My 'Official' Chip Time

The official results are in from my 10K!  My chip time was 1:06:53 with a half-way split of 31:40:00.  My pace per mile was 10:46 - not too shabby!!  I jumped quite a bit ahead of schedule to do this 10K so I was pretty sore for the majority of the week.  However, I still managed to get one run in during last week, my weekly Sunday morning hot power yoga sesh, and also did a 5 miler on Saturday - feeling great!

I wanted to post a picture of my finishing medal I received from the First Run (that also doubles as a wine bottle topper - score!), but Blogger won't let me upload pictures...not too sure why but I hope it gets fixed soon!!

Just keep running...

mimi Xo

The Results Are In!

The First Run of the New Year was a success!  I got to the First Run in Lowell, MA around 10 AM - nerves and all.  My first stop was to pick up my number 518 (my favorite number is 8 so I was happy it was included!).  There were over 1700 runners signed up for both the 5K and 10K.  It was very cold and windy so that only added to my nerves but despite the weather, I felt confident.  I got a good night's sleep and did not have one drink at the NYE party we attended last night.  I wanted to give myself the best chance to do well today.  And did well I did (pats myself on back) LOL. 

Brett was super supportive and left me at the start line to await my return.  A group of young girls started the run with a great rendition of the National Anthem and a countdown to the start of the race.  The bell sounded and I started my treck and my own countdown to the 6.2 mile marker.

I got a great surprise at the first turn of the race - my grandmother and mom came to cheer me on!  It felt good to have someone else cheering me on.  The first mile went great - I looked down at my watch and saw 10 minutes on the clock - a 10 minute mile! Wow - I was stoked.  If I kept this pace I could finish in an hour - my original goal was anything better than 1 hour 20 minutes - but now I had a new goal.  I'm not sure if it was overly ambitious but I went for it anyway. Typically I don't stop at water stations but today I slowed down at each one - happy to take the water to replenish.  And I'm glad I did! 

My mom snapped this picture of me at about mile 2.5. 
I almost look like a professional HaHa!

The completion of the first half of the race was right around the corner and while many runners stopped at mile 3.1, I still had another 3.1 loop.  I never train with music so I chuckled as runners went past saying, "we're almost there" "the 3 mile marker is in sight; only .1 miles to go".  Not for me!

I came through the 3.1 mile marker in 31 minutes - a great time for me and one of my quickest 5K times. The last half of the race I just kept thinking that it was half over and if I could do the first half, this would be a piece of cake.  While it wasn't quite a piece of cake (although I could have used one around mile 5 - I started getting so hungry), I got into a rhythm and as I passed my mom for the second time I was still able to talk to her.  She started jogging alongside of me with her Dunks coffee and asked how my time was coming (I maintained a 10:30-11 minute per mile pace for the entirety of the race) and as she left my side said, "America runs on Dunkins!".  Leave it up to her to make jokes LOL 

As mile 6 approached I began a sprint toward the finish and looked at my watch to estimate my final time - 1 hour 5 minutes!  While this time is pretty accurate, I still have to wait a day or two for the exact time to be posted to the run's website.  My time surpassed my expectations by 15 minutes!! This race has given me the added confidence that I need for the marathon and proven that whatever I put my mind to is possible!  Cheers to 2013!

 

Just keep running...

mimi Xo

New Year Resolutions

Whew..Sigh of relief.  The holidays are over.  I had a great Christmas, but I'm glad that the holiday craze has subsided so I can really focus on my training and diet come the new year.  I don't typically make New Years resolutions, and this year will be no different; I like to call them goals instead.  Of course, my goals include sticking to training, but I also want to have fun doing it, so that's a big goal of mine - to enjoy every second.

Tomorrow is a big day!  I will be running my longest run yet, 6.2 miles at the First Run in Lowell, MA.  I'm starting to get nervous but confident that my training and preparation will pay off.  Last week I ran my longest run so far, a little under 4 miles in 40 minutes.  It may seem insignificant compared to the 26.2 I'll be running in less than 4 months, but I'm so proud of that becuase I'm right on track with my training program.  When I started this 10 weeks ago, I could finish a 5K, but after 5 minutes of running, I had to walk before I could start running again.  Now I can run 40 minutes with no stopping! 

