the week 16 recap.

things seemed to be all over the place this week! i switched up my plan a little bit and ended up having to move some things around. this is when things start to get tricky. getting everything in is sometimes really hard, school, work, training, and sleep. usually the last thing gets the cut from me and i end up paying the price later on...

sunday~rest.
12.21 miles =2:03:04 minutes/10:06 min/miles.

in moving my training runs to sundays this late in the game i am still comparing to my original plan. once i get through long beach i will post my next steps and get all my runs on the right days. i woke up feeling good and ready to conquer my 12 miler. i knew it was my longest run in my cycle and i was ready for it. as i neared the end of pyle st, about 2 miles in, i realized how dark it really is without street lights! i couldnt really see the road and had to be really careful about cars. after this it was smooth sailing. i had to make a pit stop again, i need to remember to go to the bathroom on my way out the door, even if i feel like i dont have too. i felt really good and accomplished at the end of this one. my pace was on track with my training cycle so far, i was hoping for a bit faster i wont lie. i really feel like i will be ready for long beach!

monday~4-5 miles.
4.72 miles =46:30 minutes/9:51 min/miles.

it was a itty bitty runner group this week with only derrick, chris, and myself there to represent our group. with a temp of only 95* we were pretty stoked to finally have a little bit of a cooler temp. the sun is also starting to tuck behind the mountains a little faster. we were pretty quick up the hill (compared to regular times) and had some great shade. on the way back, i could not keep up with those boys and their super long legs. i was still a little sore from my 12 miler the day before and it showed the next morning too. i was super glad derrick, my running partner was back this week before his full ironman sunday!

a full ironman (source)= 140.6 miles=
2.4 mile swim
112 mile bike
26.2 mile run

tuesday~12 miles. 
rest.

switching around my long run and rest day was a genius idea! i went in an hour later then planned and took advantage of every moment of my extra sleep. it was glorious:)

wednesday~spin.
6am spin class.

omg this class was a hooott mess this week! we had a new teacher (surprise, surprise). the mic didnt work so she was literally screaming at us for the whole class. and to top it off i got a lame-o bike with a downward tilting seat. plus the strap on my right foot kept coming undone while i was trying to ride. i got it in, but dang was it messy.

source

 thursday~body pump.
6am body pump class.

i think it was the week of subs because my regular teacher wasnt in this class either. seriously what is the point of having a regular teacher if they change all the time?? anyway...our sub was one of the girls that regularly takes the class so at least it was a familiar face. she switched up the routine a little bit which was welcome from the class, as we have been doing the same routine for way too many weeks in a row.

friday~4 miles.
rest.

thursday morning after my power nap i woke up and knew i had finally caught that end-of-the-summer bug that had infested my office. i had been having a scratchy throat for a few days but was really hoping it wasnt going to get me. wrong. it totally did. i got sent home from work early on thursday and spent the day on the couch. i had originally planned to get up friday though and still get my miles in. richard however, told me no way! i clearly needed to rest and i needed to take the morning off. he looks out for me:)

source

saturday~rest.
rest.

total for the week = 16.93 miles + 2 days of cross training.

i was really looking forward to having a huge mileage week (for me at least). my body had other plans apparently, remember that sleep i let fall to the way side? told you it had ways of catching up with me. on a better note, i crossed the 500 miles ran in 2011 mark this week! thank you daily mile for logging all my miles and keeping track for me. i passed it during my long run sunday and was so proud after logging my miles. i had no idea it was so close! for only running 3 days a week, i think thats pretty damn good:) i also feel like i finally have this training thing figured out! i seem to say that way too early in cycles and then pay for it the next week. but this time i really feel like i do. between the food, the training, and getting it all in-which is sometimes overwhelming, i got it handled!!

