the 6 weeks left to vegas recap.

the i feel much better putting up the 6 weeks this time vs my mistake last time. and by much better i just mean slightly less freaked out! this quick turn-around is starting freak me out a little, i wont lie. but i think im startin to get a handle on all of it.

sunday~rest.
rest.

gladly taken after the running around saturday!

monday~4-5 miles.
4.72 miles =43:38 minutes/9:14 min/mile.

i returned to my runner group 1 week post knee/pavement injury. the guys were glad to see me back and my knee was healing pretty well. i was able to keep up with derek all the way up and down the hill, even in the dark. it is really starting to get dark early and im wondering if we need to start meeting a little earlier. that or i need some reflective gear!

tuesday~6.5 miles.
6.73 miles =1:08:39 minutes/10:12 min/mile.

this is pretty much the exact pace i was doing on long runs in my last cycle so i am stoked. during this run i had the definite realization that i was in training for another race. i have been a little freaked out about doing such a close turn-around. plus my mom that is also training with me was up to 9 in the same week. i was feeling really behind, but evened out a little bit after this run. i set out when it was still dark and probably should have worn at least a short sleeve shirt instead of a tank top because it was just chilly enough. the route came easily and i felt good throughout the run! plus i got a great 2 hour nap when i got back before going to work:)

wednesday~spin.
6am spin class.

i had a little trouble gettin out of bed wednesday for spin, and pretty sure the only reason i did was the potluck at work we were having later that day. i had to get my calorie burn in early so i could enjoy all the goodies! this class was not the greatest. there werent many familiar faces, the music was great, and the instructor still had 1 too many songs to end on time. i was super excited to get back to spin, but this class deflated me a little. hoping next week is better!

chocolate goulash.
my backwards motivation!

thursday~body pump.        

6am body pump class.

there was a routine this week and i could not be more excited! it definitely kicked my butt, but it was sooo good. i was a little sore throughout the day. definitely worth it to get a new body pump track though! 

friday~4 miles.
6.2 miles =58:58 minutes/9:30 min/mile.

it was nevada day here, so we had the day off! i slept in a little then went for a run around 8am since its a little cooler. i wanted to sleep more but we had family in town and i was meeting them around lunch time, so i had to get up a little earlier than i would have liked. i was a bit sore from body pump but set out anyway. the wind was fired up and was in my face the whole first leg. when i got to the turn point to head back i decided i was feeling good and would go down to the next street. turns out the next street didnt go anywhere so i had to go one more. i actually really liked the little change up and who will say no to an extra mile when your feelin good?!

saturday~rest.

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i finally saw ides of march! seriously good. definitely go and see if you havent!

totals for the week = 17.65 miles + 2 days of cross training.

this week i had my first real long run of my training cycle and that made everything very real. it was also a tough week for me emotionally with so many things going on. this usually happens when i really kick a training cycle in gear and it was the 2nd week in my new class (which by the way is pretty difficult and i am so ready to be done already), not 2 things to put together wisely. but i made it through and got all my training in!


35 days till the las vegas rock and roll marathon!!

the 7 weeks left to vegas recap.

i think my countdown strategy might be freaking me out more than i think! ok, its probably all in my head instead. i do feel a little better now that i realized last week was actually week 8, making this week 7. when i saw 6 weeks i almost had a heart attack! this week was a little interesting and some definite adjustments needed to happen.

sunday~rest.
rest.

i gladly took this day to recover after my craziness from saturday, and really the whole week.

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

finally the return to my runner group! i missed these guys and dennis came back this week after a stress fracture in his foot. we had great weather and i got to chit chattin a little too much (surprise, surprise), didnt watch where i was going, tripped, and fell right into the rocks on the route! and i fell hard. i pounded my right knee into the ground, scuffed up my elbow, and got a few scratches on my left hand. i picked myself up after a few mins and continued up the hill. the guys gave me a hard time of course, but i finished the miles! i didnt even cry haha. came home to clean it up and put lots and lots of ice on it for the night!

real athletes get up and keep going:)

tuesday~5 miles.
rest.

after my pretty rockin spill on monday i could barely get out of bed tuesday. it hurt to have anything touch it and i hobbled around pretty much all day. i had to go to the doctor for something else that day, so i got a really good antibiotic cream to help it heal. definitely a rest day.
 
wednesday~rest.
rest.

