Finisher!!!!

I have officially finished the Buffalo Half-Marathon!!! I'm proud to say I have accomplished my goal. Here are the official stats:
Overall Place: 2313
Gun Time: 2:48:42
Class/Place: Female 25-29- 262 out of 296
Gender Place: 1268
Pace/Mi: 12:41
Chip Time: 2:46:07

I woke up bright and early this morning, took a quick shower, and had a big bowl of oatmeal. I also began to drink water, then it was off to the race. Here me putting on my "belt" to hold my phone and electrolyte gummies.


We gather all our stuff and headed downtown to get some decent parking, then we headed to the potty line because I figured by the time it was my turn that I would have to go- I was right.


Next stop was the starting area:



In the starting zone there were flags indicating completion times so you knew about where to get lined up, and there were people that had signed up to help the runners meet their pace goals. I didn't see a pacer for 2:30 (which was the longest half-marathon pacer time), so I followed the 2:20.



Here's a video of the race start, so you can get an idea of what it feels like:


So to start the race I figured I'd stick with the pacer as long as possible and then adjust as needed. I had no problem keeping up with him for the first 3 miles, but it seems like after he got some water from the water station he found some speed and he took off. I tried catching him, but I thought I would burn myself out so I just kept moving. It was a very hot race for being so early in the morning. My normal pace is around a 12 minute mile, but I was a bit slower this run.

Around mile 5 I saw our friends Mary and Brady running- they did the whole marathon!

Then around mile 6 I ended up running with a girl named Anna, she was the same pace and she was quite talkative. Since I normally run alone it was different to have someone to talk to, but it work out because she kept me going and moving toward the end.

Around mile 12.5 she decided she has some energy to burn so she decide to pick up pace to the finish line- I wished her luck and told her I'd see her there shortly. I finished up on my own. I came around the line at 2:48:42 with my awesome hubby cheering me on, he took a video- see if it works for you (you may need to tilt your head).


After crossing the finish line they handed me a bottle of water, then I grabbed a cup of water. After that it was on to the fruit- I had some orange wedges and half a banana. I was thirsty, and beginning to feel the effects of 13.1 miles in the hot sun. Thankfully the finish line was in the shade.

I met up with Matt after getting through the crowds at the finish line. I was feeling pretty weak, and drank lots of water. Then he presented me with a cupcake that he picked up to go along with the headband I wore for the race. I look pretty happy to be done don't I? Wearing my finished medal with pride.


Other Interesting observations:

Two guys running in socks around mile 2!! Yes socks- I had to do a double take and wish I was able to get a picture. Matt noticed a guy crossing the finish line with red running down his shirt...only to realize it was blood from chaffed nipples.

Now we can see why it would be smart for a guy to go shirtless or get nipple covers! (Yes they do sell them at the running store.)

People crossing the Full Marathon finish line at the same time I was just finishing the half-marathon! Some people are amazing!

Getting prepped...

This morning I'm getting prepped to run 13.1 miles to finish my first half-marathon, I can't believe it's here already. We headed downtown this morning for some breakfast and coffee, then it was over to the Convention Center to pick-up my race packet, a plastic grocery bag with all the necessary race gear and information for tomorrow.



It contained:
Race Number- Be on the look out for #3243!
The Buffalo Marathon technical T-Shirt (way too big!)
Race Chip for my shoe
General Information for the race
Smucker's Jam
Softlips Chapstick
Pasta
And other miscellaneous samples

After we looked at a few of the vendors, and I got two Bondi bands. They are sweat wicking, stylish head wraps.


One reads- "Will Run for Cupcakes", and the other is just a fun fabric. I plan on wearing one of them to keep the sweat out of my eyes. It is suppose to be a hot day here in Buffalo, so we are luck to be running at 7:00am. I hope to be done sometime around 9:30am.

The rest of the day will be spent resting, doing laundry, and I might also go look for some shorts. Oh, and we are helping Sabrina move later this evening- though I'm not sure I will contributing much. Have a great day!!!

I'm baaaack....

I've been gone for a while now, but I couldn't help it- I've been busy. Yeah sure I could stay up late into the night to get a post in, but I need my sleep. I do have an update for you tonight.