14 days until the long beach 1/2 marathon!!

the deployment.

my brother and i are extremely close. it was just the two of us growing up and we were very good at the fighting thing. for some reason when i started driving, something clicked and i would drive him anywhere just to get behind a wheel. it was the adventures to soccer practice or the grocery store that we developed an adult sibling relationship and became friends. we started really looked out for each other and even started staying on the same team against our parents.

look how cute we were!

i remember when kyle started talking about joining the military. we always had an extremely honest relationship, sometimes though, i was too honest. it was mostly about the bat-freakin-crazy girls he dated at the time. this was when i learned to keep it in a little bit and only give him advice when he asked. when he would talk about joining, he never really asked my opinion, he didnt have to, im sure it was written all over my face. i never advised him against it, that would have been all out mean, but i was never completely for it either.

however i knew as soon as he told me he had officially joined the marines i had to put my
opinions in my pocket and support him. it was an extremely tough decision and very courageous. he would be fighting for our country, for our freedom. how could i not be proud!

we knew as soon as he joined he would eventually deploy. we are in the middle of a war and when the government started pulling the troops out of iraq we knew that just meant he was going somewhere else. when he graduated boot camp and joined the infantry division we had a whole new set of worries. as if we werent nervous enough for that day, now he was going to be in the front. to add to it, he started driving the vehicles as well. he really liked it and was good at it, no surprise, so i kept supporting anyway.

he always looks so excited.

i remember the day he told me he was deploying for real. we had been waiting on pins and needles for months as the dates continued to change and we prayed it would at least be after the holidays. we got our wish (kind of) and he came home for his pre-deployment leave over christmas and we got to spend quality time. soon, way too soon after, it was time for him to really go. i gave him a picture book to take with him for christmas. i spent hours finding the right ones and arranging it perfectly. christmas morning i got the perfect reaction.

sibling love:)

he left las vegas on a tuesday, the day after valentines day. he came home that weekend before to drop off the last of his things and leave his truck here. he would be flying back to san diego and then leaving a few short days later for deployment. we werent sure that we were going to be able to go to san diego to say goodbye so we made sure to do it here. we took him to the airport, just the 4 of us and because he was leaving we were granted access to the gate. it was one of the hardest things i have ever had to go through. we wandered around the airport and hung out at the gate pretty quiet. we picked up ethel m chocolates, a las vegas standard, and finally had to say our final goodbyes. we knew that we could talk to him for another couple days, but it wouldnt be the same. i hung on to our hug for a long time bawling, and made him promise to come back looking the exact same, maybe tanner or taller, but thats it.

at the airport gate:)

he left san diego a few days later to go to hawaii and thus began the longest 7 months of my life. there are many things that are different about this deployment. first his mode of transportation was a boat, so it took quite awhile to get anywhere. they had a base, but were often called to different places based on the need of his unit. second was that he is my brother. most deployments you hear about are someone's son, or nephew, or boyfriend, or friend, or husband. brother is not something you hear very often and many people didnt know how to react, especially how close we are.

it took 5 weeks to hear from him the 1st time. i sent countless emails hoping everyday (usually checking more than once a day) that i would hear back from him. while we were not so patiently waiting i had picked up a new tv show, coming home on lifetime. i had been a fan of army wives since it started, much to peoples dismay i continued watching. the episode and the one after that jeremy died were really hard. i bawled for about 2 hours both times and was all around wreck. i watched coming home by myself when i needed a good cry. my parents were horrified that i was watching this extremely emotional show and in the beginning i was sooo mad at it. i remember the day i saw him on facebook for the 1st time, im a stalker i know, and missed him by 30 minutes. i kept it to myself that i saw him on there after i didnt get an email hoping that my mom did. later that night i got a call from her crying saying she heard from him! finally! i got an email a few days later:) after i heard from him the first time i looked at coming home in a new light. it was a beautiful show about men and women coming home to their families. they werent hurt. they werent damaged. no one was mad at anyone. they were returning to the people that loved them most. i sat on my couch with my box of kleenex and couldnt wait to have that feeling.

