eat clean, train dirty" and that is what I am trying to do! I feel so much better when I eat healthier and I workout so much better too!

Speaking of workout fuel- Tried some more products! So far I have had Gatorade Prime, Powerbar (the thick granola one, not the candy bar type), and Sports Gel (or Goo). So far, the winner has totally been the powerbar. I will take this on all my long runs, no doubt. I take one little chunk before I run, and then around mile 5 I eat a few more pieces with water, and then eat more either towards the end if I get tired, or after my workout for a little boost. This stuff actually works. I do feel better after I get some of it in me. The goo, nottttt good. I tried vanilla (maybe a bad choice? but there was no chocolate...) and got about halfway through the packet when I decided I had to toss it. The immediate flavor isn't so bad, but it has an aftertaste like cough medicine! I think the only way I would run faster with it is if someone was chasing behind me trying to get me to eat it!

The Lake Sammamish Half just released what snacks they will be providing. The only one I haven't tried yet are the Cliff shot blocks. Sounds intriguing...I will have to pick some of those up. I also have yet to try my Sports Beans. The half isn't providing these but I was thinking I could tuck these away to eat around mile 10. They came highly recommended, and frankly, they probably taste a lot better than a lot of these other things!

I feel like I need to put a little more effort into the gym. I am running a lot, but I think I should take advantage of the fact that this is lowering my fat % quite a bit and get doing more abs and pushups and stuff. Supposedly, these workouts will actually help increase speed and endurance even when you are just running! And I could get totally ripped ;) It's a new day tomorrow, so hopefully I can get on it!

I know I have been writing about my half a lot lately which is probably getting pretty boring for you guys (even though it just makes me excited :P)...SO....In other news:

-I received the third highest grade in my 150 student Geology class! The other two people are just a percentage or two away from me, so hopefully I can get ahead soon! I just did some extra credit soooo....basically they should fear me :P I am actually totally loving geology. I never knew I was good at this stuff, but I am! Also, just took a quiz in that class and the average was 73 (yikes) and I got a 92! Not perfect, but I was happy.
-Hist 111 (American history after the Civil War) still remains boring. The real key to the class seems to be reading, since he can only get like 10 words out in the 1hr15m class (because he talks so slowwww). Sometimes I feel like I might just die in there. The professor really is the nicest guy to talk to and get help from, but he is just so old, it's kind of like he is in slow motion. Also, he told us he was a socialist the other day. His grandpa ran on a communist party ticket, his dad was a communist, and he told us he tends to disagree with his conservative friends. The class has been a little bit less frustrating since I found that out. He is crazy.
-PolySci (american government) continues to be a nice little class. Other than all the kids thinking Ron Paul is the answer to their problems, the seem like a pretty smart bunch. All of them recognize how spending is a problem, how Obama didn't exactly fulfill 100% of his promises, etc. Some pretty good conversations in that class. The book is SUPER easy reading which I love. 40 pages is like nothing in that book. hooray!

AND FOR THE BIGGEST NEWS OF ALL
I got my apartment for next school year all figured out! It's a 4 bedroom place (each of us get our own room) and it has a nice kitchen and living room at a really decent price, across the street from where I live now! Two of the girls I am living with are in my ward and are super sweet (one is my visiting teacher, and I work with the other on the Family Home Evening committee). I don't know the third one yet, but she must be nice too :P They did warn me that every year one of their roommates gets married, so it could be dangerous...Hopefully I will be able to avoid such a dreadful institution and be a bridesmaid instead :P

...I wrote a lot of words today so bear with me!

Saturday is a Special Day...

Today was a good good day!

Woke up, turned on the tv, and did my new stretches routine! Running has been really tough on my body. Though I don't feel sore, I definitely notice that some of my muscles are a bit stiff. I took my time on these this morning, and did some again after my run! So refreshing!

In other news, I ran my 8 miles today! It was difficult, and I will admit that I was a little excited to be done. As soon as I hit that 8 mile mark, I kinda just wanted to cry! I was so happy I had done it and it was so hard, I kinda just wanted to collapse into my little ball of joy. But there were people around, so I just cooled down instead :P I was proud of myself because I was watching a tv show (there are like 10 tvs and you plug in your headphones to this cable box on your treadmill) and then the attendent like looked at me watching...and then he turned the channel of the tv I was watching...and then looked back. I was like "what, I still have four miles left to go!" and then he just started laughing and changed it back and then changed a different tv for someone else instead. I guess it's kinda silly to be proud of that, but like I am running forever, I am not just going to sit there and be miserable. Own ittttt.

Running in general has been going very well. Up until....

my sock....

Doesn't hurt one bit, but I have been getting a blister in between one of my little toes and every time I run it bleeds a little! At first I was freaked out when I took off my shoes, but then I was kinda excited. I am pretty hardcore! haha :)

After my run today, I got to go to lunch with Eric, and then we went to his house and played games and, while he finished up some homework, I got to look at pinterest on his iPad :)

Speaking of pinterest, today I made a pin to post!

