the 2012 running recap.

are we really starting a new year already?? we probably all say this every year but, seriously 2012 flew by! there were a lot of really great ups and some definite downs. thank goodness running has been there through it all for me. it keeps me sane!

january~82 miles.

my mom and i returned to disneyland for the inagural tinkerbell 1/2 marathon!! oh man it was awesome and we seriously had a blast. that race also completed my 3 races in 16 weeks and i can successfully say i rocked it:) i probably should have taken a little break after this, but sometimes im a little crazy hehe.

feburary~45 miles.

the color run made its way to las vegas and it was awesome!! the funnest 5k i have ever run. also, remember that im a little crazy and decided to let the cat out of the bag about my next big training adventure...a triathlon!!

march~56 miles.

with one month out from rage i was starting to panic and found out how some people will always try and tear you down no matter what. but then had the most amazing distraction ever, a trip across the pond for nate and katies wedding!!! i officially became an international runner and got to do a running tour around london with a guide. seriously one of the coolest things ever.

april~43 miles.

in my normal, i like to overschedule myself for everything, 2 really fun things happened in the same month. i became a TRIATHELTE and a WARRIOR!! ps my running mileage is low because i was so friggin busy with the swimming and the biking:)

may~56 miles.

finally able to breathe for the 1st time all year i was able to look at the rest of my year and a few things came about. #1 my 3 year runniversary! #2 i won the lottery and got into the nike womens 1/2 marathon! #3 all this craziness really caught up with me and i went into a serious funk. i should have known it would eventually, it just really did kick my butt hard.

june~84 miles.

and just like that i kicked that little depressions ass, on national running day no less! everything is just right in the world when i am training for something and once i realized that i hopped back into it quickly. i signed up for the et 1/2 marathon that happens right outside area 51 at midnight! did i mention im scared of the dark??

july~81 miles.

i finally signed up for a 5k on 4th of july! and the olympics started. i mean if that isnt serious motivation, i dont know what is. those athletes from every country are amazing!! plus i started to see a nutritionist. i had been running for 3 years and hadnt lost a single pound. inches yes, pounds no. so after a disatourus happy hour (mostly in my own head) i took back the power and started seeing joanie. one of the best decision of my life.

august~75 miles.

half #8 in the books! plus i didnt get kidnapped by the aliens while running in the dark. i also began seeing a physical thearpist. after changing shoes i started having pain in the back of my knees so i went to the dr for help. later that week i sat in rons office and he said he could fix me in 9 visits. he did so much more for my entire running life! plus the official training for #nwm started. my dream race was finally happening!!

september~73 miles.

my 27th birthday was a blast with a staycation here in vegas! #nwm training was in full swing and i was actually able to reveal the results from joanie...
18 pounds lost!
44 inches gone!
10% body fat to never be seen again!

october~82 miles.

dream race complete!!! my parents, jessica, richard, and i headed up to san francisco for an amazing weekend full of adventure and ultimately would finalize a big life decision for me. we had a blast in the city and i am so glad my parents and jessica came! this was also the month i ended my 3 and a 1/2 year relationship and became a half fanatic! wow thats a lot of ups and downs.

november~73 miles.

in continuing my trend of ups and downs i finally got to complete a ragnar race with 2 amazing vans of girls!! i have been waiting years to complete and it was everything i was hoping it to be. then i headed back into a little bit of a funk. the heartbreak really set in and some days i just couldnt pull myself out of bed for a run or much of anything. luckily i was a very busy girl of course and got to be surrounded by lots of family and we continued our turkey trot tradition!

december~101 miles. 

what a way to end the year, my first 100 mile month ever on new years eve with my runner group friends!!! it finally got be to winter around here plus i got to see my ragnar teammates at the ugly sweater run in downtown vegas.

2012~851 miles run. 

wow!! i did not think it would get that high or that did so many things throughout the year. and this year went so, so fast. i cant wait to see what 2013 has to offer!!

the 3 year runniversary

today is an important and fun day for me. it is the exact day, 3 years ago that i took my first steps running :) if you missed it last year here is the whole story! the short version is i had always put a 1/2 marathon on my bucket list but continued to think it wasnt the right time to train and actually do it. till i visited a very wise friend in nashville and he told me it was never going to be the perfect time, i would just need to do it. turned out to be good advice as i sit here 3 years later with a million things changed since receiving that fantastic advice.

not everything has been running related though. for example...