source

i missed him more than anything. and some days i was just sad. we are extremely lucky to be in the technology age that we are and had so many more options to hear from him. email was the easiest and instant. plus his unit had a facebook page that would update us periodically on what was going on. i cant imagine waiting for letters back and forth. every once in awhile he was stationed somewhere he could call. the first time i heard his voice was about 2 months into him being gone. i was just waking up for my run when my mom called to tell me she had just talked to him and he would be calling me soon. i clutched my phone and took it everywhere with me that day. i finally got to talk to him later that morning during my staff meeting and was floating on cloud 9 all day. people often asked how he was and i always gave them the information i could. i would tell them that i missed him and didnt know where he was, he couldnt tell us. their response was always the same, im sure hes ok/fine. this was really frustrating. we were to the point now that we heard from him on a semi-regular basis and i knew he was fine (as he could be). that was never the issue. my mom and i often had discussions about it, people were saying the same things to her. it didnt mean i couldnt miss him. it didnt mean that it didnt hurt any less that he was so far away.

its a strange thing to have a brother you are so close with to be so far away. i lasted until 4th of july weekend before i was over it. we were getting phone calls on a pretty regular basis from him which were amazing. but i was done. i wanted him home. i wanted him to meet up with us at town square and see cars. or be at mom and dads on 4th of july to blow stuff up, it was he and eriks favorite. i was done with him being so far away and was ready for him to come home.

summer 2009

soon in august the conversations turned to talks of coming home. the fact that he wouldnt be home for my birthday but should be home by his. he didnt really talk in months, but marked time by events in life. my mom called me right at the end of august at work when i was going to see her later that day with a final date! she had just talked to him and he had said those beautiful words, im coming home. i immediately went into countdown mode! i told work right away (of course he was coming home in a black out period) and my boss was amazingly gracious and told me whatever i needed. i got a text from him 2 days later and my mom had already bombarded him with a million questions:) he was texting to make sure i heard the news and to tell me he was on his way. it was a huge sign of relief and i have never willed a boat to go faster in my life.

the latest photo from the battalion facebook page.
filled with hope.

we are still in countdown mode and i cant tell you all an official date yet. i can tell you it is very, very close and we are all getting soooo excited. deployment is something i never wish upon anyone and have absolutely no idea how career military families do this. it is extremely important to have a strong support system around you. sometimes i knew there were days i couldnt call my mom and be sad with her, but richard was right there to help me through it. my two best friends were there the whole time too. they were all that amazing support system i needed.

at the disneyland 1/2 marathon last year.

its extremely different to be on this side, the family side at home, and have a brother over there. i cant wait to hear the stories about his adventures. at least the ones he can tell me.

this is what happens when your brother and your brother from
another mother pick you up at the airport.

the week 15 recap.

what a week! this is usually the week things pile up, and boy did they ever. i am nearing my race and that means lots of miles/trainings which really means i am exhausted. we have a class starting a work in the next few weeks so its nuts there, and my own class is kicking my butt! this doesnt account for anything at home which is fairly mellow, but still has its moments. it is however weeks like this that i love my training because it allows me an escape from the outside world even if its only for a 4 miler.

sunday~rest.

i decided to move my long runs to sunday mornings a few weeks ago, but with the 9/11 run on saturday i knew there was no way i was getting out the door for an 11 miler the next morning. so i planned it later in the week and took a nice rest day at home.

monday~4-5 miles.
4.72 miles =44:45 minutes/9:28 min/mile.

finally it was time to meet with my runner group again this week! even though i had just seen a few on saturday, it wasnt the same as the monday crew. we added a few from the group that runs on wednesday with us this week. it brought us to the grand total of 5! right now, this is exciting lol. i ran with debi for a little bit. ok i tried to keep up with debi up the hill as she was hurting from her workout that morning. it was great to talk to her a little bit! she even asked if i would start heading up the monday night group! she is there quite a bit, but gone more than she would like and needs somebody who is always there (me!) to head the group if she isnt. were hoping for some more runners now that it is almost cooling down and vegas is 77 days away (thank you daily mile countdown). i was sooo stoked! i of course said yes and told her any time you need me, im there:)

while 90* may feel cooler, you can still sweat like a beast!

tuesday~11 miles. 
11.3 miles =1:52:12 minutes/9:55 min/miles.

