2012 Goals

Happy New Year's Eve! Today's post will spell out my fitness goals for 2012 and I'll explain briefly why I want to accomplish some of them.

• Run one race a month that is at least 13.1 miles long
• Why? I only want to do this to feel awesome 
• Races for which I've already registered:
• January: Walt Disney World Half Marathon
• February: Rock 'n' Roll St Pete Half Marathon
• March: Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon
• April: Unite Half Marathon at Rutgers University
• May: New Jersey Marathon
• Races for which I plan to register (when registration opens):
• September: Lehigh Valley Health Network Half Marathon
• November: Philadelphia Half Marathon
• Are you planning to run any 2012 half marathons?  Let me know since I need 5 more.  It would be fun to run with friends.
• Run a marathon in less than five hours.
• Why? I think it would be awesome.  My Philadelphia Marathon time was so close!
• My only planned 2012 Marathon is the New Jersey Marathon but if I don't make it then I'll add another.
• Qualify for the 2013 New York City Marathon
• Why? I want to run the New York City Marathon!
• How?  Join New York Road Runners (done) and run at least nine NYRR races then volunteer at one.
• If you want to do this too, you need to join NYRR by January 31, 2012.
• Do at least 15 minutes of strength training every day
• Why?  Get some tone other than in my legs, prevent leg injuries
• I have a leg routine from my physical therapist
• Do you have any favorite arm/ab/back routines?
• Lose more weight
• Why? Recently got engaged and want to look great on my wedding day; carrying less extra weight will make me faster!
• By eating carefully and working toward my other goals, this should be easy!

Stay tuned for progress and wish me luck!  Also, join me in some of these races!

2011 Year end summary!

It's good to look at the accomplishments of the past year as it winds down.  In the beginning of 2011 I had the goals of running a half marathon and losing some weight.

I surpassed my half marathon goal by running two half marathons and a full marathon.  In addition I ran several other races for a total of 10 for the year.  I also made great improvements in speed as I continued to train.  Bear in mind as you look at the table below that I expect to be slower for longer races.  This is why my average pace/mile doesn't steadily decrease even though I've made progress on the speed front.

Date	Race Name	Distance (miles)	Time	Pace/Mile
3/27/2011	New York CCC 15K	9.3	1:54:53	12:21
5/21/2011	Brooklyn Half Marathon	13.1	2:29:22	11:24
7/9/2011	Boomer's Run to Breathe	6.2	1:03:09	10:11
7/30/2011	Founders 5k	3.1	0:29:55	9:38
9/24/2011	Fifth Avenue Mile	1	0:07:52	7:52
10/1/2011	Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon	13.1	2:17:53	10:31
10/22/2011	Sleepy Hollow 10k	6.2	0:59:43	9:37
11/5/2011	NYRR Dash to the finish line	3.1	0:27:25	8:51
11/20/2011	Philadelphia Marathon	26.2	5:01:36	11:30
12/10/2011	NYRR Jingle Bell Jog	3.7	0:34:09	9:10

As a result of training for races and paying close attention to diet I also managed to lose 50 lbs in 2011!  

I would say the year has been a success! Stay tuned for next year's goals.

Running Christmas Gifts!

As I've mentioned before, 2011 was my first year of running seriously.  So this was the very first Christmas where I received running related gifts.

My parents got me new running shoes.  This will be my third pair of Brooks Defyance 4 Running Shoes.  I switched to them in May 2011 and stopped suffering from black toenails after.  Running shoes need to be replaced every 300 - 400 miles so a new pair is always a great gift!

My sister Jess made a scrapbook with photos from all of my races in 2011.   This was such a great, personalized gift!  She included the finisher certificates from the Disney Wine and Dine half marathon and the Philadelphia Marathon.  This was especially great since I hadn't bothered to print them myself.  Getting a book for the year's races is also fun since I can store all the race bibs.  I hope to have similar scrapbooks each year as I continue running (@Jess, hint hint ;)).

Scrapbook Cover

Sleepy Hollow 10k Page

Philadelphia Marathon Page

Running DOES Improve Mood

We've all heard of the runner's high.  When people mention it to me I typically nod in agreement.  But I was never sure that I'd actually experienced such a thing.