*i met richard which changed everything (for the best!). i learned what it was really like to have a supportive boyfriend that would wake up wayyy before any normal person to come with me to watch me run, i mean how awesome is that :) 

love :)

*i started a blog! i always loved writing and thought a blog would be so cool but had no idea what i would write about, until i moved in with a boy.

*i started my masters degree! something i never thought i would do, ever. its like running has made me reach for higher things :)

now the running stuff! in the last year i have grown as a runner like crazy and even switched my view on a few things. 

#5 the long beach marathon and half maradthon

long beach, california

october 9th, 2011

finished in 2:03:56!! after not getting into my dream race and my original one being cancelled i decided it was all a sign to get me back to long beach. this time it was just richard and i on our own adventure. my secret goal was to break 2:10:00 and i had no idea that the feeling of the course flying by was really happening until i crossed the finish line to find richard and hear the unbelievable news!! 

running and vacation :)

 #6 rock and roll vegas marathon and half marathon

las vegas, nevada

december 4th, 2011

 finished in 2:00:38!! i had no intentions of running this race so close to long beach, until i heard it was at night on the strip. just like that i had signed up and was doing the quickest turnaround ever. i crossed my fingers for a sub-2:00 and came so incredibly close. by now youve heard all the craziness with the race, the mass people, the water claims, and the changes that are coming for next year. if i had to rewind and do it all again...totally signing up:)

theres always a plan ;)

#7 tinkerbell inaugural half marathon

anaheim, ca

january 29th, 2012

 finished in 2:05:30!! this race was all about fun. it was the last one in my crazy 15 week schedule and i am so glad tinkerbell was last. they took us a different route than the disneyland half in september and being all-womens i got to start in corral a! that meant shorter lines at the characters and a finish time i didnt even fathom. plus i got to participate in my moms "last 1/2." thats what she tells me anyway ;)

no disney adventure is complete without mickey!

 #1 (and only) the rage triathlon

las vegas, nv

april 21st, 2012

 finished in 5:14:31!! i finished. that was all that mattered at the end of the day. it was the hardest thing i have ever done and i am glad i can cross it off the bucket list. and somehow it refocused my love for running. it made me realize this is my true sport and the thing i will always stick with. 

best support team ever!

this year i also remembered what it was like to have fun while running and it didnt have to be time goals or worrying about mileage all the time. its good to have a blast too!

the color run!
2/25 las vegas, nv

the warrior dash!
4/28 phoenix, az

 i cant wait to see where this next year will take me:) now its time to celebrate!

the january running recap.

total run mileage: 81.67 miles
highest weekly run mileage: 21.33 miles
# runs: 12
# rest days: 12

# xtraining workouts: 7

favorite run: the tinkerbell ½ marathon of course! the miles ticked by and i got to take pictures with some of my most beloved disney characters, how could it be anything but my favorite;)

princess heaven :)

most hardcore run: it was only a 4+ miler, but hands down the one i ran 2 days into the new year. awful might be an understatement. i was majorly feeling the effects of my new years eve partying and remembered why i have changed my life for the better and made the adjustments to running. it reminded me why i do what i do and the reason i eat the way i do.

current reads:  eeek! i didn’t read anything this month. well as long as the research articles and textbooks don’t count.

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: hot chocolate. since cutting out ice cream and not having fun coffee this seems to be makes its way into my cups more often. it’s a happy medium that probably shouldn’t be there, but i let it anyway:)

current obsession: our new wall decal! its sooo cute and i have been dying for one to decorate the bedroom for a long time. i was pretty sure richard wasn’t going to love the idea, but he actually picked this one and wants to buy more for other rooms!

seriously love.

current drink: this month it was all about water and gatorade.

current song: ours by taylor swift. have you seen the video, seriously so good!

current wish-list: a new camera. i bought my current one about 4 ½ years ago and it really is time for a new one. i was hoping to purchase one before i leave for england, but its just not quite in the budget. 

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current need: to make decisions haha. im toying around with some races and need to just decide. oh the inward battle of a runner :)

current triumph: my rockin time at tinkerbell! im riding this wave as long as possible:)

current bane of my existence: the feeling of not having any me-time. i have rest days planned in and i take them gladly but they seem to fill up quickly with all the things i cant always do during the week. some weeks i feel like i am just running around like a chicken with my head cut off. maybe in february i can find some space for my own time:)

current goal: to break in my new running shoes! i had to finally buy new shoes and they showed up when i got back from tinkerbell. i don’t really have a training plan yet for my next thing (whatever that may be) so i just want to have fun breaking them in.