i had planned to drive up to the north rainbow gym (my true love) to log my miles this week since it would be after work tuesday. packed my gym bag and 2 lunches and was ready to go. then we had a downpour, literally all tuesday morning and clouds/thunderstorms that were going to last the rest of the day. the storm was awesome, from the safety of my apartment. as the work day wore on i was a little nervous about driving up to rainbow because when it rains in vegas drivers freak out! and i did not want to be on the road with them. the temperature was also fantastic and i decided to just go home and run outside instead. it was still cloudy when i put my ipod in my ears and was ready to go. i had this feeling though that i was going to get 2 miles into this sucker and it was going to clear up and be sunny. well it took exactly that long! even with the sun it was still cool and i was able to find a little bit of shade from the trees until about mile 5 when the clouds rolled in again. this run went by so fast! and it felt really good.

wednesday~spin class.
6am spin class.

my regular teacher was there again this week, i think that makes it 3 weeks in a row! this was a good class and i left nice and sweaty. i earned my power nap! then i woke up late for work. i decided to grab an egg/ham/cheddar sandwich on the way too work from einsteins. they are a little calorie heavy, but i was starving and didnt have enough time to eat ample amount of food. of course the line was forever long and i ran a few minutes late to work. i sat down to eat my sandwich and opened it up to find there was no ham! awesome. i should have just grabbed the delicious looking chocolate chip muffin in the case instead. see what happens when i try to be good and get lots of protein and carbs in my meals.

thursday~body pump.
rest.

i was all ready to go wednesday night when i went to bed. set out my clothes in the bathroom like i always do and had planned the rest of morning after. flaw in the plan? i never set my alarm. so when i woke up thursday morning and saw sunlight i knew it was way too late. i rolled over to see the clock flash 645a and decided it was too late for anything. so i rolled over and enjoyed another glorious hour of sleep! i decided it was my subconscious telling me i needed a rest, so i took it.

friday~4 miles.
5.2 miles =51:26 minutes/9:53 min/mile.

you would think by know i would just put on my training plan that fridays are 5 milers. it was a little harder to get out of bed this morning after missing body pump yesterday. but i am always so glad i did when i get on the road. this one felt good and the extra day of rest was great. plus friday breakfast was the highlight of my whole day. each friday our fantastic custodian vicente makes breakfast for the staff. everything from breakfast sandwiches to pancakes. now, pancakes used to be my favorite, but i am really starting to lean to breakfast sandwiches and burritos as my new favorite. today was pancakes, eggs, fruit, and sausage. you can keep the sausage-yuck. but the very best part was the divider plates for all the food! i really hate my food touching, and syrup is the worst of all. usually i will take a serparate bowl/cup full of syrup back to my desk. not today! it was beautiful:)

perfect little place for my syrup in the upper right part of the plate:)

 saturday~rest.

after this crazy week i was glad for a weekend off. my parents came over in the morning to help us hang a shelf over the couch (its a really long and hilarious story that i will share sometime in the near future) and have breakfast. i cooked and the boys used the powertools. afterwards i went to get my hair conditioned, its hell having curly hair in the desert. and then came home to do the normal saturday errands and just hang out. it was a great day!

total for the week = 21.22 miles + 1 cross training day

i felt like this was super productive week. even though it was super crazy and overwhelming most days, i got a lot done. things at home, work, and in training. plus i got my class and paper due under control for now. i took an unplanned rest day, but thats the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. ooo cookies sound delicious!

20 days till the long beach 1/2 marathon!!!

the birthday extravaganza

my dad tells me every year that i stretch out my birthday more than anyone he has ever met:) this is probably true, but it always just happens that way. after my amazing birthday last year, i mean it was at disneyland people, i knew this year would be definitely different. i wanted it to be small and not a big hoopla. when you dont have all your nearest and dearest its tough to want to go all out for your birthday.

cool part about having your birthday near a holiday, you usually get to have an extra day off! mine falls right around labor day and this year was no exception. i found out a few months ago that the beach boys were going to be coming back to vegas and would be at mandalay beach. i have always wanted to see them and tiffany was gracious enough to say yes. i was hoping richard would take me and come with us, but he was going to another concert that night.

it was saturday night of labor day weekend and the weather was amazing! concerts at the beach are literally in the water and are soo much fun. i have seen a few there and always have a blast! we got there about an hour early and sat around to people watch. there was a huge range of ages! we were definitely in the younger group of the crowd at the event. there was literally every age all there to see the same band it was very cool.