However, I have noticed that going for a run when I'm under a lot of stress or just irritable does make me feel better for the remainder of the day.  Today I woke up in a fog.  At work I felt irritated.  Fortunately I was able to work alone for most of the morning so my grouchiness only led to an unpleasant inner monologue.  But thoughts like "You are so dumb, any idiot could do this better than you." do no lead to any improvement in mood.

When lunch and a diet coke didn't take me out of the fog, I bumped up my planned run from 5 PM to 1:30 PM.  I got back to work at 2:30 and I was happily productive for the remainder of the afternoon.  Yay endorphines!

Next time you're feeling miserable for no good reason, you should try a run!

1000!

Today I completed my 1000th mile since I started tracking runs in late 2010!  How did I get so far?

I ran my first 5k in Septemeber 2010 but then took a break from running for a bit.  It wasn't until I signed up for the Brooklyn Half Marathon in spring 2011 that I started to take training seriously.  Starting out was downright hard.  I was out of shape.  Running just one mile was difficult and I thought that achieving a sub 10 minute mile was impossible.  The largest motivation for sticking with it was that I committed myself to money for Millenium Promise.

I don't know when it happened but at some point I started to enjoy the runs.  This must have been a result of being in better shape and not hurting as much afterwards.

Even now, after 1000 miles, it is sometimes tough to get out there and start the run.  Today I really had to build up motivation.  When I went to run it was 24° F outside.  I told myself that after the first half mile it would be fine.  It was.  I even managed to get too hot toward the end of the run.  I have never regretted going for a run but I've certainly regretted not going.

Finishing Sleepy Hollow 10k; running isn't always easy but it is always worth it!

Vacation Workouts

Whenever I take a trip out of town, I pack running clothes.  I've found that unless the trip is specifically for a race, I don't make actually end up running anyway.  Despite my lack of runs, I usually don't feel too bad. Most trips provide a great opportunity for cross training.  If I'm not on a trip where I spend the whole day walking, I usually find myself swimming or hiking enough to make up for not running.

A few weeks ago, Alek and I went to Puerto Rico.  On our last day there we had planned to lay on the beach and swim before catching our 10PM flight.  Alas, when we woke up it was raining.  Clearly not a beach day.  After some indecision over what to do we headed to El Yunque Rainforest.  Once there, we decided to do a 1 mile out and back hike up to Mt. Britton Tower.  The tower is located on a peak that is 3,088 ft high.  The hike out was nearly all up-hill and fairly steep at some points but definitely doable for us.  Of course, this means the hike back was nearly all down-hill and quite easy.

While it wasn't raining too hard when we started, the skies opened up by the time we reached the top of the peak.   The small streams that we passed on our way up gave way to rapids on the way back.   It was an awesome thing to see.  Despite being completely soaked, we were both happy that we did the hike!

Alek and Wendy at the top of Mt Britton tower

2011 NYRR Jingle Bell Jog

Saturday I ran my first post marathon race - the NYRR Jingle Bell Jog 6k.  The race was held in prospect park and it was a great time.  All entrants were given bells for their shoes, making the holiday spirit present throughout the course.  The sound of bells jingling, my Christmas song playlist, and various elf, santa, and reindeer costumes made the run in prospect park feel like much more than just another run in the park.

When we were in Disney World for the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon in October, I picked up a Yeti hat.  This was the perfect opportunity to wear it.  The hat did make me a bit hot, but I wanted it in my photos and so I kept it on.

In early November I finished the NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5k with an average pace of 8:50/mile.  This new official NYRR pace has bumped me up from one of the last starting corrals to the middle of the pack.  For the Jingle Bell Jog I started the race 3 minutes off the gun rather than 14!

I finished with a time of 34:09 (9:10/mile).  After finishing I took Alek's "Run ALL the Miles!" sign to cheer other runners.  Unsurprisingly, everyone loves that sign.  As we left the park, runners and spectators alike gave us smiles and called it the best sign ever!  Go Alek!

Beware the Yeti!