Before the College closed for Holiday break, I got cards from some of the students in the Keys to Degrees program.  It was a great reminder that I'm not just running for myself, but for all the parents who are working so hard to get a great education to better their children's lives. Whenever I feel like I just can't do it anymore, their words will keep me going!  Here are a few of the cards I received..  Wish me luck tomorrow!  I'll post my results as soon as possible!

 

Just keep running...

mimi Xo

'Tis the Season

It's that time of year again; time spent with family and friends, last minute Christmas shopping, and a host of other reasons I haven't posted for quite some time now.  I am actually posting during my lunch hour today - that's how much time I DO NOT have lately! 

Training has been going really well so far!  I can't believe that this week marks the 8th week of training already...only 18 more weeks to go.  My plan this week is to run for 25 minutes each day for four days.  The days of the walk/run are over!  I'm actually really excited about this - I'm really looking forward to doing the longer runs so I can explore more of the trails around the Danvers/Topsfield area. 

This past weekend the Keys to Degrees program held their annual holiday party and they were gracious enough to invite myself and the rest of the marathon team. 



The 2013 Keys to Degrees Marathon Team!



It was really great to hear all of the thank you's from the parents in the program however I should be thanking them.  They are so hardworking and dedicated to their children, school work, etc. It was amazing to see all of the children's faces light up as they opened gifts. 

so glad I could be part of their holiday celebration!

I really do love the holidays and especially this year because it will be our first Christmas in the new house!  I am attempting my first party at the new house and will be having a holiday open house/housewarming party after Christmas.  It should be really fun!

Our tree awaiting Santa's arrival

Tonight marks the start of my third MBA course here at Endicott.  So I probably should finish my reading for tonight - all of a sudden I've become a procrastinator!  Yikes.  Until next time...

Just keep running...

 mimi Xo



The Holiday Craze has Begun!

I haven't had the time to write lately - I've been super busy!  I had this past week off which has been so great - much needed.  So here is my week in a nutshell...

Brett and I did not go on our honeymoon after the wedding due to house buying, money and lack of vaca time.  We originally said we were going to take our trip in December, but since we bought the house this summer, we decided to wait until March.  We couldn't decide on where in the world we wanted to go so we decided like any civil couple would - we picked our location from a hat!  We put in 5 locations we'd be more than happy to visit and chose the winner.  Our options were..St. Martin, Turks & Caicos, Costa Rica, Anguilla and Antigua.  The winner was...drum roll please...Turks & Caicos!!  So we went onto expedia (where I have always planned my vacas and never had an issue) and chose this amazing resort...

Photo courtesy of Windsongresort.com

 

O-M-G I want to be there right now..we are super excited!  I think we're going to pick all of our vacations from a hat now on - I think it adds to the whole adventure aspect - don't ya think?!

 

My mom and I spent our Monday painting the front and side door of our house - it looks great!  Almost as good as professionals - we still always talk about opening our own painting/home decorating company someday.  I will post pictures soon (I promise!) of all the house projects we've been doing.  Brett completed an amazing front walkway this past weekend with recycled slate pieces with my brother and stepdad's help! 

 

I spent my Tuesday at my favorite spa getting pampered with a facial and my first professional massage - it was amazing as always.  With all of the running I've been doing, my muscles needed it!

Thanksgiving was spent with great family and friends!  We first went to Brett's dad's home for dinner and my aunt's for dessert.  I even ran in the morning so I didn't feel as guilty about all of the delicious food I ate.  I was in awe of Brett's dad's home decorated for the holidays...it looked so great!

Mark and Sandy's beautiful home, our Thanksgiving dinner destination.

 



The rest of my week off was spent decorating for the holidays, a much needed hot yoga sesh, and anything else I could think of to occupy my time so I didn't have to write my paper due this week - oops! 