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current indulgence: mug cakes. seriously, have you tried them yet? so good and easy!

current excitement: officially finishing all 3 races in 16 weeks successfully. i didn’t have to walk, or scale back, or cut something out to make them happen, i just did it. and keeping a real life around it. i know that sounds silly, but sometimes this can be all encompassing and i was determined not to let and was successful:)

the tinkerbell half marathon race report.

a rundisney race was the second race i ever participated in and it changed my life forever:) now thats dramatic i know, but seriously disney knows how to put on a fantastic race. i started at disneyworld with the princess 1/2 marathon and have now completed 2 at disneyland. i cant lie, disneyworld set the bar high and has things california just cant compete with. keeping that in mind disneyland does an amazing job, its disney how could they not.

the tinkerbell 1/2 marathon was announced in april and the second i heard about it i called my mom and did the little bit of convincing i needed to have a partner in crime sign up with me. we decided to make it a girls weekend since it was an all-women's race and leave all the boys at home. it was a great decision and just what we both needed to get away. we stayed at a hotel just across the street from where we stayed the last time we did the disneyland 1/2 marathon a year and a half ago so we could take the shuttle back and forth, especially on race morning.

a 3am alarm is awfully early and loud. we had to be out the door by 345a so we could be at the shuttle 4a to be at the starting line in time. the shuttle dropped us off at the disneyland entrance meaning we had to get to the other side of downtown disney to drop off our stuff and get into the corrals. once we got to the pre-party we used the bathrooms, got our things together, and dropped our bag at the gear check then separating into our corrals. i had landed corral a and mom got into corral c! we were both wayyy excited about moving up for this race. they always want you to be in the corrals sooo early that there was a lot of cold standing around and waiting till we could get started. i ate my protein bar about 15 minutes before the start and was soooo ready to go.

at the pre-race party!

tinkerbell sent us off almost right on time. we headed around the park, did some weaving around the outside, then the inside, and finally got into the magic kingdom at mile 2. the best part of the race is getting to run through the park and see all the characters! its soooo cool and one of the greatest things about being in corral a is being in the front which meant much shorter lines at all the characters. i was pretty much able to walk right up or there was only 1 person in front.

the 1st stop was my favorite:)

heroes!

princess aruora and prince phillip.

captain jack.

pochontas!

we passed the 5k mark and i was feeling great. i was finally warm and super excited from all the character sightings. we made it out of the park and passed the 4 mile mark in downtown disney to round the corner by the disneyland hotel to be greeted by a huge group of ladies from the red hat society! they were cheering and clapping, it was so cool. finally out of the streets we weaved around the freeway and over to the ducks training center to find the 10k mark and i knew we were almost halfway. i was feeling good and loving the fact i had soo much space on the street after the packed vegas race. plus i had never seen so many tutus and wings in my life!

one of the greatest things about disney races is they always put cheerleaders/groups/bands near the mile markers so you can always hear when you are getting close and know you are about to check off another mile. after crossing mile 7 i knew all i had to do was run back to disneyland and cross the line. my hip started to hurt a little around mile 8 but i had a mental battle with myself to keep it in check till the race was over.

we headed around a corner to pass mile 9 and i was ready for some gu, i had started getting hungry just passed mile 7 but knew i had to be close. clif bar did a great job supplying plenty and having it very well marked instead of having people yelling flavors at you they had huge flags by each table with the flavors on them. i was super excited to grab the chocolate gu, gladly ripped it open, and quickly downed it. by mile 10 i had all the kick i needed to make it the last 5k. plus there was a dad cheering us on saying all we had to do was make it back to the park then we could enjoy churros! it was so funny and his 2 kids were very excited every time he mentioned churros.

finally we got to katella and headed down disney way toward mile 11. a girl caught up with me i had seen earlier in the day and we started talking about wearing the same skirt! she told me she was training for a 50 miler and i told her i was trying to beat 2:20. i was wayyy on track to beat the crap out of that time and it was great to talk to someone that late it pushed me to the end.