In my last post a couple people guessed that I was in NYC, and that was right. I left for NYC last Wednesday for a speaking engagement, I took a small plane into the city then a taxi straight to Time Square. Yes I was in the center of it all- I could even see the famous New Year's Eve Ball. Needless to say my hotel room is probably primo real estate on New Year's Eve. Here's some pictures:




It was a short trip, but I did get a chance to visit with my step-sister and see Time Square at night. By the time I got back to my hotel Wednesday I was tired, and needed some sleep for my flight out the next morning. I was back in Buffalo by the afternoon, and set to work on my next task. Baking a birthday cake!

Yes, you read that right while in construction mode for the kitchen I agree to do a 1st Birthday Cake for my niece. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but I couldn't resist. So Matt hooked up the stove and I set to work. I went with a three-layer 12 inch base, a six inch pedestal layer, and 12 large cupcakes. I know it sounds like lots of cake, but I need it all. Oh, and I just white cake and red velvet cake to create all this fun. Here's what we came up with when it was all done:





If you look closely at the cupcakes you'll noticed I went with three types: classic with sprinkles, 'roses', and 'hydrangea'. Traveling with all this decorate cake was quite interesting, but we managed to get it done without any problems or ruined frosting.

Saturday morning I got the chance to go to swim class with my niece, here she is looking hot in her little two piece. She loves playing in the water, she's definitely a water baby!


Later at her birthday party, my niece chose a purple hydrangea for her celebration- and had a pretty good time with it, though it does not appear that much made it into her mouth. She was stained purple until she got her bath.



In other excitement, my nephew turns 2 this week so we had a birthday party for him on Sunday. It was a fun filled weekend, and very busy. I saw lots of family and a couple friends- but there is never enough time to do it all even though we try.

One disappointment over the weekend was my 9 mile training run that never happened. I was all set run to meet Katie during my run, so I'd finally have a running partner. I rarely get to run with anyone so I was pretty excited, only to realize around 10pm on Friday that I left my sneakers in Buffalo! It sucked, but at the same time I think that the skipped run has really helped my knee feel so much better (knock on wood). I plan to take one last run tomorrow, then I'll be saving energy for the big day!!! Sunday is the day I conquer 13.1 miles.

Monday night I was planning to post, but we we're out of town for the weekend Monday usually ends up being a day to get groceries and do random things around the house. Tonight I took some wallpaper down in the kitchen, but stopped at 8 to make some dinner. I was in the mood for some Mexican Green rice. Yummy!


Then I got a chance to blog and watch Biggest Loser. I find that the last episode is one of the best because it just give so much inspiration that it is possible to do what seems "impossible'. You just have to do it, and not let anyone get in your way of being you!

Have a great night!

Obviously I've been running a lot lately to get ready for the half-marathon, but lately it takes at least an hour so it's hard to fit it in along with my strength training routine. So I decided this week to switch it up. I'm going to do strength training Monday, Wednesday, Friday; and I'm doing my running on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday(long) with a walk on Sunday.

Tonight was my run, so I decided to try out my running skirt and hit the local sidewalks for a five mile run. It went pretty good I weaved my way about 2.5 miles out from the house then turned around and headed home. On the way home it got a bit windy on my way home as a storm appeared to be coming, and it started to sprinkle. Luckily I made it home without any major rain. I also was able to pull off five miles in 1 hour 1 minute, which means I was able to maintain my pace of 12:00 minute miles on average.

I was very happy to see that because it is so hard to run alone, against the wind and with no tunes to keep you groovin'. Although I think I am taking a liking to running.

Check out today's splits:

mi pace
1 12:44
2 12:58
3 11:55
4 12:12
5 11:42

Have a great night!

Happy Birthday Katie!

She's going the distance...

Here's today stats for my long run:

splits:
mi pace
1 12:11
2 11:53
3 12:47
4 12:36
5 13:02
6 13:58
7 13:09
8 14:16
9 14:54
10 14:22
11 11:59

It was rough run today. I went to a local park that has a 1.75 paved route, only they are getting ready to repaved the path so they have ripped it all up. It was like running on a trail with the terrain being so rough, and to top it off it a bit windy out. Don't get me wrong the wind did a good job keeping me cool, but running into the wind makes it more difficult.