i had already planned this as a rest day if i wanted it since it was only my 2nd week back into training and gladly took it. my knee was still pretty swollen and i for sure needed another day.

thursday~body pump.
4.2 miles =39:02 minutes/9:16 min/miles.

after taking off 2 days midweek i decided to run thursday intstead. my body didnt totally love the idea, i must say. it felt heavy and i struggled a little bit to keep pushing. my knee was ok, hurt a little, but the rest of me just wasnt in it. i was super shocked when i got back to the house though and had a really good pace. i did feel good the rest of the day though, so i knew it was worth it.

friday~4 miles.
5.2 miles =49:25 minutes/9:30 min/miles.

with thursday being a kind of flop according to my body i definitely had to pull myself out of bed friday morning. but as soon as i got out to the pavement i felt really good. my body found a rhythm pretty easily and i felt really good! my mind went off to somewhere else and i was home before i knew it!

saturday~rest.
rest.

training rest, yes. life rest, not so much. i worked in the morning and then went to take some pictures for jesis new makeup portfolio in the afternoon. then i finally got to see my brother and he, richard, and i went to dinner at fuddruckers. it was a long day, but i had a blast!

check out all of jesis photos and the other shoots
she is doing on facebook!

totals for the week = 14.13 miles + 0 cross training days.

i felt pretty good about this week in the end. i had my first fall while running and took a couple forced rest days, but i was still able to get my miles in like i was supposed to! i feel like im finally starting to get this training/life/flexiblity thing handled:)

the weekday wedding.

before i met richard i had never been to a wedding during the week. i had been to saturdays and sundays, but not a weekday. we have now been together for 2 years and have now attended 4 weddings, 3 of which were during the week!

thursday 06.24.10 tony and tinas wedding.
tina was a family friend of richards and got remarried to her high school sweetheart:)

monday 08.09.10 mike and loras wedding.
all 3 of them are best friends and we got to travel to santa barbara for this one:)

saturday 06.11.11 chris and ingrids wedding.
i work with ingrid and chris is a former marine:)

monday 10.10.11 nick and jesis wedding.
nick is a friend of richards and jesi and i have started getting closer, jesi also took our pictures:)

nick and jesi began dating in june and engaged in march. it was a whirlwind, but when you know, you know. they were then getting married in october. talk about a whirlwind! there was quite a bit of drama leading up to the wedding with other friends in the group. but really, when is there not wedding drama. and at the end of the day as long the bride and groom are happy, thats all that matters. most of the wedding was done by jesi, the ultimate do-it-yourself bride. she did all the decorations, made the flower girl dress, she probably would have made the cake if she could. check out her blog for ideas and to follow her process, seriously its awesome!

we traveled back from long beach early to make it in plenty of time for the wedding. it was being held at springs preserve and i had never been. i had seen pictures and heard from others it was going to be beautiful. i wasnt sure how my body was going to feel going to a wedding the day after a 1/2 marathon and was a little nervous how i would dance all night. but i sure as hell was not going to miss this event for anything:) we made it back in time for a quick nap and then i went into girly prep time to get ready. even still, we actually left on time!

turns out the bride was running a bit late so we had plenty of time to check out the venue and meet up with our friends to catch up. we scored great seats for my picture craziness and the sun had dipped behind the perfect tree to keep things light, but not glaring in our eyes. finally we started to see groomsmen and heard the bride had arrived, it was time to get married!

the ceremony was beautiful, and i bawled like a girl as soon as the first groomsmen and bridesmaid came out. from there it was all down hill on the crying front and then i went totally over the edge when they read their incredibly sweet vows to each other. then it was time to party!

 we made our way upstairs to a ballroom type area that had a dining area and patio with a dance floor. the first stop was of course the bar, it was soda and teas all around! this was actually was a dry wedding, a new experience for most of our group haha. we passed the time with the amazing hors d'ouevres and a popcorn bar! the whole room had a rustic feel, it had the bride and groom written all over it. jesi had done an amazing job with the decorations!