about 10 minutes before the start of the concert tiffany informs the last time she saw the beach boys uncle jesse from full house came out to play for a few songs. i was praying this would happen again! he was of course my favorite from the show and i had a huge crush on him, surprise i know :) then just as the boys came on stage they were joined by a much younger addition on drums..UNCLE JESSE!! i, along with just about every other person there, was literally jumping up and down. he played the whole time and was awesome.

i was surprised that so many people in the crowd knew all the words, just like we did. and i have to say, those beach boys are gettin old. at one point mike love was talking about his first car...a 1943 something. i mean they rocked and were amazing, but dang they are startin to look old. we had so much fun and i am so glad we went together:)

sunday morning i got up to do my long run so i could do whatever i wanted for the rest of the weekend. catch the recap here if you missed it. after an amazing post long run nap with no alarm i hung out with richard during the day doing nothing, just what i wanted. i had planned a dinner that night with some close friends at maggianos and was super excited! i love that place and have gone there for years on special occasions. we had a reservation for 11, but by the time we got there it was down to 5. seemed like everyone had something else come up. some where totally unavoidable-hello sickness and the er, others it seemed just didnt see this as quite as important. but at maggianos, how can you have a bad time?! i mean the food alone is enough to put a huge smile on your face.

super cute ang and jamey.

i LOVE their chocolate cake.

 we had a great time together and amazing food. i was so grateful for the ones there, they made it a amazing night:)

monday we decided to lay low and enjoy the last day of our 3-day weekend. we cleaned the apartment (thats right, together) and went to see crazy, stupid love in the afternoon. omg! such a good movie! and a really great date movie, not too girly or manly. a great balance for both. after having dinner out the night before and i was meeting my parents the following night, i gladly made fajitas at home that night. it was a perfect low-key day for us.

finally tuesday arrived, my actual birthday. i told you my dad was kinda right. after a 3-day weekend i couldnt rationalize taking another day so i went to work. i got in an extra long run that morning, amazing what happens when you get real sleep for 3 days. and headed out to a super busy day filled with students. about 11am after getting a few reschedule calls i got a beautiful surprise at work...

they were perfect and a great accompanying gift to the pearl earrings he gave me the day before. the balloon sings a hilarious song and put a smile on my face every time someone stopped by to play it. added bonus to the day was we got to wear jeans! heck yes. plus the love that poured in on facebook and texts and phone calls and at work was almost overwhelming. it was amazing on a day that i am always a little nervous about.

afterwords i got to meet my family across the street at the cheesecake factory, another one of my favorite restaurants i dont go to often! my cousin bethany, mom, dad,  my brother from another mother erik, and i meet for dinner and had so much fun! we talked and laughed and joked around, all the great things you do with your family. it was a great end to my birthday extravaganza.

i did exactly what i wanted this year! i kept it low-key and got to spend time with groups of people as well as people individually. i didnt let some lame drama affect me when it reared its ugly head. im not sure next year will be able to measure up:)

the week 14 recap.

are we really at week 13 already! this training cycle has been flying by, we are less than a month out people. if you hadnt noticed, i left sunday out of last weeks recap. ps i did that on purpose:) i decided to have my training weeks now start on sundays rather than mondays. plus labor day weekend was in my training this week and it threw all kinds of quirks into things.

sunday~rest
10.15 miles =1:41:15 minutes/9:58 min/miles.

i decided on thursday that i wanted to move up my long run to sunday instead of monday as originally planned so i could do whatever i wanted sunday night with my friends! i was having an early birthday dinner with some great friends at maggianos and i didnt want to have to worry about food/hydration or how much i did on that night for the next morning. so i went to sleep when i got home from dancing my 12 year-old heart out so i could get up at 430am the next day. my alarm went off and i felt really good getting up! i set out in the exact same red polka dot running skirt i pulled on for the first time 1 year earlier at the disneyland 1/2 marathon. my route was pretty easy and i was feeling really good. about a 1/4 of the way through i felt like i had to pee. i had never gone on a long run before and was sure that i could make it. then i got to eastern and decided i had to, no way around it! i did get some extra ice for my water that really helped. back on the road i was over 1/2 way there and was ready to be done. i felt good when i finished and was really happy with my time! i was so excited to get my post-long run nap in because i didnt have to set my alarm. i was a little sore the rest of the day, but felt good to have my long run finished so early in the week!