I got through it. It wasn't easy physically or mentally, but I'm glad I got it done this morning. Now it is off to get ready for some kitchen renovation shopping. And I think tonight we're going out with some friends so it should be a good day!

Speedin' it up....

So today I thought I'd see how fast I could complete a mile. I found the gym treadmill is the easiest place to prove to myself I could do a mile in 10 minutes. So off I went to prove to myself I could speed it up, I set the treadmill to 6 mph, and I started running.

I was tempted at the half-way point to give myself a short walk break, but I told myself I could hold out for the last five minutes to complete my goal. I did it!!!!



I know you can't read the screen real well, but if you quint you probably will be able to make out that it reads 1.0 miles in 10:05 minutes. Yeah!!!!

I didn't stop there though, I kept it up. I took a 1 minute walk, then picked it back up for another mile. Took one last 1 minute walk, then completed mile 3.

Now there is no way I could do a half-marathon at that pace (at this point), but over the next month I do plan to continue to have fast runs each week so that I will be able to improve my expected half-marathon pace.

Have a great night!

Green living and healthy for me...

Today while driving home from work a thought popped into my head, "I should run to the gym in this beautiful weather." So when I got home I changed into workout clothes, got my water bottle filled, and hit the road. Yes I could have driven to the gym, and completed my run on the treadmill- but what fun is that? Plus, it's better for the environment!

Here are my splits:

mi pace
1 11:09
2 11:55
3 11:02
4 11:01

I actually only went a total of 3.5 miles, but when I stopped I was running at an average pace of 11:01 minutes per mile. Overall, I'm very happy with this run. I tried to stay focused on my breathing and my stride, and it worked.

But the one thing I realized is that I really need to make an investment in my running gear. The seams on my shirt, sports bra, and pants are trying to break me by chaffing my skin- they won't win! I always thought that the only thing needed for running was a good pair of shoes, but I guess after a certain amount of miles it just takes a toll on your skin (or I've just got sensitive skin).

Anyways speaking of miles covered. I'm happy to report that since I started running in January I have run for almost 32 hours and covered 155 miles! Yeah! It really adds up quickly, and I've still got a month of training left. This weekend is the big 12 mile run.

Now that you're probably thinking that I'm perfect with completing my workouts, let me confess to you that I have had to make some adjustments and skip runs. The important thing was to not give up on the overall goal. It definitely has been hard cutting myself some slack, and I keep reminding myself that as long as I'm headed toward my goal I'm still on track.

Keep up the good work!

I'm back from a whirlwind...

So you might have noticed I've been missing from my blog for a little over a week now...my longest time away! So sorry to all of you who check for new posts each day. I've been real busy between weekends plans and daily activities related to the training class (meaning working in the evenings too!). So here goes my attempt to catch you up:

Last Saturday I rented a car and took a roadtrip South of Dallas to Killeen, TX see a great college friend that I really needed to catch up with. I didn't have a lot of time for side trips but I did find my way to a Harely Davidson shop to pick up a souvenir for my dad. I typically don't bring back souvenirs, but I know he'll use it so I made an exception. Anyways back to the purpose of the trip, seeing Celia and finally meeting her husband and baby. Her baby is an awesome little guy so very happy- loved flirting and laughing. I hope someday my baby is that good! After a great but too short visit I had to get back into the city to return my rental vehicle.

After returning from Killeen I was suppose to complete a planned 10 mile long run for the week, but I have to admit that it just didn't happen. After the long drive I was not mentally or physically into completing 10 miles. Plus I noticed that it was extremely windy in downtown Dallas and fighting the wind would have made it that much more difficult. So for those of you that believe I'm so perfect about meeting my training plans to a "T", here's proof that adapting your plan to how you feel it just as important as following a plan.

Monday to Friday of last week I completed my running and lifting exercises as planned to stay on track, and because I gave my self a break on the long run. As for training it was very busy- all day class and then planning/reviewing at night. Needless to say there wasn't much time left at the end of the day to blog.

Then since Saturday was our day off, we ventured out of Dallas to see some sights and do some shopping.

First up was enjoying some nice weather while looking at sculptures in Frisco, TX. Here's a few pictures for you to enjoy:






After touring the sculptures, we head to IKEA!!!! My boss had never been to Ikea, it so fun to explore Ikea with someone who has been never seen all the neat stuff they sell. We spent lots of time walking around, and she picked up lots of little things to help her get organized. I picked up a surprise for Matt.

