the 4 year runniversary.

in my general nerdiness, i know exactly the day i began running. that would be today! its a day that changed so much in my life and who knows where i would be without it. heres the recaps of the last 2 years in case you havent read them. so in honor i put in some double digit miles this flat, downhill miles that ended at my favorite breakfast place in vegas! it let me think about the last year and the races/places i got to do/see and some of the outside things that changed too. i was also rewarded with this...

helll-o red velvet coffee cake!

#8 the et 1/2 marathon

rachel, nv

august 4th, 2012

2:18:41!

holy omg this one was tough! it started at midnight just outside area 51, and ps i am totally afraid of the dark. a headlight was required and the course was no joke. the 1st 6.5 miles were straight up a 800 foot elevation gain. luckily the last 6.5 were a straight shot down to the little ale-inn. 

#9 the nike womens 1/2 marathon

san francisco, ca

october 14th, 2012

2:08:34!

i finally made it through the lottery and into the race! it was as amazing as i was hoping it would be and a vacay with some of my favorite people to boot. the super hilly course was nothin to laugh at. but the bling, was 1000% worth it:)

#10 saints and sinners 1/2 marathon

boulder city, nv

october 20th, 2012

1:57:15!!!

so i got a little crazy and decided to sign up for back to back halves, just to see if i could do it. for the record...i totally can. and can totally rock it!

#11 the kaiser permanete southern california 1/2 marathon

irvine, ca

january 12th, 2013

1:56:03

this wasnt in the original plan. it actually came right in the middle of training for surf city the next month. while in town for my grandpas 80th birthday i needed a 12 mile training run and found a 1/2 only 3 miles from the hotel. some quick convincing to my friend jen and i had a buddy that paced me all the way to a shiny new pr!

#12 surf city 1/2 marathon

huntington beach, ca

february 5th, 2013 

1:58:03!

a long time in the making, this was a half run half cheer on friends from college to their 1st full marathon event! the weekend turned into a big reunion and i had a blast:) 

i did of course also have a lot of fun this year...

 midnight 5k

st george, ut

may 26th, 2012

27:08!

tarmisha decided she wanted to run a 5k and it doesnt take very much to convince sandy and i to run:) so we headed up north 1 friday after work to st george and ran at midnight! it was so fun.

roadrunner 4th of july 5k blast

las vegas, nv 

july 4th, 2012

27:30!

instead of the traditional morning 5k on 4th of july, sandy found a night one instead. a few light up tiaras later we had ourselves 1 very festive group!

 police and fire 10k

las vegas, nv

august 11th, 2012

57:34!

ive never done 2 races on back to back weekends before, but came home with a win in my age group for a fun experiment! ran into lots of runner group friends and even saw sno-cones at the finish line. only in vegas haha!

ragnar relay series

las vegas, nv

november 9th-10th

 

i had been dying to this 200 mile overnight relay for quite some time. 2012 was finally the year to do it! i joined a team with sandy and had an amazing time being stuck in a van for 30 hours with 5 other girls chasing another van plus getting out a running a total of 21 miles as well. it was a total blast! 

10k turkey trot

dana point, ca

november 22nd, 2012

52:59!!!!

with how much fun my mom and i had at the 4th of july race the turkey trot it didnt take much convincing to get in a few miles before all the turkey family fun! i think this is for sure going to be a new tradition:) plus a shiny new 10k pr is always good.

the ugly sweater run

las vegas, nv

decemeber 15th, 2012

 

who doesnt want to hunt for an ugly sweater then run it? joined by some new ragnar friends (seriously, those girls are lifers) we headed to fremont street dressed up and on the hunt for beer and hot chocolate. soo fun!

the color run 

las vegas, nv

february 16th, 2013

we had such a blast year, there was no way we were missin it this year! next time though, we will not line up in the way way back haha.

the hot chocolate 15k

san diego, ca

march 24th, 2013

1:23:07!

chocolate at the finish line plus a sparkle skirt and wings? wow my mom will let me talk her into just about anything;) but omg was it worth it!

wow i spent a lot of the year running! i had a blast and cant wait to see what this new year brings:) now off to enjoy this...

clearly my mom and i think alike;)

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 august 2012 running recap.

total run mileage:75.27 miles
highest weekly run mileage: 18.41 miles
# runs: 12
# rest days: 15

# xtraining workouts: 6

favorite run: the police and fire 10k! it was my very 1^strace 3 years ago and i returned so much stronger this year. plus i took 1^stplace in my age group for the 1^st time:)

three peeps from my runner group
and we all took 1st in our age groups!

 most hardcore run: the et 1/2marathon! those 1^st 6.5 miles straight uphill with an 800 feet gain was no joke. i had a great time at the race and am super glad i did it, but dang some warning about that hill would have been nice!

1/2 marathon #8 complete!

current reads: omg i am bad about this again! this month seemed to just slip away and i was wayy to crazy to even think about reading. i dont even think i read my runners world magazine this month, yikes!