we headed into california adventure and i couldnt wait to see who was going to be out! i got so excited to see sully from monsters inc but the sun got in my picture and it didnt come out:( we weaved through the rest of the park and passed mile 12, embarking on the loooongest 1.1 mile ever. luckily we passed some pixar friends and got out of the back of the park.

i took this one just for richard:)

the army guys loved my green sleeves!

i kept passing spectators that said "the finish line is right around the corner." then there was another corner, and another one. finally i saw and heard the finish line! i threw up my hands and high-fived mickey mouse as i crossed the finish line! there were people and cameras everywhere but all i cared about was the time i saw on the clock while crossing the line. i knew i had beat my goal, actually i smoked it! 2:05:30:)!!

after grabbing my blanket and medal i stopped by the water tent to get something to drink and powerade. it was getting warm and there were people starting to flow in so i found a spot in the open area to wait for my mom. i started getting really hungry and uncomfortable sitting on the ground after a little bit. i tried to go get my phone out of my gear bag but had to get the whole thing instead (lame) and headed back to the open area to wait for her. luckily they now have runner tracking they can send to your phone so i knew when she would be crossing.

almost right on time, actually a few minutes early, i found her! she looked great and i was ready to get out of there. finally her time came over as we hobbled back down downtown disney at 3:14:31! she was going for sub-3:19, meaning she rocked it:)

we finished smoked it!

this race was seriously so fun! it was so women infused and celebratory. afterward we went to breakfast, took a nap, and headed to the park for the rest of the day. i wore my race shirt and everywhere we went we saw ladies with medals and people kept congratulating us on finishing. its a great spirit lifter! if you are a runner, this is definitely a race to put on your calendars:)

the 1 week to tinkerbell recap.

its race week! wow, i cant believe this is really my 3rd race in 16 weeks. i did it! i am really glad this one fell last because i think it will be the most fun. its not as serious as the others and i know that my last pr is safe for quite awhile. running through disneyland and stopping to take pictures with all the characters out for the runners doesnt really lend to a pr haha. which is perfectly fine with me, cause you know im going to stop at everyone of them:) so while i am off at the happiest place on earth check out how my last week shaped up!

sunday~rest.

rest

i really love my sunday rest days! richard and i went to meet a friend for her birthday coffee and that was the extent of our out of the house for the day. we stopped at ulta on the way home so i could pick up some nail polish for race weekend and spent the rest of the day on the couch watching things on our dvr. 

had to try them out;)
the funniest part is that i forgot to
take it off before work the next day haha!

monday~4-5 miles

5.12 miles = 46:30 minutes/9:04 min/miles

last time at my runners group for a couple weeks and there were only 3 of us. derrick just about killed me up the hill and then by the time we turned around to come back down i was spent. looking at my pace after i realized why! 

tuesday~4 miles

5.31 miles = 51:44 minutes/9:44 min/miles

my last run of the cycle! this one was all about getting the miles in. i was hoping for a little bit better pace, but after the run the night before i was happy with finishing haha. when i got home i realized the next time i would be running through the happiest place on earth!!

my prize for winning bingo at work!
i have a good team:)

wednesday~spin

6am spin class

the class before us of course ran long again and its starting to really frustrate my teacher i think. we had a good ride, mostly speedwork which is a big change for her. i liked it!

thursday~rest

rest

i am officially done with my training cycle! that means time to rest up and carb up for this weekend. i cant lie, i love this part of the cycle:)

a cupcake is a carb right??

friday~rest

rest/travel day

working saturdays at my job means you can shave off hours during the week. so i worked last saturday then worked a couple extra here and there to score friday off from work! that means i got to sleep in and hang out till my mom gets here so we can hit the road. this is the 2nd race in a row that i have taken the friday before off and i seriously dig it.

saturday~rest

rest/expo day        


the expo was amazing as always! all women and running focused, my kinda place. we made it there right after it opened and it was busy already. after wondering around for about a hour and a half we finished up and met kyle for lunch in downtown disney! my mom had a few things for him and we were able to make our schedules work. we ate at tortilla jo's thank goodness my family likes mexican as much as i do! 

at the expo with our bibs! before mom tripped
on the thing on the floor resulting in a huge
bruise and a night of icing before the race lol.