it was finally time to see the newlyweds as they were ready to enter and we were ready to eat some dinner! smiles and cameras were all around as they bounded in the room together. they had a super cute table in the front with a sample of each of the hors d'ouevres. around the room they came and the cameras continued to snap as the prime rib came dangerously close to the boys at the table on its way to the carving table. being so close we did have the honor being 1st in line for the carving station and the mash potato bar! seriously popcorn and mash potato bars in the same place?! heck yeah:)

after dinner it was time to dance, had to work off all that food we had dove into! the bride and groom had their first dance, it was of course beautiful. the bride then danced with her dad and the groom with his mom. it was all so romantic. then it was time to boogie! we all danced together and had a really really good time. it was so great to have this small group all together, without the drama, without mean girls, without the outside world judging. then there was of course the throwing of the bouquet. all the single ladies lined up at the opposite end of the dance floor, i tried to stay in the back. jesi kept turning around to look at me, i think she was trying to figure out where i was. all of a sudden the bouquet came flying at me! it was an excellent not catch because she had literally hurled it too far, but i quickly grabbed it off the floor and claimed my prize. everyone immediately went to richard with googly eyes and elbows saying, "look who caught the bouquet!" soon after it was time to head home and let the newlyweds be married.

 it was such a great wedding and i was so glad we got to share in their joy! i cant believe another couple got married. are we really all to that age now?? wow. kind of make me think im a grown up:) well either way one thing is for sure, i love love and weddings.

the 8 weeks left to vegas recap.

i know im a day late again, but this weekend just didnt have enough time in it for everything! so now home i am starting my very quick turn around into another training cycle. i have never done a turn around this quick so it should be an interesting experiment for me. i also decided to do these recaps as a countdown since it is so fast. plus it keeps things fresh:) i know the posting has been sporatic, i promise to get back onto a schedule soon and everything will be posted when it is supposed to. so many things happened all with in a few short weeks and i want to tell everyone all about them. plus each should get its moment in the sun!

sunday~long beach 1/2 marathon!
13.1 miles =2:03:56 minutes/9:26 min/miles.

this was a HUGE 10 minute pr for me and such a great race! everything just fell into place from the food the night before, to getting to bed early, to having the right pre-race food, to getting in the correct corral at the start. if you havent read my full race report, check it out here so you can hear all about it. i was feeling really good the whole way and was determined to break 1 of my goals i had set out in my head. i ended up breaking 2 of them instead:)

monday~rest
rest.

who said rest had to be boring:)
nick and jesis wedding 10.10.11

tuesday~rest
rest.

wednesday~3 miles if i was ready.
rest. my body was not ready.

after dancing all night in my 4" heels on monday and getting to bed late 2 nights in a row, my body just said no when i thought about getting a run in. i gladly took one more day of relaxation!

thursday~body pump.
4.2 miles =41:15 minutes/9:46 min/miles.

since i hadnt gotten a run in since the race i decided to make today the 1st day back a run to feel out my body. i felt good during and was able to go a little further before stopping then i thought i was going to. also with the return of running came the instant return of training hunger. i could not get full to save my life. seriously, 30 minutes after a meal i was hungry again! good thing the diet had lightened up a little:)

yum yum!

 friday~4 miles.
5.2 miles =51:09 minutes/9:49 min/ miles.

gladly back to the friday special! after feeling good from the 4 miler i knew i could make it through the 5 miler. plus i knew if i really needed to i could slow down. my legs seemed to just glide along and happy to be running 2 days in a row. i was super excited about the time and there was even the slightest bit of a chill in the air, fall might actually get here some time in october!

saturday~rest.
1 hour zumba class.
5 miles =48:00 minutes/9:35 min/miles.

my mom has been trying to get me to go to zumba for about 6 months and i have always found an excuse. so friday she called again to invite me and i decided i should probably just go for it. i also figured out that i could join in on a run that my runner group was doing around the back half of vegas afterward. debi, our founder, turned 40 on thursday and for her birthday had decided to do a 40 mile run to celebrate (pure insanity if you ask me). she had been recruiting people to run for months and i had always said maybe. finally once details were posted i actually figured out i could meet her at mile 23.5 and run down the hill (smart thinking) to about mile 28.5 to where the next group would pick her up. also conveniently my mom was going to be at a shopping center across the way so she could take me back to my car.

so i met up with my mom and her friends to embark on my 1st zumba class just before 9am. the class was packed and i wasnt totally sure what i was getting into. now, i consider myself someone with decent rythym, not great, but ok. well that apparently doesnt matter in this class at all! the problem i ran into was the instructor didnt show what the moves where until you were actually doing them. so by the time i got it, we had moved on to the next one. but i can definitely see why people go religiously and you can definitely lose weight doing it! i think ill stick to running though instead.