By this point we were all gettting hungry, so I suggested we stop a Whole Foods for lunch and so I could pick up a few groceries for this last week. I picked up some Seedduction bread, fruit & nut mix, Ezekiel cereal, and almond milk. For lunch I got a chicken sandwich and loaded with lettuce, tomato, and avocado. So good and half filled me up.



After lunch we explored the Texas State Fairgrounds, which is home to the big event held in September each year. However in the off season there are museum exhibits and this weekend it was the finish line for a bike race.





Lastly, today's big adventure was a 10 mile long run. I completed the run by starting at the hotel, running to Katy Trail, running the entire trail then I turned around and ran back to the hotel. Before the run I had a Power Bar, at mile 5 I had some Gel Chews, at mile 8.5 I had more Gel Chews.



It took me 2 hours and 9 minutes to complete and here are my splits:

splits:
mi pace climb (ft)
1 11:01 -25
2 11:49 40
3 12:05 9
4 12:31 46
5 15:55 29
6 12:30 -30
7 12:47 -52
8 13:34 -16
9 12:48 6
10 14:00 23

The 15 minutes at mile 5 was because I forgot to hit pause on the tracker so it counted my break into the time. Oops!

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter and made it through all the updates from me!

Where am I?

It's the second day of spring, and I thought I was in Dallas when I went to bed last night- but now I'm not so sure. This morning I had planned to hit the streets and running trails in Dallas to do my 9 miles, but at 30 degrees and snow I did not have appropriate cold weather gear. I was stuck on the hotel treadmill. I guess it doesn't really matter because I got the distance done- but I would have liked to see some sights in Dallas.

Maybe if it warms up I can try again. Next weekend though I will down near Fort Hood, so I guess I can try to run around there.

Traveling Workout...

Needless to say I'll be bringing my gym gear with me to Dallas. I'm still planning to follow through with my three days of strength training on the Belly Off Dumbbell Challenge and maintain my half-thon training.

Dumbbell Challenge: I plan to stay on my regular schedule of completing strength training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. It is an easy to follow plan and doesn't take up a lot of time. I will go to the gym upon getting back from the training class so I can get it out of the way, then I'll either go to dinner or make dinner in my room.

Half-thon Training: My running plan calls for runs on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The first week I am going to try out morning runs in the hotel gym, which should be easy because the gym will be so close. I think it will feel nice to get the run done first thing in the morning. Another plus is that Dallas is one hour behind my current time so I "really" won't be losing sleep as long as I get to bed at my normal NY time. Then long runs are on Sunday, but I might do them on Saturday depending on weekend events. I plan to take my long runs outside to explore the Dallas area, and I've already found some running routes and populated areas to go. It will allow me to explore the city and get my long run done- I love multi-tasking!

Running Fuel: Oh and I finally decided to take the plunge and order some GloBars from Angela's Glo Bakery. I got two variety packs that have ten different flavors each for a total of twenty bars. Normally Matt and I make our own bars, but I'm running out of time to prepare. Plus I've been wanting to try them for a while, so I figured I'd bring them to Dallas with me. I will most likely be eating them before my early morning runs, so I have some fuel.

This week...

This week is going to be very busy! By next week at this time I will be settling into my hotel suite in Dallas to spend a month participating in the new hire
training. It will be a good opportunity for me, and it will give me a chance to explore some of Texas! So this week I plan to do some blogging about how I'm preparing for spending one month out of town, and how I plan to stay on a healthy track while out of town- so look for that to start hopefully tomorrow.

This Week's Workouts:
Monday: 3 miles w/ strength training
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 5 miles w/ strength training
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 3 miles w/ strength training
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 8 miles (yup that is right...we can do it!)

This week's meal options:
~Vegetarian Chili
~Healthy Beef Stroganoff (I had this for dinner- two thumbs up)
~Veggies burgers with wheatberry salad
~Turkey Sandwiches
~Black Bean Soup

We tried to make simple, easy options because last weekend did not allow much prep time and this week isn't going to give us much more time!

Mission Accomplished!