totals for the week = 10.43 miles + 1 day of cross-training

i am seriously proud of myself for sticking through my training for the last few months! it was pretty tough, i wont lie. the early mornings, the serious amounts of food i ate to keep myself fueled, and the support i got from the people around me was awesome! sitting here realizing that i am about to complete 1/2 marathon #7 is amazing. who would have ever thought 3 years ago i would finish 1 let alone 7?! it was definitely not me. or be blogging about it and all of the amazing people reading all about it every week?! again, definitely not me. this is a seriously cool journey and i am loving it! thank you for following along and offering words of encouragement:)

0 days till the tinkerbell 1/2 marathon!!!!

the 2 weeks to tinkerbell recap.

my last full week of training! wow, are we really here. this month has already flown by and i realized this morning that 1 week from today i will officially have some new bling:) but before we look too far ahead, lets look back at what happened this week!

and the 10 forecast came up for race day!
its going to be beautiful:)

sunday~rest.

rest

i was super glad i got up to do my run saturday morning because it was crazy windy here on sunday. i figured i pretty much done all my long runs saturday, why change it. glad i stuck with that plan!

monday~4-5 miles.

4.72 miles = 42:10 minutes/8:56 min/mile

my running partner was back this week and we even had 2 new people join us. i got to hear all about the goofy challenge which is freakin crazy. if you havent heard of it, its at disneyworld and runners do the 1/2 marathon on saturday then turn around sunday and do the full marathon! insanity. i mean its awesome, and i have mad respect for anyone that wants to do that, but dang. hardcore. so we got to talking about that and tinkerbell the next weekend i didnt even notice that we were motoring up and down the hill. it was pretty chilly and we had a good time:)

source

tuesday~4 miles.

5.31 miles = 49:55 minutes/9:24 min/mile

after a good run monday i was definitely ready to have another one tuesday morning. it was super cold, 28* when i headed out. i like this route and seem to have been running it a lot which is ok with me. felt really good the whole way, until the last 3/4s of a mile when my right hip started having shooting pain. we are talking to the point that i was almost in tears when i made it back to the complex. now i couldnt let myself slow down that close to home which im sure made it hurt more. but it was a good reminder that i definitely need some new shoes after tinkerbell!

wednesday~spin.

6am spin class

we finally got new music and the class was packed. we started almost on time haha, the class before keeps running over. i wasnt wild about the ride she gave us, but it was a good workout and i felt very accomplished when i got done!

thursday~body pump.

6am body pump class

it was my last official body pump class of my training cycle! which i think might be a good thing because our new release comes out next week i keep hearing its super tough. i felt like this week i conquered some new weight on the arms and shoulder tracks and was really digging the extra weight. until i came home and put on my jeans and noticed that they were a little tighter in the thighs and butt, the waist fit great. i noticed the same thing friday in a pair of dress pants. i also noticed my thighs are getting a little more muscular which should be a good thing, except i can add weight there sooo easily! i have battled with this pretty much my whole life. they are always bigger than the rest of my body and so pants are very tricky. since im done with body pump for this week im going to try and figure out what im going to do about this dilemma. go back to previous weight on leg tracks so i dont pack on the muscle or live with it and still add the weight on arm tracks? decisions, decisions.

how far is too far??
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friday~4 miles.

6.2 miles = 55:43 minutes/8:59 min/mile

i woke up feeling really good and really ready to run. i wanted the 2 rest days this weekend so i made friday a run day and it was amazing. i was hoping for 6, but was going based off how my body felt. i felt sooo good the whole run and didnt really pay attention to anything but the road. i knew i was running even, but not at such a great pace. this was seriously one of the best runs i have had in a long while!

saturday~rest.

rest

already having decided to make this a rest day was perfect especially once i heard about the major wind advisory we were supposed to be having all day. and man did mother nature come through with that one! i gladly stayed in bed in the morning and inside at work instead of being blown all over the road. 

totals for the week = 16.23 miles + 2 days of cross-training.

this week i remembered the value of having training and a goal in my life. things at work have been really crazy the last few weeks and lots of changes are happening/coming. without having my training to get all of that out and know i have something to look forward to outside the office, i dont know what i would have done. yes it makes for early mornings. and yes there are days when i am literally hungry all day. but realizing i am about to put 1/2 marathon #7 under my belt in a week is seriously cool and totally worth it! i love having something that is totally mine and not dependent on anyone else:) 

7 days till the tinkerbell 1/2 marathon!!!