afterward i drove a little further north to meet up with debi and the rest of the group once they came out of red rock. they were running a bit late, no surprise there, and were super excited to pick up another runner. it was about 1130a and the sun was not friendly so it was gettin pretty warm. they grabbed water from dolly who was meeting them at every stop to keep the group hydrated and sunscreened up. i attached my handheld and started my ipod timer as the 10 of us trekked down the hill. we lost a couple on the way since they had put in many miles and were ready to call it a day. by the time we made it to the next stop and my drop off there were only 4 of us! we saw debis parents that had flown out from florida for the event a couple times and the time flew by. i felt like i could have gone further because we were having such a good time, but knew that i didnt need to. plus my body later that night and sunday reminded me i had just run a 1/2 marathon less than a week before it was ok to call it in at 5 miles:)

the suncoast group!

totals for the week = 27.52 miles and 0 cross training days.

this was such a great week and i did everything i wanted to! i got in an extra rest day between the race and coming back on to my next training cycle. i did met up with debi when i wasnt sure how that was going to work. my legs/body felt great when i did get back into it. plus i got some great mileage in this week:) vegas is coming awful quick and my new experiment should be very interesting. stay tuned!!

the long beach half marathon race report

the long beach 1/2 marathon was my very 1st race 2 years ago. it was a fantastic race and it had me instantly hooked! when i didnt get into the nike 1/2 marathon that happens in october (see what happened here) i thought about long beach but wasnt sure i wanted to go back. did i want to run the same course? would i get bored?

ultimately i ended up going back and it was soooo the right decision! if you didnt read the whole weekend recap, check it out here. now its on to the race recap! the race was sunday morning and we went down saturday morning. we stayed in san pedro, the town next door at the crowne plaza because of the shuttle on race morning. thank goodness that was there because we were literally in the ghetto! i did have 4 goals set out in my head for the race:
a. finish under 2:13 for a new pr.
b. finish under 2:10 for a super stretch pr. ::fingers crossed::
c. keep a pace under 10:00 min/mile. this would be amazing!

d. finish under 2:17. that was my time 2 years ago in long beach.

saturday night after getting back from dinner i laid out all my clothes and snacks and bags so all i had to do was grab and go in the morning. it was so great to be back to the hotel early and get to bed early, this never seems to happen. 330am though still came damn early. i let richard sleep a little longer since we didnt have to be downstairs till 415am and i fumbled to put on my race day outfit. we actually ended up heading down a few minutes early.

ready to rock and roll!

the race breakfast from the hotel!

 i grabbed my race morning breakfast bag to go and we waited to board the shuttle. the concierge guy was freakin on it, checking everyones names off as we came down and then when we got on the shuttle he called roll one more time. race day shuttles are the best thing ever, seriously. to roll out of bed and not have to worry about keys and leaving and road closures on a day when you are already nervous enough is beautiful! we got to the start line super early and got to people watch for a few hours. the time went pretty quickly and there were lots of things going on with the bike race and the corral line up. soon enough it was time to go! holy crap.

source

after two good luck kisses i left richard and mosied my way into the start corral which was crazy! i could barely get into the right corral let alone in the correct part. i found the 4:30 finish for the marathon pacer and knew i needed to stay in front of hime to break my time. once they let the 1st 2 corrals go we were able to move to the start line and i made my way through the crowd a little better. then we were off! my new tank top kept riding against my skirt and in the 1st 2 miles i was tugging on both of them every 3 steps it seeemed. then there was enough sweat i think for them to grip on that it was much better (i know, its gross, happens when your a runner).

the miles clicked by pretty quickly and i was feeling great. i stopped at all the water stations, powered up the overpasses (thank you runner group), and was passing people like crazy, best confidence booster ever! pretty soon i caught up to the 4:15 marathon pacer who i swear was the doppleganger of a good family friend. about the same height, wore his hat the same, same build, a little younger, same face on a quick look, so he was super to follow. not long after though my legs felt great and i decided to forge ahead. the spectators were great and i didnt get to see richard because he had staked out claim at the finish line. there was one part that we ran behind the finish line that i kept hoping he would be there, no such luck. soon we passed the 10k mark and we were headed to the beach for miles 7-10. this was definitely the warmest part, the sun had come out and the reflection off the clear water made it a warm path. i just kept clicking away.