The goal of the day was to complete the 8k at a 12 minute mile pace, basically 60 minutes or less. Now this might not seem like much, but maintaining an average speed over the 5 miles was quite an accomplishment for us. Sabrina and I did great, we stayed together and encouraged each other to just keep jogging along! Sabrina's calves have been giving her some trouble so it was great she was able to work through it. Toward the end I decided to give it an extra push and see how quick I could bring it in, so that is why our times are slightly different- but they aren't much different. Either way I'm very proud of us both!

First step was to wait in line to get our chips. Chips are zip-tied onto your shoe to allow for accurate and instant timing!



Headed toward the starting point, just trying to stay warm. It was sunny but a bit windy and about 35 degrees.




A little pre-race flexing for you to enjoy!


Here's the BEER MAN! He's not only got a fuel belt loaded with beer, he also has a small speaker strapped to his helmet so he can pump the beats! Let's just say that this race brings out some characters!


A leprechaun kissed me!


Our post race nutrition was Homemade Oatmeal Cookies w/ raisins and dark chocolate. Matt was kind enough to carry a backpack that had cookies and water for us after the race. The recipe was from Clean Eating, mine look different- but they tasted great!


Jen's Official Time:


Sabrina's Official Time:


So there you have it. It was a beautiful day here in Buffalo, and we really proved to ourselves we can do this. So onward with the Halfthon training!

(Note: Halfthon is not a actual word, but I'm making it a word so get use to it.)

Long time, no Jen...

Well I'm back, and I don't plan to go away for a few days. Trying to get things around here either tied up or started so it's been a little crazy. Here's a little summary...

Running
I've been moving it on the treadmill. Finally hit six miles! Woo Hoo!!! I can't wait for the weather to get better! For those of you who are preparing for the Buffalo Half-Marathon with me the weekly mileage looks like this:

Monday: 3 Miles
Wednesday: 4 Miles
Friday: 3 Miles
Sunday: 7 Miles

Dehydrating
We've been putting our machine to good use with some fruits this past weekend, actually the grapes are still working on becoming raisins. We filled all nine trays with: strawberry roll-ups, mango slices, apples, blueberries, strawberry slices, red grapes and green grapes.





Everything but the raisins are done, don't they look yummy!


Road Trip
Some of you may know we are in search of a "new" car for me as my lease is coming to an end. Basically we want a used vehicle that is in like new condition, is that so much to ask? The answer is no, but if we want it then we're going to have to do some leg work, which means taking a road trip. So Saturday we headed to Ohio, just a short drive down the 90, to look at a couple cars.

The first car was a dud. When the glove box falls off when you open it, then just imagine the other hidden issues. So we didn't even bother driving it. Then we had some time to kill, so we checked with our trusty iPhone to find a local Whole Foods location. Lucky us there was one located just a short distance from the next car we wanted to look at.




If you've never been to Whole Foods, I'd highly recommend visiting one either near you or in a place you visit. We got some lunch at their fresh foods counter, does it not look yummy?

Tomato Soup with a side of fresh baked bread.


Matt's Corned Beef Panini


Jen's Grilled Veggie Panini


Then we went through the store checking out all the aisles of products, I don't know what it is but you just feel healthy when you are in the store. It must be that they try to incorporate local products into each store to give you an opportunity to support the local companies and farmers. We ended up only purchasing a loaf of amazing fresh made bread that we were served while eating lunch.

They give you a 5 cent discount when you have your own shopping bag, which is typical with some store. At Whole Foods they also give you the choice to donate that 5 cents to a local charity! We donated our 5 cents because every little bit counts, and we saved a plastic bag.

On the way out we noticed a recycling option they offer to customers for those little items not typically taken by recycling companies. For example you can deposit your yogurt containers and they will be re-purposed into plastic used for toothbrushes, cutting boards, etc. Another chance to make a difference with a small act.
The products to the left of the bin are made from the #5 plastic containers.


Lucky Find
So if you're still reading you might be wondering if we found a "like new" used vehicle. We'll we were beginning to wonder if it even existed because we had looked at quite a few cars. But since we knew exactly what vehicle we wanted it was a little easier to narrow down the field of vehicles we were looking at.

And we were able to find a vehicle that you could just tell the owner actually cared for. Do you know how hard it is to find a vehicle with maintenance records?

Here's a sneak peak with details to come later.

Can you guess what it is????