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: all of the drooling ive been doing over all things pumpkin! now pretty much everywhere else in the country its not crazy to start buying these things, but here in vegas were still in triple digits folks. its hard to justify busting out my favorite fall candles when its 101*.

current obsession: bean chips. yes, i really said that, and meant it. who am i? and by that i mean one specific kind at trader joes (another new obsession!). i never ever thought i would eat something like this, but i love them!

source

source

current drink: water, water, and more water!

current song: wanted by hunter hayes. something every girl should feel :)

current wish-list: dang i wish i could take part in all the back to school sales! there are some good ones out there and i would love some new clothes to add to my wardrobe. maybe one day soon...

current need: a little bit more courage to try out some of the great recipes i have found on some food blogs. i am always so afraid i am going to put all this effort into making this really delicious sounding food with some new ingredients to me and it will taste gross. now the few things ive made have come out pretty great actually, but ive played it a little safe.

the zesty lime shrimp and avocado
salad i made from skinnytaste!
it came outdelicious:)

current triumph: sticking hard core to my food plan. i will be writing a whole thing about this in the next few days, but just now that you can take charge and your own decisions dont always have to be the same for the rest of your life!

current bane of my existence: that my money did not stay where it was supposed to after asking it so nicely last month. things came up, surprise, surprise, and im not as wild about the reallocation as i was the original plan. oh being an adult:)

current goal: stay on track! it may sound silly, but sometimes that’s a really hard thing. and not just with my training plan but also school, work, and my new way of eating!

current indulgence: well i had to give up ice cream at the end of august so i definitely tried to fit as much of that in as possible. i also discovered quite a few options that are a little healthier and still taste great!

current excitement: with all the tweets/pics/facebook updates happening over the weekend about the disneyland half and my bit of jealousy for not being there…it made me super excited for nike next month!! i cant believe i can finally say its next month. get ready san francisco, im coming!! 

source

the et half marathon 2012 race report.

this past saturday i was lucky enough to finish my 8th half marathon!! it wasnt something i had originally planned on, but took form sometime in may. i realized after my funk that to wait and run my next half in october was just too long to wait so i found the et 1/2 marathon which happened to be local! now by local i mean based in las vegas but the actual race was located about 2.5 hours away in rachel, nevada. and by rachel, nv i mean on the extra-terrestrial highway, right outside area 51! oh and it started at 1230AM. it was an adventure in the making.

at 645p richard and i headed over to the hard rock hotel to meet the race people so we could hop on the bus that would take us right to the start line. you have the option to drive, but i would have never actually found it and this was just sooo much easier. plus everyone else was there too so it was more fun. we got there much earlier than we needed to, but worked to my benefit as i found out my garmin was dead about 20 minutes before we left the house! luckily i brought my charger and was able to find a plug while we were hanging around before loading the buses. it was kinda nice to be early and not have to rush at all.

right at 830p they rounded us all up to head to the buses. it was like a mad dash to find a good seat because all 10 buses were packed full of runners and spectators! as we settled into the ride richard happened to notice what row we were in...

coincidence anyone??

at about 1015p we all started to wake up because we noticed our bus slowing down. not really knowing what time it was we all went into panic mode as we hadnt really eaten our prerace food or had enough water. soon the director was coming on our bus asking for empty seats, turns out there was a huge something that had hit the 1st buses windshield! it looked like a massive boulder had been thrown straight into it and glass had actually made its way to half way back on the bus. luckily no one was seriously cut, just a little shaken. mind you we were out in the middle of nowhere and it was dark as all get out. so they dipersed the runners amongst other buses and off we went again.

right on time we arrived at the "black mailbox" where the full marathoners and 51kers would take off. it was much chillier than it had been in vegas and the air was so clean! it was also the 1st time we had really seen where we were, literally in the middle of nowhere. ::confession:: i am legit scared of the dark. no, not kidding, like really scared. what was i thinking doing a midnight race in the desert! we loaded back on the buses and headed 7 miles down the road to the 1/2 marathon start.

it was a quick start, no sooner than we were off the buses, were they lining us up to start the race! luckily ours was a straight shot down the highway to the little al'einn inn where breakfast awaited. as we started we all noticed it was quite a bit windier than we expected. then we realized the hill mountain we had to climb. i say that because the first 6.5 miles were straight up with an 800 foot elevation gain. oh.my.lord. it was the hardest hill mountain i have ever climbed in a race. i took more walk breaks than i wanted to, but there was no way i could make it all the way up without them.

we had been warned about possible animals on the road, of course my biggest fear was snakes. so you needed to keep your music reasonably low and a headlamp/flashlight on at all times. this did not sit well but i played by the rules and actually had a set of headphones with only 1 ear working so it was perfect for this race. i would love to say i settled into the race and just didnt worry about them anymore, that would be lying though haha. as we got to the top of the hill mountain the wind finally subsided just in time for the downhill of course. i stopped for a minute to refill my waterbottle and noticed my music wasnt playing the same way. i tried fiddling with it for a minute only to realize the other earphone had now died! that meant running the 2nd half of this race in the dark on a very lonely highway with no distraction.

