Well Hello 1,000

Today is November 14th, 2011.  Today marks the day that I have run 1,000 miles in total in the year 2011.  2011 has been a good year to me thus far.  I have had many accomplishments that make me who I am and where I am today.

I have tried to run 1,000 miles in a year before but I have never had luck with it.  Call it a lack of dedication, lack of commitment to keeping track...whatever you want to call it.  I call 2011 the year that all of that went out the window!! We have more than a month left and I am proud to have completed a long time running goal.  For me, this is BIG and I grin from ear to ear thinking about this goal and all of the hard work, dedication, and time this took to complete.  Here's to believing in myself

13 days later....

and I can happily say that I have a 10k PR.  Actually it's my first 10k as a married lady! (2 years tomorrow is our anniversary! WoW!) 
I ran in 47:43 which is a definite PR as my last 10K in 2008 was 51:34 Yippee!! 


I ran at the Saratoga Spa State Park in the Great Pumpkin Challenge to benefit Saratoga Bridges!! I received a great shirt and there were people dressed up! There was a 10k and 5k (Some friends ran the 5K) 


Here's how it all went down: 

 Woke up at about 7:20 got some coffee going and ate some cereal (i am in LOVE with cinnamon cheerios and chex!) and then waited for my co-worker to pick me up for the race.  She called me about 10 minutes after 8 (she was supposed to pick me up at 8) and said she was lost.  I told her to relax and she was all in a tizzy.  She ended up finding my house and we drove to the park where it was held and had to search for a LEGAL parking space.  We found one after about 10 minutes and then made our way to packet pick up and bag drop.  We found two of my other coworkers and chatted for a bit while waiting for the race to start.  We head toward the start I took my gu then did a quick warm up jog before lining up.  The race had about 2000 runners and it took me about 45 seconds to cross the mat.  The first mile or so I was going around people but i found my rhythym.  

Mile 1: 7:38 

Mile 2: 7:41 

Mile 3: 7:23 

Mile 4: ?? did not register on my cardio trainer app 

Mile 5: 7:54

Mile 6: 7:45 

Definitely positive splits but the first 10K was flat and the 2nd 10k was HILLY. There as one hill after mile 4 and then you went down the other side did a loop and then back up the hill you went down .  It was pretty crazy.  I felt really good throughout and I'm really glad that I did so well. (Considering I ran a marathon 13 days ago)! 

I am overjoyed at my feat and  I'm feeling pretty good.  It was a beautiful day to run.  Next up: Improving my 5k time.  I have been running so many longer distances that 10k and 5k have really been on the backburner.  

Time to dig in to my tortilla chips and hydrate with coffee and almond milk ( I life live on the edge...I'm aware!) 

Marathon...I get it now!

So my first marathon was back in 2007(Walt Disney World Marathon) ...Let's go over some of the things that have occurred in those 4 years and 10 months shall we:

-Graduated with my masters
-Got my first "real" job after college
-started paying my student loans off (wow I feel old...i will paying these for a while!! )
-Got engaged
-Got my second "real" job (my current job that I LOVE!)
-Got Married
-Went to Spain
-Went to Hawaii
-Ran  Many Many Half-Marathons(2 half's equal a full right?...i kid i kid!) since but no marathon...Until YESTERDAY!!

So yesterday was the day that I've been waiting for since sometime last year...

The Mohawk Hudson River Marathon

I can't remember when it somehow feels like a blur.  Let's talk about some numbers that brought me to this Marathon shall we:
7:pairs of shorts tried out until i found the magical
 Lululemon all sport shorts..they held my gu and they provided me the comfort so that I did not chafe (SCORE for you Lululemon!)
6: miles that I wish didn't exist during the marathon ( that would be mile 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26) ...those were the least amount of fun!
5: Months of training that brought me to the start line.
4: Gu's on my person that were consumed during the race. I bought a box of back in July and I'm proud to say that I only have a few left thanks to marathon training.
3: the Pairs of Asics GT-2160 sneakers worn during training for the race.
2: The number of sore legs afterward
1: Happy Girl that met her goal of sub 4 hours. Official results are not yet up but I believe it was 3:56.

I was so happy to meet my goal I set for myself...However by the end of the night I was already plotting my next step....I am the first to admit that I've become so into running and love the way it makes me feel and just want to keep running.  Although I can't do that right now (remember Marathon...) Asic GT-2160's we will have a date soon...not serious but a date nonetheless!