I have been thinking this saying over and over this past week when things get hard. I made it up myself! It's a little dorky, but I like it :) I was excited when I was looking on pinterest at Eric's place because I saw it had been reposted 36 times within 3 hours! Yay! I have been building up my "fitness" board on pinterest for a while so I can look at it for inspiration.

You can see it --->here<---



After Eric's homework was done, we played Halo some more, and then it was time for me to go home. Church tomorrow! Let's hope I am not too sore from my big run today!

Running Schedule

Just thought I would share a little about my 7 week training program for my half. This is a "moderate" difficulty plan. Before training I could run about 3 miles at a 35 minute pace.

Week 1: Jan 22-28
Sunday- Rest
Monday- 4 miles*
Tuesday- Cross Training**
Wednesday- 5 miles
Thursday-  Rest
Friday- 4 miles*
Saturday- 8 miles


Week 2: Jan 29- Feb 4
Sunday-Rest
Monday- 4.5 miles *
Tuesday-  Cross Training**
Wednesday- 8 miles
Thursday- Rest
Friday- 5 miles*
Saturday- 6 miles


Week 3: Feb 5- 11
Sunday-Rest
Monday- 5 miles*
Tuesday-  Cross Training**
Wednesday- 9 miles
Thursday-  Rest
Friday- 6 miles*
Saturday- 10 miles


Week 4: Feb 12-  18
Sunday- Rest
Monday- 5 miles*
Tuesday-  Cross Training**
Wednesday- 8 miles
Thursday-  Rest
Friday- 4 miles*
Saturday- 10 miles


Week 5: Feb 19-25
Sunday- Rest
Monday- 5 miles*
Tuesday-  Cross Training**
Wednesday- 10 miles
Thursday-  Rest
Friday- 5 miles*
Saturday- 12 miles


Week 6: Feb 26-Mar 3
Sunday-Rest
Monday- 4 miles*
Tuesday-  Cross Training**
Wednesday- 4 miles
Thursday- Rest
Friday- 3 miles*
Saturday- 12 miles


Week 7: Mar 4-10
Sunday- Rest
Monday- 4 miles*
Tuesday-  Cross Training**
Wednesday- 3 miles
Thursday- Rest
Friday- 1 mile *
Saturday- Half Marathon Day:13.1 miles

*warm up by walking 1 mile, cool down by fast walking 1 mile
**low impact cardio for heart health, upper body weights to avoid shoulder strain

13.1

Ohhh boy. I am just so excited! I have been holding off this post for a while because I was nervous about committing-- BUT here goes... I just registered for my very first 1/2 Marathon! I have been thinking about it for quite a few days, and finally went for it.

I have never been what I thought of as a "runner". I enjoy working out because it makes me feel great afterwards, but when it comes to running, it's kind of like eating gross veggies-- it's good for you! I always felt like I wasn't one of those people that could run long distances, and that it would be impossible to even run for such a long time!

So how did I go from thinking all that, to signing up? First off, I know these two girls in my ward at church who are doing one. I was telling them how I admired them for doing it, and then one of them basically said all of my thoughts. She told me she had just run 7 miles and that was the furthest she had ever gone, and she never thought she could, but now she really wants to do more! I kinda thought she was a bit crazy at first...but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it must be true. Everyone has to start somewhere. When I first started running 1 mile, I thought that was lame. Then I started running 2 miles. Then 3 miles...

And today, I ran 4! I have never ever ran more than 3.2 miles, and even then I don't think I ran them without taking any breaks or slowing down. Not today folks! Four miles in 40 minutes. Not the fastest of speeds, but my goal was to run without stopping and I did it! Not only did it prove to me that I can run longer than I think, it also showed me that its alllllll in your head. I never thought I could do it, but once I had the goal, I DID!!!

Four miles is a small feat compared to the 13.1 that I am doing March 10, 2012 (Happy birthday to me! :DD) at the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon. I am nervous, but so so thrilled to be doing something I never thought I would be able to!

Now, I am nervous for a few things:
1) Boredom- Just me and my ipod, for about 2.5 hours. I better get some good tunes
2) Puking- Gotta admit, I am pretty nervous I will spew. I guess that is why we train!
3) Joint pain- Running is pretty high stress on my knees (which are already a little weak) and ankles. I am doing cross training to help strengthen my body, but maybe taking advil before I start my race is a good idea. Thoughts?
4) Water- Luckily, this particular half has nutrition stations every 3 miles with water, fruit, bars, etc. I feel like hydration will definitely be important. I haven't gone on long runs yet, so it's also something I have to practice, making sure not to get a sore tummy from all that water sloshing!

Whenever I think about it, I can just imagine how happy I will be crossing that finish line knowing I did my thing! The race is taking place on my 20th birthday, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend it! I will have more to celebrate than just being old :)

Stay tuned for updates!