the new space, the new place.

what a difference a year makes! i look back to what i was doing this time last year and i barely even recognize it. so many amazing things have happened and i am so grateful for each and every one of them:)

with all of these changes and new fantastic things going on it is time to find this new home on a clean slate. i realize i should have made this move quite some time ago, hindsight is 20/20 you know, but now is just as good a time as any. last weekend i crossed a finish line that changed my life (yes it will be detailed to no end in a post soon:)) and i have been floating on cloud nine ever since! this time just 1 week ago i became a marathoner. i joined an elite club of only 1% of the world that i hold incredibly dear to my heart:) its still a little hard to believe i actually did it. that i went four years ago from the girl who hadnt run a mile to the girl who had just completed her 1st 1/2 marathon and said she would never, ever run a full marathon to the girl who crossed the finish line of her very 1st full marathon. its moments like these that makes 1 year ago almost unrecognizable. 


in a new site also comes some new things! i have added a few pages to the top.
   *hi y'all! is a little bit more about me and my story. 
check it out when you have time:)
   *runner girl is the tale of how i became a runner if 
you havent heard it already!
   *coaching is my newest endeavor! 
let me be part of your running story:)

enjoy the new site and share with your friends. and get ready for new posts! sooo as the title above says...
see where my running and life adventures take me next!! 

hi, hello there.

the other day as i was browsing around facebook i saw my dear friend megan's post about claiming the award for the worst blogger ever. knowing megan and all about her adventures in the last few months (seriously this girl is doin big things!) it occured to me that i have also fallen off the bandwagon. originally moving i had said i would keep up with things and continue writing, wellllll that definitely didnt happen and its about time i fixed that!

so lets start with the job and the move. its going great!!! i have made it through 2 retreats, 1 with an 8 member exec board including a sleepover and a trip to the beach, and 1 with 65 members over 2 days learning the ins and outs of guiding campus tours! 

family picture at the beach!

things are going to get crazy busy as i am starting my official travel this week and so does our fall event series. i have really fantastic coworkers that have just enveloped me in their circle no problem:) they are some of the nicest, most welcoming people i have ever met! i have also settled in from the move to my little town. i have a routine now through the week that seems to fit it all in, i think. many have asked how it is moving from such a big city of vegas to the college town of statesboro? truth is, its very similar to flagstaff, the town i went to college in. the bigger adjustment than town size has actually been the adjusting to the south. the humidity down here is unreal, but my hair loves it:) and it rains all the time. which i personally love! the food is for sure different, and i can say that i have officially tried hashbrown casserole haha. ive been here just about 2 months now and things are really good:) i still have my bouts of homesickness that comes in waves, thank goodness for technology that they are all only a phone call or text away!

yes that is candied bacon on top of ice cream.

but we get to tailgate!

and bonfire smores are a normal thing:)

training. many have asked if i am still planning on doing the full marathon next month, so let me clear that up. HELL YES!!!! (seriously have we met people) i have been training like a mad woman and have made it through 10 weeks of training and have logged about 290 miles since the 2nd week in july. boom. 

not too say this hasnt been an incredibly tough process. adjusting to a new climate alone has definitely been rough. i swear i have never, ever sweat so much in my whole life as i have down here haha! sure i would have probably liked to take some time to adjust to my new life before jumping into a training plan, but that isnt how life works, you just gotta go with it. i think its actually been a blessing in disguise. with all of the changes, moving literally from one coast to the other, going from a steady 12% humidity to 75% on a regular basis, to having to find completely new running routes and finding a new gym, running has been the one constant thing in my life that hasnt changed. it may be a new plan but the comfort of sticking to a training plan and knowing that i can do it no matter where i live is incredibly helpful. not to say that i havent fallen apart a few times like after a really tough 1/2 marathon 2 weeks ago in which i fought for every mile after 5 and then had more rough, rough training runs throughout the week. and in those instances i say, thank goodness for an amazing friend and family support team. i am so grateful to be able to reach out to a few new marathoners that i saw struggle through the process a bit and have given me so much great advice in my own struggle. i cant tell you how incredible it has been to have them! 

this happens.

and so does a good recovery:)

so in the theory of changes...there are a few coming for this little blog of mine. its about time actually! it started as something small and has grown a big part of my life but hasnt done much evolving. i think its about time to change that:)

the #mcm training plan.

i mentioned awhile back that i got a little crazy and decided to sign up for a full marathon. because i had to sign up so early i didnt really have to get things going for a bit. well a few months have gone by meaning it is time to actually train for it!

source

so in normal katy beth fashion i made a color-coded/daily/multi column excel document to get ready for it all just about after i signed up. the only problem is that i did it on my computer at work in vegas and sent myself the wrong document home so i completely lost it the week i was supposed to start. not good. freak out commenced and so did a whole new search to rebuild. 4th of july was a little touch and go for awhile there haha. but in rebuilding i actually realized i was starting 1 week early so i gained a little extra time, phew. without further ado here it is...

 

i went with a 16 week plan after consulting with a few seasoned friends given my current level and running experience. definitely wouldnt go any less then that for my 1st, did consider going for a 20 week. but to be honest that was a little more overwhelming. the 16 week sounded like a good in the middle option. i am keeping the cross-training for sure! i always notice such a big difference when i do or dont have it in there. also i am keeping the 2 rest days per week. i did the 1 rest during triathlon training last year and i just felt like it wasnt enough, especially at the end when training got really heavy. you have to take time to recover!

i looked through a lot of plans and did some serious comparing. some had a lot more miles per week while others had more days. i went with something more in the middle as to not overwhelm my psychy or body. making this jump from the half marathon to the full marathon is going to be tough enough. and i really want it to be a good training experience!

while i am running all these miles you can help too!! remember i am also fundraising through the wounded warrior project:) they are a truly great organization helping our men and women everyday through all kinds of situations. anything you can donate will go fully to them and i will love you forever:) dont worry, there will be lots of opportunity to donate! so here goes the beginning!