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we got to mile 10 with the gu's (my favorite) and i knew we were only 3 miles to the finish, i was thinking, 3miles? i can do that in my sleep. while i was grabbing gu the 4:15 pacer passed right in front of me i was like, i no i didnt work this hard to have him pass me. so i hightailed it out of there and caught up pretty quick. .8 miles down the road the full marathoners turned right and i was sooooo glad to stay to the left. i did know this meant i would have to finish on my own. i passed the 11 mile mark and saw a clock that i think said 1:59 and i knew if i had a chance at coming in under 2:10 i had to get friggin going. by this point my body was hurtin. i didnt hit a wall, but i was ready to see the finish line. i knew it was close and when i saw the 12 mile marker all i had to do was countdown the lights and look for the left hand turn downhill to cross the finish. finally i saw the turn left sign, i plastered a smile on my face, fixed my tank top and skirt and gave everything i had left in the tank to the finish line. i could hear the crowd and the announcer. i could finally see it. i threw up my hands when i saw the finish time at 2:15 and knew by starting in corral 3 i had beat my 2:10 goal time. i crossed the line and even did a fist pump!!

i grabbed water and a mylar blanket even though it was warm (i never finish in time to get one, so i friggin jumped at that chance!). the 1st full marathoner hadnt even finished yet and i was grabbing my medal, it was awesome. i made my way through the crowd and found richard, thank goodness he is tall, and he said he didnt get a picture but had an awesome video of me crossing the finish line! ive never had a video before so i was stoked. then i wanted to know my time, did i beat my 2:10 stretch goal? what about my under 10:00/min pace? they had a tracker website we could access from our phones and i had to know. richard said it had issues keep track and all i wanted to know was the finish. he pulled it up and had a huge grin, "2:03:56." i was stunned!! no friggin way. are you kidding. i did not just knock off 10 minutes from nashville. i probably would have been jumping up and down if my body didnt hurt so bad. i was still in disbelief and went over to the results tent to check out the computers. it said the same thing with a "9:26 min/mile." i was sooooo excited! i dont think the grin left my face all day.

it was an awesome race! i had such a good time and am so glad i went back. remembering the course definitely helped a little bit and made for a whole different kind of race experience. i cant believe i am done with 1/2 marathon #5! 2 years ago i never would have thought i would get to that number so quickly. my training was tough, i put in a lot of miles, all the early morning workouts, and the ravenous hunger was all so worth it. the giving up of all the fatty foods i love was also worth it when i found out i had knocked off 10 minutes off my time.

i will totally admit, im addicted:)

the long beach half marathon weekend

it finally came! i feel like i was waiting forever, but in the same time it came so quickly. the week leading up to it was crazy just like everytime i go out of town it seems. i had my final project for my class due on tuesday and had to get everything finished before we left because there was no way i was doing it while out of town or when we got home late monday. plus work was crazy trying to wrap everything up for the first week of school for all my students. like i said, the week leading up to going out of town is always crazy.

soon enough it was friday evening which i was spending part of out at lake las vegas for jesis bachelorette party so i needed to be pretty much ready to go before then. i had time to finish my last minute packing and even clean the apartment before it was party time! we had a great time at dinner and the hotel was beautiful, i was a little jealous i wasnt staying the night. but my 6am wake up call the next day to get on the road was awfully early. i made it to bed that night around midnight and was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. the next morning came too quickly and i was up and in the shower so we could head out. after a quick stop at einsteins for delicious bagels we were headed south!

we made it in great time, right about noon to the abundant and beautiful sunshine of long beach, ca! the plan was to hit the expo first, lunch and then check into the hotel. the expo is seriously one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend, the energy is fantastic and the bib makes it very real. this expo was a little on the small side and i kept expecting more. it was nice to finish rather quick though. the original plan was lunch on our own then met my husband, nate for dinner. he had a concert that night though and we switched thing around for lunch. he had found a diner near our hotel that we were going to meet around 130p at. we crossed the bridge from long beach to san pedro where were staying and i felt like we were in a whole new world, i was pretty sure we were one of the only people that spoke english. we found the hotel pretty easily and i was really glad i picked a brand name (the crowne plaza, more on that later). we ventured to the diner to meet nate a few minutes early and as soon as we pulled in, i was like oh no we are not staying here! we were definitely not in the right part of town and we needed to get out of there, even in the daylight! once nate got there we decided to head back over the bridge to the pike next to the beach instead.

