Week 1 Half Marathon Training Recap

Before I recap, thank you everyone for the nice comments on the engagement photos! We are officially in love...with our photos! ha. I told the photographer that it's bordering on narcissism at this point because I am so obsessed with looking at them. It's just wonderful to finally have decent photos of ourselves as a couple, after nearly 9 years! Totally overdue.

And getting your hair and makeup professionally done is so worth it. Such a confidence boost. At least in my case, since I have no idea what I am doing in that department.

My hair held a curl for all about 1 hour. The hairdresser blew it out, then put it up bobby bins in loose curls for me to release before the shoot. We both knew it would be flat in no time, so we did our best!! And by "we," I of course mean..."she" because she really worked her magic.

 Taken with Mirza's iPhone...

And after the shoot:

Straight again!
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Anyway, this is supposed to be a recap of Week 1 of my Half marathon training!!!

On Wednesday and Friday, I ran 3 miles. I was proud because my finish time for Friday was 20 seconds faster than on Wednesday. Baby steps, people! Baby steps.

And today was my first official "long" run. 4 miles. This truly was a long run for me...the longest of my entire life. Each weekend will be a personal distance record for me.

I took it easy. I allowed myself walking breaks (small, short bursts), and kept my pace at 12:30. I finished in under 50 minutes, which was my goal. I know that it's slow, but I AM TRYING.
 Trust me, I am definitely pushing myself mentally and physically. At times, my pace is anywhere from 8:50 (hauling ass for me) to 13:00 (at the end when the wind was coming straight at me on the bridge!).
I am absolutely covered in sweat when finished. I feel like death, but then immediately feel alive!!
I'm starting to love running. It just feel so great when you set out to accomplish a goal and then DO IT!

At first, I did not intend on posting my pace or breakdown of workouts because I am "slow," but then it occurred to me: someone needs to represent the slow runners!!! And be proud.

So, here we go:

Wednesday: 3 miles. Total time: 37:45
Mile 1: 11:21
Mile 2: 13:43
Mile 3: 12:39

Friday: 3 miles. Total time: 37:22
Mile 1: 12:14
Mile 2: 13:28 (ok, so I am sucking on mile 2's apparently!)
Mile 3: 11:39 (I saved it for the end, I guess!)

Sunday: 4 miles. Total time: 49:35 (This was tough. PDR for me).
Mile 1: 11:21 (same as Wednesday)
Mile 2: 12:06
Mile 3: 12:56
Mile 4: 13:11 (the wind was literally making it hard for me to breathe. So happy to see 4 miles on my Garmin!)

That's that!!
Slow runners, represent!

I know I have faster speeds in me. I just need to gain some stamina!

Before when I ran, I used to curse the entire way, and be extremely jealous of anyone who passed me on a bike. I still kind of am, but then I remember that I am working towards something greater, so I just keep my feet moving, and look forward...sweating, huffing, and puffing.

This is too good not to share...

Click here: 
A sneak peek of our ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS...

LOVE THEM!!!

Day one of 1/2 training

Today began Day 1, Week 1 of 1/2 Marathon Training! ta-daa!
I ran 3 miles:)
Felt good!

And as promised, here is my training schedule, adapted to my own work schedule. I do long runs on either Saturday or Sunday, based on when I work that weekend.

It may not be how a "professional" or seasoned runner would make a schedule, but my goal is really to just finish the half marathon by actually running. Obviously, I know I could walk it, but that's not what this is about.

^{W=work. Will gauge how you feel on work days to do other exercises , running, or resting}

^{#/c = run and cross train, as in weights or yoga.}

Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon Training Plan.

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
1 (21)	w	w	3	thanks	3	w	4
2 (28)	w	3	w	w	3/c	4	w
3 (5)	3.5	cross	3.5/c	w	w	5	w
4 (12)	3.5	w	w	3.5/c	cross	rest	5
5 (19)	rest/c	4	w	w	4/c	w	6
6 (26)	rest/c	4	w	4/c	w	5k? o 6	w
7 (2)	cross	4.5	w	4.5/c	w	rest	7
8 (9)	w	4.5	4.5/c	w	w	8 or 10k	w
9 (16)	5/c	rest	5/c	w	cross	w	8 or 10k
10 (23)	w	5/c	5/c	w	w	rest	9
11 (30)	w	5/c	rest	w	5	w	10
12 (6)	w	4	w	w+2	rest	rest	½ M :)

November 21 through February 12^th

Still undecided if I will be doing the Turkey Trot in the am.

Hmm, decisions.

Either way, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Where Do You Run?

I've been getting in a lot of short runs to get my legs and lungs prepared for 1/2 marathon training.
But let's face it: all my runs are short, anyway!
That's okay now..I just remind myself of this during my 1-2 mile runs:

It's all about the experience

On Sunday, I'll be running a 5k, and the 21st begins my official 1/2 marathon training!