7 days out...OMG!

So marathon day is NEXT Sunday...whoa unbelieveable! 7 days aka in a flash!! This week flew by.  I ran in the Race for the cure yesterday in 23:35.  I am happy with my time as the first mile was bobbing and weaving through many fine folks as I was in the back of the pack...however I am so close to this marathon I didn't want to mess it up and I am happy to have been a part of helping for breast cancer :-) So many thoughts are going through my mind right now I am just having a plethora of thoughts and the inability to write it all down...so i will leave you with this 

Last Seven people I talked to on the phone:

1. Mom
2. Christopher
3. Dad
4. Credit Card Company to fix my payment :-) 
5. sorry
6. I 
7. TEXT more...can't remember haha! 

Last seven meals I ate: 

1. Tomato Soup with veg chic patty 
2. Party sub with Polenta casserole...yum! 
3. Blueberry mini bagel with dubliner cheese
4. Blueberry Chobani with cinnamon chex
5. Pizza
6. Pizza
7. Apple Fritter

Last seven places I’ve traveled:

1. Enfield, CT 
2. Syracuse, NY 
3. Whitesboro, NY 
4. Aruba 
5. NYC aka Manhattan aka UES
6.  Whitesbor, NY 
7. NYC aka Manhattan aka UES 

Next seven places I will go 

1. Stroudsburg, PA
2. Manchester, VT
3. New York City for nyc marathon! 
4. Sagamore Resort Bolton Landing, NY 
5. Whitesboro, NY 
6. Syracuse, NY 
7. Massachusetts 

Last five workouts:

1. 2 mile walk after race for the Cure
2. 5k Race for the cure + 2 mile warm up/cool down 
3. Spinning class
4. 8 mile run 
5. 2 mile run 
6. 1 mile run post body pump
7. Body Pump 

Seven things making me happy right now:

1. It's Sunday aka NY Times reading day aka relax day 
2. I'm in my PJ's at 9 am still! 
3. Coffee 
4. Sweatpants 
5. My new rain jacket 
6. October is here...my anniversary is around the corner and fall running is in effect 
7. My Marathon is in SEVEN (seis) days away! WoW!!! 

Til next time....

12 muddy miles...

Yesterday was my last double digit run before the marathon.  I slept in, took my time, and then parked near the finish line of the course that I will be running Hudson Mohawk Marathon.  I have ran on various other parts of the course to get a feel for the course and yesterday was INTERESTING to say the least.  Let's just say our friend

Hurricane Irene and the massive amounts of rain we have received since then has left it's mark on the course.  I started out happily going along watching some young teenagers doing their thing on the Hudson 
Oh little rowers what beautiful muscles you have.

Then it happened...I was just minding my business listening to some IPOD love and I came face to face with MUD.  At first, I thought this is ok I can do this but then it just got worse and worse and when I thought it could not get worse, I ran into a massive flood after I had already decided to take the roads back to my starting point.  There was a bridge I had to go under and under said bridge was water and lots of it.  I tried to go around the water and then i just got muddy, so I just went in it and got the soggy blues.  Fortunately, I kept on going and ran on the roads for the rest of the time.  I found my way back near the finish line of the marathon and stopped just short of the finish line.  I guess I'll take that as a good sign...The next time I see the finish will be October 9th.  Boo yah!

I leave you with 12 Random thoughts that pertain to my run yesterday

1. Mud + leaves are not the style in my book and never will be.

2.Eating at
 after 12 muddy miles never tasted so good.  I enjoyed (every single bite) Texas Style Creamed Corn along with Tomato Basil Soup and a Pumpkin Ale.  Don't worry I also consumed copious amounts of seltzer water (love the bubbles).

3. Reese's PB Cup Friend-z's taste amazing post run as well.

4. Turning the shower to the hottest setting while doing my thing always sets off my smoke alarm...one day I will learn my lesson.

5. Thanks to the nice man who gave me paper towels at the bathroom after my run.  Paper towels after a nice sweatfest= love.

6. Thank goodness my new sneakers are heading my way and should be at mi casa by tuesday.  The pair I got muddy were on their last legs and were losing their mojo.

7. Running on mud may be just as scary, if not scarier, than running on snow/ice.

8. I dropped a water bottle off on a stoop so that I could drink it post run and it was not there when I came back 1 hr, 45 min. later...hmmmm...