once we got back to the right part of town lol the 3 of us decided on islands for lunch and were starving! lunch was delicious and we had a great time all catching up. nate and richard had never met and they both were definitely scopping each other out:) (nate and i went to college together and he has remained one of my best friends since. in fact in college people joked we were married because we were always together. in march he is getting married in england i will be heading over the pond to celebrate!)

with 2 of my favorite guys:)

afterward nate was headed back to the oc to meet his friends for the concert and we decided to venture back over the bridge to our hotel and maybe catch a nap before dinner. the hotel was really nice, a king bed and lots of space! i mainly picked it because it had a shuttle that would take us to and from the start line on race day. this was the deciding fact because parking for the race in long beach is a nightmare. the staff was great and we headed over to the bell desk to sign up for the shuttle right away. however because it was almost 4p on saturday we got stuck with the 430am shuttle! oh lord that means a crazy early wake up call and hanging around the start line for 2 hours before the race starts!

once we napped a little and watched some tv, it was so nice to just lay around sometimes, we decided it was time to find somewhere for dinner. it was right around 6p so it was perfect time. richard wanted to walk around the shops we had seen on the scary drive to the restaurant and i wanted to beeline for the restaurant. the concierge suggested a pasta and seafood house super close so we were ok with walking. now by that i mean i had big crazy eyes trying to be alert and richard was on facebook or looking in all the shops that had closed at 6p instead. we got to the restaurant and i knew it was time to carb up. i found a seafood pasta dish that sounded delicious and richard found lasagna. now the seafood pasta could have been split between 2-3 people once i realized how big it was! it was soooo good though, the seafood was super fresh and the sauce was just enough.

after rolling myself back to the hotel i started to get ready for the next morning. i laid out all my clothes and snacks and bags so all i had to do was grab and go in the morning. it was so great to be back to the hotel early and get to bed early, this never seems to happen. 330am though still came damn early. we arrived super early at the start line and the day went smooth from there. check out my next post for the full race report! it was just too long to fit in one post:) but know that my training all came together and i could not be happier about my finish!

1/2 marathon #5, done!
amazing support team!

later that morning, yes it was still morning, i hobbled away slowly from the finish line festival in search of one thing...chicken and waffles. i really wanted that to be my post-race breakfast in nashville but it never happened. then randomly i got online to the famous roscoes in los anglelos website and found out they had one in long beach less than a mile from where i was crossing the finish line. i had been excited for days and couldnt wait to finally taste the meal i had heard so much about. we arrived to about a 20 minute wait, no big deal as we sat in the lounge and watched more runners pile in. our number was called shortly after and we made our way through the super busy restaurant to the back for our table. 

looking at the menu i was almost overwhelmed but decided not to go too overboard and ordered a waffle and thigh. the food came pretty quick and smelled fantastic. i dove into the chicken 1st and it was aaa-mazing. so juicy and succulent, dang thats a big word for fried chicken. then came the waffle that was phhh-enomenal. the right amount of sweet and savory and a perfect balance to the chicken. the best part was the syrup came in a little container on the side so i didnt have to worry about anything touching the other. richard and i both devoured our breakfast pretty quickly. our only regret was not getting more chicken. we instantly made the resolution to come back in the morning for another round. 

YUM!

afterward we made our way back to the shuttle stop just in time for the 1st ride back. i hobbled my way into the shower as soon as i got upstairs and headed straight for our very comfy king size bed to take at least an hour nap before the afternoon adventures. richard stayed up and watched nascar while i was fast asleep. we had already decided to not stay in long beach for the rest of the day, but to venture up to santa monica to the famous pier and the 3rd street promenade. after again hobbling around to get dressed from my pjs and make it down to the car we headed north, only getting on to one wrong freeway, to beautiful santa monica. 

i had been once before, but richard hadnt. we battled the crazy traffic and decided richard couldnt live there or he would be mad all the time, finally finding a parking spot near the beach. it was beautiful! a nice warm day with lots of people, maybe too many. we saw amazing houses and hotels right on the beach i would have gladly upgraded for. we mosied our way to the pier partially because i couldnt go anywhere fast and partially because we were finally in no hurry. we scoped out the sunglasses and souvenirs at the shops along with people watching the whole way. it was a great afternoon that ended with my first taste of ice cream in the form of a homemade dutch chocolate milkshake that was glorious. 

