It Was Meant To Be

I am going to type and make believe that I haven’t been M.I.A. for another month. I doubt anyone is actually reading anymore. I read your blogs daily but I’m not much of a commenter – sucky I know.

Hmmm, where to start.  I guess I will recap February. I ran 100 miles!! This is big news. The only other time I ran 100 miles in a month was during the summer when I was at peak training for the marathon. I’m not sure if I mentioned this before but I am training for 13.1 NYC on April 2nd.  It will be my 6th half marathon and I am hoping for a PR (2:15 or better)! My usual training plans had me running 3x a week but I decided to kick my game up a notch and I’ve been running 4x a week! It was hard to fit in the extra day – especially in the middle of the suckiest winter ever but I did it. I borrowed Felice’s training plan – THANKS!

WINTER MARATHON 3 PERSON RELAY

I ran a 3 person marathon relay race in February.  Last year Felice, Suzy & I ran and finished in 4:22:59. This year we finished in 4:06:40!! How is that for improvement. I ran the 11.2 mile leg again. I felt awesome despite the ridiculous wind.  Here is my recap from dailymile:

Felice, Suzy & I ran the marathon relay for the 2nd year in a row. We finished in 4:06:40 and shaved 16 mins off of our time! My pace last year was 10:12. This year 10:09. I'll take it. The wind was brutal and my legs were tight the entire time.

9:44, 9:40, 9:51, 10:15, 10:05, 10:28, 10:18, 10:05, 11:01, 10:03, 10:26, 9:05 (.22)

A NEW DECADE

March started off with me turning the big 3-0!!! Eeeek. I’ve been dreading this birthday for years but it actually wasn’t that bad. I am in the best shape of my life. I was obese for most of my 20’s! I’m hoping for great things in the years to come :)

 

GREEN ISLAND 4 MILER

Last weekend I ran the Green Island 4 Miler.  This is one of the few local races that I have never done before. My training plan called for 13 miles so I decided to run TO the race (4 miles). I proceeded to run 4 miles before the start of the race.  So my legs had 8  miles on them by the time the race started. My friend (who is 6.5 months pregnant) and I talked about our strategy and we were going to take it ‘easy’. She wanted to finish under 45 mins and I just wanted to finish :) 

I probably don’t have to tell you this but I don't really know how to take it ‘easy’. Especially during a race. Tami and I eventually decided we would just run. If we needed to stop or slow down at the end we would. I felt surprisingly good – I couldn't believe that I was running as fast as I was. Mile 3 I really got a surge and Tami told me to go ahead. I would glance at my watch and see 8:55 – that’s super fast for me!  With 1/2 a mile to go I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was Tami!! She had caught up to me and finished ahead if me. I got a killer side stitch and I couldn't keep up. I am so impressed with her running abilities!

I finished the 4 miles in 37:15 (9:18 pace) which was a total of 12 miles. Tami and I finished another 1.22 miles. So in total I ran 13.22 miles in 2:11 which is a 9:54 pace. I felt on top of the world during and after this run. It was the confidence booster that I needed! I have hopes that I can PR come April 2nd.

Splits:

Mile 1 - 10:18
Mile 2 - 9:50
Mile 3 - 10:09
Mile 4 - 10:00
Mile 5 - 9:58
Mile 6 - 9:58
Mile 7 - 10:00
Mile 8 - 10:24

4 MILES OF THE RACE
Mile 9 - 9:24
Mile 10 - 9:30
Mile 11 - 9:02
Mile 12 - 9:13

Mile 13 - 10:49
Mile .22 - 11:23

Here is my “I am going to puke face”

WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE

In January I was up to 181 lbs (my WW goal is 169). I’ve been diligently following the Simply Filling Technique and I’ve lost 8 lbs! It’s been an interesting couple of months. I don't know why for weeks I was half-assing. I knew that I wasn't happy with the extra weight but I also didn't care.  I was so comfortable and I would tell myself that I wasn't going to gain 100lbs back eating this or eating that. The reality is that if I would have stayed on the path I was on I could have easily put it all back on. Shit – I have lost 70 lbs before and gained it all back.  I can 100% say that if it wasn't for running I would probably be in a bad place right now. I owe my life to running and I’m thankful I can run.

My mom is in the process of moving and came across some pictures that make me smile every time I look at them.  I was about 6 years old in these pictures. I was obviously always meant to be a runner :)  I love that my mom is running with me and I love that I finished the mile race in 9:38!