after walking for a minute i decided i had to get going and started flying down the hill. i was trying to get around other people partially to not be in the middle alone and it felt sooo good to not be climbing anymore! you could see the little al'einn in the far distance and it was motivating. from then on many of played leapfrog catching up then falling back with one another. i stayed toward the middle of the road with my headlamp bright so i could see anything that popped out. i kept hearing things in the bushes which totally freaked me out! this race was on one very lonely highway.

finally it felt like we were getting close as i hit double digit miles and passed the really cool extra-terrestrial highway sign i really wanted a picture of but there was no way i would start again if i stopped. my legs were definitely starting to yell at me and i was ready to be done. i finally hit the 12 mile marker and started making some deals with my body. my garmin was not showing me a friendly time after that climb so i readjusted my goal a few times and headed in as fast my little tired legs would take me.

i made the only turn toward the finish line at mile 13.05 and couldnt be more excited to see that timeclock, even with a not so nice time flashing. i crossed the line to half marathon #8 with a huge smile plastered on my face!! it was really dark and hard to find richard who had stayed on the bus that took the specators straight to the end. i saw a few friends and grabbed some water then spotted him. i recapped the race in true "just finished" fashion and was really having trouble breathing. luckily he had my inhaler which i actually had to use for only the 2nd time ever after a race.

finally, a ufo!

the only 1 i actually saw!

we walked/hobbled around for a few minutes then headed inside for the runner breakfast supplied by the race company. now richard had started hearing some not so good things about the food, but i needed something. thank goodness there were bananas and apple slices at end of the line. all the food looked terrible and i was extremely glad i had packed my own peanut butter and jelly sandwhich to eat! soon we headed backed to the bus we trudged, we were ready to go home since it was already about 330a.

finsh time:
2:18:41!!

for as unadventorus as the ride was up on our bus, it was 10-fold more crazy on the way back. 1st it was either all or nothing with the airconditioner. i had brought warmup pants and a pullover, best packing choice ever next to the sandwich! still on that bus after sweating for 2 hours then getting cold i was freezing as was everyone else on the bus. plus this one wasnt nearly as nice. it was missing arm rests, the bus driver kept drifting into the grates on the side of the road that woke everyone up, and then it was blazing hot and stunk after he finally turned the air off for a bit. it took even longer to get back and we were all sooo thankful to finally arrive safely at hard rock 3 hours later.

food later that day was interesting. i was starving all day but not getting to bed until 8a i was more tired than anything else. plus i had to save up some calories for the dinner we were meeting my parents for later that night...

the oo lookie sundae!

the famous frrrrooozen hot chocolate!

all at the world famous serendipity
at caesars palace.

overall it was quite the adventure and something i can cross off the list! i dont need to sign up next year for this one, but glad i went outside my comfort zone a little to do this race:)

the july 2012 running recap.

total run mileage: 81.14 miles
highest weekly run mileage: 22.38 miles
# runs: 14
# rest days: 10

# xtraining workouts: 7

favorite run: my double day that turned three times in 24 hours. it also happened to be fourth of july and i did my 1^st 5k on the holiday! sandy found us one at night that took place at the top of the city so we stuck around afterward for some delicious food at roadrunner and were able to catch a great view of all the fireworks!

total by chance we ended up as red, white, and blue!
and we had light-up tiaras :)

most hardcore run: the last long run of this cycle, my 10 miler. it has been a really hot and humid summer and no matter that i was up at 4am for this one, it was just too miserably hot. the other issue: my lack of inhaler, that one was all me. but now i have one and feel great:)

current reads: im a big slacker. i started the second book in the fifty shades of grey series and havent finished it. the plan to read over my school break didn’t really happen haha.

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: the very sneaky 1 piece of extra dark chocolate im giving myself everyday. i recently turned my food upside down but there was no way i could completely give up chocolate!

current obsession: the olympics!! the opening ceremonies were not the greatest thing ever, but the competitions are fantastic:) i will watch just about any thats on!

my new shirts!

current drink: water, a lot of it. i have also discovered a new love for green tea. read how good it was for runners because of the antioxidants of course and have been hooked ever since!

current song: i am sooo ousting myself here…the new justin bieber song…

current wish-list: a new iphone. well the new one that apparently doesn’t come out till september. hey, it said wishlist;)

current need: my money to stay where it is allocated, ha! being an adult is rough sometimes, and each time i get just a little extra and decide to do something responsible with it, an emergency like a tooth needing to be fixed comes up. so now i have a plan to chip away at it all and get them taken care of, as long as things stay going where they are supposed to! oh to be an adult.

current triumph: since turning my food upside down in the middle of july i have lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks!! heck yes, and i have big plans for the next few months until the nike half:)

current bane of my existence: this humidity. i live in the desert people, our version of humidity is when it reaches 10% outside. this 30-50-75% stuff is just wayyyy too much.

current goal: to not be afraid for the alien race! that sounds silly i know, but i am scared of the dark and there is a potential for animals out there. i know theres going to be a lot of people so my plan is to surround myself with others so they cant get me! you think im kidding.  

current indulgence: see my shame-inducing guilty pleasure, seriously.



source



current excitement: my race Saturday! its something i have been pretty quiet about and not sure why. but it is almost here and i feel ready!