monday~10 miles
rest.

i gladly took monday off after my long run on monday. plus it was so nice to lounge around and i saw crazy, stupid love. seriously good movie!!

tuesday~4-5 miles
6.03 miles =1:02:21 minutes/10:20 min/miles.

its my birthday! i felt really good after my rest day and just kept going. plus i knew i was meeting my family at cheesecake factory for dinner, so a little extra mileage would help balance that out :) it was a good run and its amazing what happens when you have 3 full days off from work with good sleep!

wednesday~spin class
6am spin class.

we actually had our real teacher this week! this was also the week i probably sweat the most, gross i know. she seriously kicked our butts! in a very good/dang we are hardcore kinda way.

thursday~body pump
6am body pump class.

i just made it on time this week. and good thing, because it was full! also i think each week this set is going to get easier and each week my muscles keep telling me its not. at least i know its working haha.

friday~4 miles
rest. 

i told you this week was all changed around. but for very good reasons...

saturday~rest
9.11km remembrance run. today i run for mandy chang.
5.66 miles =47:25 minutes/8:22 min/miles.

i heard about this run a few weeks ago and instantly wanted to sign up. i felt a little guilty asking for another saturday (plus it was an open house) so i was hoping i could just switch it around. luck was on my side and i was able to swap with jennifer to work the extra open house in 2 weeks. i signed up last minute and am so incredibly glad i did. each runner had the name of someone fallen in the world trade center on 9/11/01. it was done incredibly well with so much participation by the community. there were so many people you dont typically run into at runs, military running in full camis, police, and firefighters. down 2 side streets they had parked 2 fire trucks, extended their ladders, and hung an american flag. i ran into a few of my runner group friends at the start line and reggie informed there were 22 turns on this course! it was on fremont and through many neighborhoods that didnt have long streets. there was only 1 water station 1/2 way, i was so glad i brought my own water! mostly flat course and i felt like i was running well. i had no idea that i was running that well!!  omg, look at that pace! i think that is my fastest pace ever, major pr:) i met up with my runner group after and some were headed out to add on another 10, i happily headed to breakfast with my mom to make her a training plan for the vegas race!

i run for mandy chang.

total for the week = 21.84 miles + 2 days of cross training

i was super proud of my week! i hit over 20 in miles, thats awesome! i really liked doing my long run on sunday and doing some different things in my training week. the remeberance run on saturday was so well done, i cant say enough good things about it. one of the coolest things was the way people talked about it, it wasnt a race, it was a run. people getting together to do their part, paying their respects, and supporting an amazing cause.

27 days till the long beach 1/2 marathon!!

  

the week 13 recap.

i cant believe its september already! this last month has flown by and my training has been going up and up. if you didnt catch my august recap, read it here. its my first one, im super excited! 

monday~4-5 miles.
4.72 miles =46 minutes/9:44 min/mile.

met up for my runner group with a cool 107* this week. except it was only reggie, debi, and i. debi had done way too many miles the day before so she only went 3, thank goodness reggie was there to help me go further! he kept me on track and pushed me harder since hes a fastie. we made a good pace, he slowed down a little and i sped up a little. it was fun to talk to him and meet a new runner friend:)

tuesday~9 miles.
9.15 miles =1:34:35 minutes/10:20 min/mile.

i think i finally might have this summer running thing down! i got up a little earlier than i ever really want to, ill be honest, and headed out for my long run.  i had already decided this would be my last long run before working all day and i am so glad. i was torn up for a little while after this one. it was a really good long run and i scored over half without the sun, a big deal in the desert. i added on an extra stoplight to my run from the week before to get my 9 miles in. and of course as soon as i turned on st rose, ready to pick off my landmarks to the turn, the wind started right in my face. i think it might have slowed me down more than i was hoping, plus i was gettin tired at this point, and ready to be home. but i made it:) plus my power nap after was one of the better ones too.