 we made our way off the pier and up to the massive shopping center called the 3rd street promenade. this place is huge and has tons of shops and restaurants, perfect for strolling around for the rest of our day. we finally found richard a pair of sunglasses and went into a few store here and there. we ended up deciding on pizza that night for dinner, one of the other things i dearly missed in my training. it was also super delicious.

our footprints:)

by this time most things were closing and the cool beach air was settling in on our shorts and tanks/tees, definitely time to head back to the car. finally making it and not being too cold we made our way back through the 3 ghettos to our hotel. we made it another early night and watched part of kim kardashians wedding before blissfully falling asleep for another early morning wake up call the next day. the alarm began ringing about 6am so we could check out and get back to roscoes for breakfast before driving back to vegas. except roscoes clearly does not run that early since they didnt open till 8am and we were there at 715ish. richard convinced me not to wait as were on a slight time budget to make it back for nick and jesis weekend and we found a delicious donut shop a few lights down. 

as i drove back with richard sleeping in the front seat i replayed the weekend in my head. having a super fun lunch with nate and walking around in the ghetto next to our hotel totally freaked out. the amazing race i had just won and knocked off huge numbers from nashville. the fact that i had just finished 1/2 marathon #5 and already had plans for #6 and #7. and the amazing support i have from the guy sitting next to me that didnt complain about getting up at 345am the morning before to catch a shuttle that got us to the start line 2 hours early. i decided i was a lucky girl and have a lot of things really going my way.

we made it back into vegas in time to pick up a few things on the way home and for me to take about a 1/2 hour nap before the wedding. dont worry, all those things are coming up in later posts:) 

the week 18 recap.

the final training week, we are finally here! wow. were really here?? i cant believe i am getting ready to race 1/2 marathon #5 in only 2 short years. and i get to go back to where it all started! as much as i fought long beach and signed up for a different race, there is a certain comfort going back to a course you have been to before. this is the 1st race i have ever repeated. im definitely getting excited!

sunday~4 miles.
rest.

i kept feeling like i was supposed to run today, but just couldnt get myself to do it. i added these 4 miles to the training plan last minute so i felt it was ok missing it. with all the excitement the week before i needed some serious sleep. not waking up until noon that day was sooo worth it.

monday~4-5 miles.
4.72 miles =43:36 minutes/9:14 min/miles.

fall had almost arrived by monday and we were headed for a major cool down tuesday. the weather was great tonight and our little group grew by one face from the wednesday night group. my running partner was back and regaled the group with his crazy ironman stories with a mix of the st george marathon a few others had run 2 days before. the time flew by and those boys had me scaling that hill like no tomorrow. i ate lunch really late that day and i think i drank too much water because i was not feeling so hot at the end. finished strong with derrick pulling me along, but glad we were done!

tuesday~4 miles.
5.2 miles =50:15 minutes/9:39 min/miles.

heck yeah i will take those 2 paces the week before a race! i was a little creeky when i started because it was supposed to rain that day and my body sometimes feels like an 80 year-old man when the weather goes a little crazy. once i got about a mile in though, i felt great! i was at the turn around point quick and i seemed to just go on autopilot back home. i caught an awesome 2 hour power nap after my shower and even had breakfast with richard before i had to go to work. it was a good morning:)

wednesday~spin.
6am spin class.

so i think we have a new permanent spin teacher, the same one from last week. however this week wasnt that great. she seemed a little frazzled and went over on the time limit which always drives me crazy. i mean we get 55 minutes with cool down, get your timing right. we would have been fine if she hadnt added the extra song. i actually bailed on the last one and did my own stretching while the class was on their last working song. i felt kinda bad, but not really!

thursday~rest.
rest.

hmmm...apparently by rest i mean catch up on all the other things in my life!

friday~rest.
rest.

maybe i should do laundry more than once a month,
haha just kidding!

saturday~rest.
rest. 

by rest i mean travel:)  

    

totals for the week = 9.92 miles + 1 cross training day.

this is the week to leave it all on the table. once i get to here i know i have done everything i could and put in as many miles as my body would allow me to (although i should have added another mile somewhere this week so i could have had an even 10 haha). i have to trust my training from here and know that i did everything i could.

the no boys allowed weekend.