I devised my scheduled based off Hal Higdon's 12 week plan for the novice around my own work schedule. I will be posting it sometime this week for those interested!

Currently, I've been doing all of my runs on the Pinellas Trail, but I am getting itchy already to find a new running route.

For one, the trail isn't exactly the safest place for a woman to be alone, if you get my drift. And secondly, I know I will get extremely burnt out on running the same route over and over.

My main issue is that I can't just lace up my shoes and run out the front door for a run. I live in a gated apartment community, and while it's not a bad neighborhood, I live off extremely busy roads. Even with side walks, I do not feel safe running down the road. It is loud, dangerous, and people yell things out the car window while I run! I've walked to the store and flea market from my apartment before and it was hell. People stare at you, honk, etc. It does not make for a stress-free run. And seeing as how running does not come easy to me as it is, I definitely do not need the extra stress of getting run over or kidnapped!

With that, I am currently stuck with getting in my car and driving to a location for my runs.

Today, I went to a local park that has a 6 mile paved trail.
And I ran the entire thing!!!

ha!. Not. My furthest run is still a 5k. When I run 6 miles (not too far off from now!), you will know...because I will be screaming from joy!

This past week has still been pretty humid. I thought we were cooling off here in Florida, but the weather cannot make up her mind! I think the humidity was 93-100% during my run.
I know you can't tell, but the sweat is dripping here....

 Gotta love sweat, but would love it a lot more if it weren't still in the 80's during November.

Tell me---where do you run?

217

I officially begin my 1/2 marathon training on November 21st; the day after a 5k.

Since I've been running in my current shoes for quite awhile now, we took a ride over to Fit-2-Run to try on some new pairs.

I had my arch tested, ran on the treadmill, and tried on a few of the popular brands, but in the end, Asics still won my heart for comfort...

 I've been running and exercising in Asics, and I also wear the same brand for my 12 hour shifts as a nurse, so I  figured--why fix something that isn't broken?

I ended up with the new Asics GT-2170.

I went with a darker shoe than I normally go for; that also has bright wild colors. I figure 1/2 marathon training is out of my comfort zone, so I went with something different!

It was until I got home and took a better look at the shoes that I realized the numbers...2170...217...MY BIRTHDAY NUMBERS! That's a good sign in my book!

Abbey agrees.

Announcement!

It's official!

I just signed up for my first ever HALF MARATHON!!

I will be running the St. Petersburg Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon on February 12th! 

And I got $20 off to register today on 11/11/11!

Running absolutely does NOT come easy for me at all. I am slow and have little stamina. But I've always wanted "to be a runner," and it's one of those things in life I feel like I haven't concurred! Not that I ever will, but I need to give a fighting chance because I honestly feel great after I run!

I also feel like now is the perfect time to train since the weather is cooling off. The only other times I have run were during the hot, Florida summers. What was I thinking?
And what better place to run than in my own city?

Not to mention that I will be turning 27 years old five days after the race!!

Let's do this!

Burek

Don't hate me--it's been awhile since my last update.

I don't always have much to say, and sometimes I feel like nothing is going on?

Since my previous post, let's recap:

As previously mentioned, I picked out a wedding date and venue!

We'll be getting married October 20th, 2012 at Sunken Gardens . Yep, a beautiful outdoor, fall garden wedding. It will be a small affair, with a guest list of about 30-35. Exactly what I had in mind.

I also picked a photographer: Kerri McConnell Photography . She takes beautiful, modern photos. We'll be doing our engagement shoot in the next few weeks and I am thrilled to work with her! The venue and photographer were my two main priorities, so I am glad to scratch those off the list.

I even went wedding dress shopping with two coworkers last week!
 I only tried two places, and there were two potential dresses, but nothing that made me break down in tears and "say yes to the dress," but honestly? I'm not sure I am that kind of girl, anyway. Let's just say that the dresses I liked in photos look absolutely terrible on me, and the ones that I would not go for off the rack, look great. I wanted something simple and elegant, but I am starting to think that for my wedding, I am going all out (in style, not money, by any means). When will I ever get to dress up like this again??
We'll be going again in a few weeks to say the least.

Since my last post, we've also added a new member to our family!

Meet Charlie:

Abbey certainly needed a friend...

He's a maine coon mix, like Abbey, and the sweetest kitty I ever ever had...also adopted from the SPCA, of course.

The best part: They LOVE each other...

Case in point:


Okay, enough crazy cat lady talk.
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As for school? It's going. This first semester (of 7!) is...boring. Not much to report.
I am officially registered for next semester: Advanced pathophysiology and Nursing Research.


Finally, I leave you with random photos from the past fews days taken on Mirza's new iPhone,
 and this amazing video of Mirza's mom working her magic in the kitchen...don't miss it! This woman is making my wedding cake!

bowling...

Check out my cameo at the end:)




I have an announcement for my next post!!