Week 5 of training is DONE!  I'm really proud of myself for sticking with it thus far; this is the longest amount of time I've stuck with any training program.  This week consisted of running/walking 35 minutes.  I started out at 3 miles and ended the week with a super fun trail run that ended up being about 4 miles!  While running the Danvers Rail Trail, I came to the realization that in order for me to stick with my training, I have to mix up my run routes.  I tend to do the same run day after day but it gets super boring, super quick. 

The trail was so much fun to run, it was like an adventure - I kept saying to myself, "I wonder what's beyond this corner!"  It was so peaceful and I wasn't thinking about how much further I had to go - I wanted to keep going!  Maybe a trail marathon is in my future??  OK I won't go that far yet, completing a marathon on paved roads is my first goal. 

A portion of the Danvers Rail Trail called the "Swampwalk".  I made it the entrance but didn't have time (or energy) to take the 1.3 mile treck.  I'll have to tackle this guy when my longer runs come up!

 

So tomorrow will be back to work - hopefully I've gotten enough rest this week, because with the fall semester ending and the holidays coming up, I'm going to need all the energy I can get!!  Until next time...

 

Just keep running...

mimi Xo





 

 



Friend or Foe: Indoor Track Training?

I think I may have found my best ally during cold and icy winter evenings - the indoor track at Endicott College.  This week the Northeast was hit with another strong storm - this time a nor'easter.  I wanted to stay on track (no pun intended!) with my training so I thought I'd do one of my workouts indoors.  Plus I am petrified of runnning when it's icy out - I guess every runner takes a digger now and again, but I'd rather not take any chances this early in my training.  But the question is - is track training really adventageous?

Friend or foe: the indoor track?  photo courtesy of endicott.edu

Since I've begun my training, I have received so many great tips from seasoned runners.  I love picking people's brains to hear what has worked (and more importantly, what has not).  Some of the of the best tips I've heard so far:

• Stick to the training program; when it says rest, REST!
• I'm a huge fan of power hot yoga, so I was pumped to hear that yoga is super helpful while training.
• One of the problems I've come across in the past is not knowing how to stretch properly for my runs; dynamic stretching should be done before runs and static stretching after runs.  GREAT ADVICE!

I've also heard that track training is helpful when training - I had to find out if this was true, so in true nerd fashion, I did some research - here's 6 reasons why track training is helpful:

1. The high intensity of track training makes the body burn calories even after your workout is over which results in quicker weight loss (I could get used to that!)
2. I noticed that I tended to run a lot faster than normal on the track, pushing myself to sprint some laps and take it a bit slower on others.  Ultimately, this builds strength in muscles you don't necessarily use in outdoor runs.
3. This type of training can take minutes off my mile if I do it often enough.
4. The faster pace makes the heart stronger, delivers more oxygen to the muscles and helps muscles use the oxygen more efficiently - increasing stamina.
5. Stronger muscles = longer runs.
6. Stronger muscles + longer runs + slimmer me = same miles with less effort! (All information found on runnersworld.com).

I'm going to try to run as much as possible outside, but it's great to know I have a beneficial alternative for days with less than ideal weather conditions!

Week 3 of training is DONE - I'm up to 2 miles in 25 minutes!  Hoping my continued training will get me down to 10 minute miles.

On to week four where I'll be on a 30 minute walk/run plan!

 

Just keep running...

mimi Xo

Daylight Savings Time - Why?!

When did fall pass and winter begin?  Today.  I was all for daylight savings time yesterday when I gained one hour of sleep after a somewhat late night that may or may not have included a martini (or two!).  But today, I was not feeling it.  I got out of work at 5 this afternoon and it was pitch black!  I feel like I missed the entire day - this is going to be a long winter...

 

My espresso martini from one of Brett and I's favorite new restaurants for drinks and dessert!

...but instead of curling up on my couch with my first hot chocolate of the season (which I really wanted to do!), something amazing happened; I changed out of my work clothes and bundled up in my running gear to brave the chilly evening.  And once I got going, I felt good.  I've never run in the dark and it was surprisingly very relaxing. 

In the past when I would train for a 5K, I'd find an excuse not to run on days like today.  So I'm really proud of myself that I didn't listen to that little voice in my head and completed a little over one and a half miles.  Today marks the beginning of week 3 of training!

Just keep running...

mimi Xo