some days i wonder what it would have been like to live by myself? outside of my parents house but not with roommates. i had roommates in college of course. some were bat-freakin-nuts and some were amazing. once i graduated from college i moved home to my parents yet i always longed for that independence.

growing up it was instilled in me that you never live with a boy before you are married (ps if you havent read the background story, check it out here). so when i decided to finally move out and in with richard i was afraid of how it would work with my parents. they werent exactly ok with it, they werent exactly not ok either. they did told me they would work on it and that was all i could ask for. since we have moved in i have loved it! its a whole new chapter in my life and am so glad that i did. this past weekend i got a taste of what it would have been like it i did get that pure independence...

since we moved in last october i have only stayed one night here by myself, it was a rough, unplanned night 4th of july weekend. i had gone out of town a few times with family/friends since living together, but he hadnt. this time he was headed to a 2-day concert event in southern california with some friends and i had the apartment to myself! i didnt have big plans but it was all about me. they had left friday morning so when i came home from work that afternoon it was different kind of empty. i spent the first few hours cleaning. i didnt want to do it later in the weekend and i wanted a clean house.

boys watch tron when we are out of town,
girls watch mama mia:)

once clean it felt like a whole different place. there were no more boy germs and i knew that any mess left for the whole weekend would only be mine. when i left at anytime during the weekend i knew it was going to look the exact same as when i left it. i changed the sheets to flannel immediately. i grew up sleeping on flannel sheets, but richard hates them, tells me they are way too warm to sleep on. so i was going to take full advantage while he was away 2 nights.

flannel sheets, my true love!

saturday i had to work open house, it did break up my weekend a little bit. afterwords i headed to hobby lobby to pick up a few halloween things and a few things for my arts and crafts time (more on that in a later post, its a secret). i talked to richard while at work when i was waiting for my student to finish up everything. he had called the day before but we didnt get to talk much. we had texted quite a bit back and forth throughout the day though, thank goodness for technology!

my craftiness at work!

i ended up taking an hour nap on the couch at 630p that night and loved it. i could take naps whenever i wanted and where ever i wanted (richard hates when i fall asleep on the couch with him while he watches tv). i got to eat dinner whenever i wanted and watched finding nemo, i seriously love that movie. by this time though, i was startin to really miss richard. i had heard from him quite a few times the day before, but saturday was less and less. plus i had woken up from nap when it was super dark outside and i think i discombobulated myself a little bit.

going to bed that night i struggled to fall asleep and stay asleep. i went to bed rather early around 930p and just didnt sleep right. i had a long run in the morning early and knew i needed some sleep. i had originally planned to go to a friends birthday event, but decided i didnt want to go without richard since i met them through him. plus with some recent events (involving some not so nice girls) i wasnt really comfortable going by myself. finally i fell asleep curled up in my flannel sheets and slept till my alarm went off the next morning.

430am comes awful early on a sunday! being home by myself i didnt have to worry about waking anyone else up though. i scooted out the door into the dark for my 10 miler and last long run of my cycle. i just about beat the sun all the way home and felt really good after having 2 great nights of sleep! i was meeting my parents for breakfast later that morning so i headed into the shower pretty quick so i could sleep for about an hour before i had to get up again.

after i got out of the shower i was headed to the thermostat to turn down the air a little bit while i slept when i noticed bags on the counter that werent mine. richard came around the corner in his glasses (which i love and he rarely wears) and looking exhausted! they had decided after getting back to the hotel late to just drive all the way home and sleep in their own beds instead of getting half assed sleep in the hotel. i was so glad to have him home and to get to take a nap with him before i left:)

i met my parents for breakfast a little while later and we had a really good time. mom and i traded long runs/walks and how we were feeling. dad had lifted that morning so he was telling me all about it as well. we had a lot of things to talk about and it made breakfast fly by. afterward my mom and i went to get mani/pedis and they felt so good! im telling you, best rest idea ever.

having richard home when i got there was great. i was glad to have the apartment to myself for the weekend and that he had an amazing time with his friends, but glad we could get back to being us. i am a creature of habit i have realized, shocking i know. i like change and can deal with it, but sometimes no change is even better. it was great to have the apartment to myself for the weekend and get to experience a small taste of that! and there are still some days where i wonder what would have happened if i did. but, i have a pretty great thing going now:)

check out jesi's facebook page for all her photos!