wednesday~spin class.
6 am spin.

we had another sub this week, does this teacher ever show up more than 2 weeks in a row? and she was actually really great! i thought the class was maybe one song too long, but she pushed you hard and i walked away super sweaty. i was definitely hungry after class and was glad because i had a super hot date with alie j and her adorable son evan (i call him ochocinco jones, that was his first name in her belly). we met at rubios, one of our favorite places and had delicious ono tacos.

hes so big! only 6 months old, gonna be tall like his dad:)

  thursday~body pump.
6am body pump class.

i got there in plenty of time this week, thank goodness, because being squished up front is no fun. i even added a little bit of weight this week on a few tracks. this was also the first day since monday my legs had stopped hurting. they werent normal training sore, they just werent recovering very well. so wednesday night i had a session with the my legs up right on the wall, ate a banana, and took a magnesium pill. about 20 minutes later they started to feel so much better. which was especially good since body pump was super tough this week!

my super hot thursday night date! ahh the life of a runner and student:)

friday~4 miles. 
5.2 miles =50:45/9:45 min/mile.

this run felt really great! good way to end the week and i made it to 19+ miles for the week with this run. every thing just fell into place with this one. the temperature was only at 74* degrees at the start and the wind wasnt too bad at all. it just felt good.

saturday~rest.

its was the start of my birthday weekend! my actual birthday isnt until tuesday, but i started a little early with the beach boys concert at mandalay bay beach! its an awesome place for a show, especially one like this. there were all ages there and it was really fun to spend the night with tiffany. plus the best part was uncle jessie from full house played with the band for the whole show! made my little 12 year old heart all-a-flutter.  

so glad she came with me!

he even sang forever from his wedding on full house!

total for the week = 19.07 miles + 2 days of cross training.

this week felt really good for training! i got my days in the way i needed and stuck to the plan. i was reminded about taking care of my body when i do push this hard. and i decided i am really excited about going back to long beach this year! it will be fun to have my 5th 1/2 marathon right back where i started:)

34 days till the long beach 1/2 marathon!!

the august training recap.

total run mileage: 80.91 miles
highest weekly run mileage: 18.77 miles
# runs: 14
# rest days: 8

# xtraining workouts: 9

favorite run: adding my new water bottle made for a great run that morning! for whatever reason i had an awesome time for the heat to be low and the end of the week.

most hardcore run:  my longest distance this training cycle.  my 9+ miler on tuesday was pretty rockin. i was hoping for a faster pace, but it tore me up for the rest of the day. i had to push through to the end of that one pretty hard!

current reads:  heart of the matter by emily giffin! 

she also wrote something borrowed, the movie that recently came out and i love her writing style! this book is just as good as all the others. great girlie read:)

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: the crazy amount of reality-tv in the summer! big brother, americas got talent, teen mom, and the challenge:rivals. i know, i know:)

current obsession: stalking travel websites to find the cheapest fare to england for nate and katies wedding in march! i am so excited and cant wait to go!

current drink: water, water, and more water. oh and sweet tea of course!

current song: dirt road anthem by jason aldean. love!

current wish-list: 
1. zenash calf compression sleeves in neon pink!

2. kelly and kaite black venus gladiator sandals in size 9 ½

just in case:)

current need: black flats! i love my heels, i really do. but some days i just need a cutie cute flat shoe. eventually i want a few colors, but black would be a great addition for now.

current triumph: rocking my training plan! i have been consistently over on my mile the last couple of weeks and it feels awesome.

current bane of my existence: the ridiculously hot heat. so unnecessary.

current goal: to continue on the awesome training path i am on through september. the race is only 36 days away!

current indulgence: ice cream! since i had to give it up september 1^st.

current excitement: that august is over, meaning that it is september and that really means its my birthday month! and that summer is almost over. i do live in the desert, so not as soon as i would like it. also that in the last 2 weeks I have had 4 people reach out to me about running and blogging! it is seriously so cool that they want my advice:)