it's spring!

well, sort of! and i have started my half marathon training for the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon and the temps are in the mid-40's and 50's on most days.

here's my running log for the week:

Monday - 3.5 miles in the morning at race pace. 3.5 miles in the evening at a comfortable pace.

Tuesdsay - 3 mile recovery run with my sister-in-law. i got to push my nephew around in the stroller as we ran, which provided an additional challenge. it was a great arm workout!!

i also did a core workout. gotta get my butt in shape, literally!

Wednesday - Speedwork + ab workout! i did 7x400's into the wind. blah. i would not like to repeat that again, but i've been challenging myself to ignore things like wind and pain and just push myself to a new level. so i hammered my way through the workout.

Thursday - 45 minute tempo run. my stupid watch was spazzing out half the time, so i am almost completely sure i was running way too fast during the run. at any rate, i made it 5 miles in 44 minutes, and that includes warmup and cooldown. i was semi-pleased. the wind was, again, a battle, but worth it.

today - rest day and the first day of spring :)

an update: winter running hasn't gotten any better

are we all surprised?!

and i'm fighting a cold this week, so running has not been happening.

i did make it 13 miles this weekend and was hoping to make it 15 this coming weekend, but with no mileage this week, that might not be doable. we'll see.

i have decided that if it's going to be so ridiculously cold early in the morning, i will start two-a-days on the treadmill: 3-4 miles in the morning and the same in the afternoon. my body just doesn't do well mentally or physically if i'm not running. i miss it.

here's to hoping spring will come quickly!

winter running is the worst.

well, i made it down the alter.
i made it to Jamaica for my honeymoon.
and now i'm living in a cute little home.
and of course, i'm still running, i just haven't blogged about it!

i've decided though, that running in the winter is not easy. sure i'm used to michigan winters, but too much snow makes running impossible some days. so i've taken up the treadmill on days like today when the temperature barely makes it past ten degrees.

marriage has taken some adjustment. just a few months ago, we discovered that Mark has redeveloped his egg allergy which has meant a readjustment of our diet. it has been tricky, but good. we mostly eat veggies, rice, pasta, chicken and turkey. overall, the lifestyle is better, which makes me happy!

i'm hoping to start using this blog as a recipe log and running log as i train for another half and full marathon this year!

running challenge.

my wedding is in eleven days.

11 days.

in order to keep myself calm, my friend and I challenged each other to run at least six times between now and July 19th. sounds pretty manageable, right? so here's my schedule for accountability purposes:

Wednesday: 6 miles + gym time for core
Thursday: 6 mile tempo run

Friday: 2 miles

Saturday: 8 miles
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 4x1200's
Thursday: 7 mile tempo run

Friday: 3 miles

Saturday: WEDDING DAY!!

i had high hopes of running on my wedding day. however, i'm having a morning wedding and with a hair appointment early in the morning, i've decided it's not feasible to squeeze in a run. but who knows. maybe my nerves will be too much to handle, so i'll run anyways!

eat. sleep. run.

my life pretty much revolves around running.

well, not quite. but close.

my soon-to-be husband is a runner, which doesn't help my addiction to the sport. because he's also a runner, we are conscious of what we eat and how we live. so yes, my life revolves around running. we even plan vacations around runs (we're running a half marathon right near the Sleeping Bear Dunes this fall)!

last year, i ran my first full marathon. i wanted to train and run the Chicago Marathon this year, but with a wedding, committing to training for a full was too much. i'm far too competitive to let myself skip out of a few long runs during my honeymoon and i would be disappointed if i didn't do well. so i signed up for two half marathons (so technically i'm running a full this year?!).

since starting wedding planning last july, running has helped to keep me sane. it has been my go-to stress reliever on days when i cannot think clearly and i've noticed it balances out my hormones.  my favorite time to run is at 5:30am with a fantabulous group of friends. sometimes, i'll tackle a run on my own or whenever I'm feeling up for a challenge, i'll run with the Fiancee.

as far as food, i stay away from dairy and gluten. i also stay away from all types of nuts because of the Fiancee. he will die if he eats any type of nut. bye, bye almonds and cashews and walnuts and pecans. and now i'm going to cry in the corner because i love me some pecan pie.

ahem.

but i will forgo them because i love my runner guy.

we met in college at the cross-country club on the first day of practice. it was not love at first sight. it took three freaking years for us to become something more than teammates. but when we became fast friends, well...the rest was history!

so that's a little about me :)