9. Thanks to said mud this run was the slowest long run of my cycle. The mud was apparently god's way of telling me to slow down. Thanks for the sign!

10.The bathroom's at Stewarts that I have used lately are so clean and nice...Thanks , your clean bathroom's helped me get through.

11. Billy Joel is a genius

12. Wow....last double digit run before this marathon...remind yourself  Amy that you need to take it easy so you can meet your goals and make it to the finish line!

My mantra from now until October 9: Take it easy now so you can MOVE it later!

The good news is that I am a few miles away from surpassing last month's mileage so I know I can do this and take it easy.  I just need to remind myself!!!

Til next time...

20 miles....20 random thoughts

While completing 20 miles this morning there were definitely more than 20 random thoughts going through my head but let's see if i can remember at least twenty of them....

1. wearing sunglasses while going through a tunnel is not a great idea...actually its really creepy and I do not recommend it....i <3 you Maui Jim's =love but preferably on the beach!

2. Oh big hill you are my biznatch

3. why is it that when you want a bathroom there are never any but when you don't need one they are everywhere...that was my dilemma at about 15 miles in...not cute at all! thankfully i found some hidden area to take care of business...thank you mother nature

4. remember to charge ipod before long run...because if you do not your Ipod may die during an epic Shakira song...those are the breaks that i am willing to take for the name of a run

5. Falling leaves while running make 20 miles more bearable

6. Thank you smartwater for getting me through 20 miles

7. Thank you espresso love gu...you are AMAZING! ;-)

8. My stomach has never made noises like it does after 19 miles...fortunately at mile 19 i am so close i can taste the finish!!

9. I love the wind in my hair while running down hill.

10. Running under  this was extremely satisfying....

11. That was nice of a random person to pick up my unwanted tshirt i threw after less than three miles...Thank you random stranger however I prefer the less is more look while running.

12. I am full of thanks while running...Thank you mizuno for making my new shorts however I wasn't too excited to pull them down several times...those are the breaks i guess right??

13.  Only (fill in number) more minutes until I am in my shower....

14. I need to get myself in gear...I have a baby shower to get ready for ...and a cold shower/bath to get into...

15. going up is not as fun as going down.

16. I would love to live on a house on the river...this one looks nice.

17.  The woman cleaning the window in this home...is she a cleaning lady or does she live there (random!! i know!)

18.  While passing the town dump I was thankful that my house was not directly across from the dump.  Not exactly the most pleasant smell...It also reminded me of the dump at disney...aww Mickey i miss you...

19.  I wish i brought some gatorade on this journey...

20.  I am sure some creatures are eating my clif bar at this moment...I will not be eating my clif bar during this run....

There were many more these are just the ones that came to mind first....Waking up at 4:27 and then 5:43 am on a Saturday were definitely worth it.  I am glad that I got 20 miles in before the marathon...Ready to run!! Less than a month and I'm out there for the big day!! So excited and thinking about it in my head!!

til next time....

An ode to 18 miles...AKA 18 good things about 18 miles.

As I was driving home from running 18 miles (OMG!) this morning I was like there have got to be 18 good things about what i just did...so here it goes...

1. mile 1=I started this thing and i WILL finish
2. mile 9=halfway there
3. mile 18=finished
4. Espresso love GU x2...I have this thing for caffeine and thankfully Espresso love GU helps me with that while I run.
5. The little man on my phone (CardioTrainer app) that tells me my mileage and pace
6. H20
7. Working on my tan while working on my physique
8. The fact that my legs are able to let me know they are still there even after 18 miles...
9. NEW running shorts that did not chafe during the run! Love you adidas! I also love the zipper pocket in said shorts
10. being able to run on the bike trail that was not under water.  I did however see a lot of brown mud out there but none on the path
11. SUN
12. Being able to think about EVERYTHING (and I am as random as they get) for approximately 2 hours 37 minutes .
13. 18 miles is more than halfway to the finish line of the marathon (which is approxiately 5 weeks away. OMFG)
14. After 18 miles anything edible sounds good to ingest
15. Downhills..I <3 the breeze in my hair
16. The uphills which mean a downhill can not be far off!
17. I know i'm not alone as I run and I find comfort that there are other crazies like me out there
18. Spi Belt..thank you spi belt for hold my phone so that I did not.

ok so i definitely found 18 good things about 18 miles....the best thing after the 18 miles was the amazing muscle soothing bath!! Yay!!

Now time to relax a little more than dig in to some food!!