Chicago Women's Half Marathon

I signed up for the Chicago Women's Half Marathon in December or January...as soon as it was possible. Last year was the first year for the race & they gave away yoga mats!! I am a sucker for cool giveaways & I love yoga mats...but this year we didn't get something as big. We got Sweaty Bands, which I never use, but I used the morning of the race & it truly didn't slip!! I was impressed, so I might need to get some more of those :)

Anyways, my goal was once again, to come in under 2 hours. I really do think I broke 2 hours in Kentucky, but since it wasn't my official time, I feel like it doesn't really count. I started off pretty well, I was running about 8:30 min/miles for the first few miles. I kept trying to slow down to conserve energy, but I could only slow down to 8:45 min/mile!! However, it was getting hotter as we ran (race started at 6:30 AM) & I haven't trained in the heat this year. In fact, I wasn't trained well for this race very well. The last run I had over 10 miles, heck, over 5 miles, was the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon, in April!! I had been lifting weights 6x a week in April/May, but not really running. I've run a few times since we moved & got in a 5 mile run last week, but that was it. I knew I would be pushing my body & most importantly, my mind to finish this race.

Quite a few times I wanted to give up, eventually, at about mile 8.5 I just wanted to finish!! I was done trying to come in under 2 hours. The sun was hot & the course went from shady/to open trail along the lakefront. I met a friend along the course at about mile 9, we had originally wanted to start together, but we didn't have each other's correct phone #s. We ran together for about a mile & a half, when she kept going & I started walking LOL I just really couldn't do it anymore. So the last few miles I ran/walked b/c I was just so hot & not in shape for the race.

I finished the race in 2:02:58. I am PROUD of that time!!! It is my fastest "official" time at a race, plus with being over heated & not really trained for the race, I am ecstatic!! Now I need to sign up for a fall race to really prove to myself that I can achieve a sub 2 hr half-marathon. I KNOW I can do it...I just want better weather to do it in. There are some halfs coming up this summer...but I feel like it would be even hotter in July/August. Plus, I would almost rather do trail runs than road races at this point. I just enjoy them more :)

SO-this whole race was awkward for me. My eye started watering in the car on the way to the race. It calmed down a little bit before the race, but once I started running, it was watering beyond my control. I literally had a tear coming down my face for almost the whole race!! Needless to say, my eye make up on that one eye was GONE, while the other eye had all of my make up on! LOL I looked horrible. Not to mention being hot & sweaty and stinky...OH MY..I was a hot mess! Literally!!! LOL I was embarrassed of how I looked, especially as I walked around after the race & picked up some goodies & talked with my friends. Ay yay yay, every race comes with a story, does it not?! Thankfully I had previously read a blog about a woman who started her period while running a marathon, which I kept reminding myself of when I felt embarrassed. At least that didn't happen to me...yet! BAHA!

20 mile run & new products!

Hey there!!! How is everyone doing?? I feel so bad for not being a better blogger. I keep meaning to do a new post, but there are only so many hours in the day & my life is full of kids to take care of and a husband who wants to spend time with me! It's good to be needed, but it makes it difficult to fit in everything that I want to do :)

SO- I have some news. I am one step closer to crossing off one of the things on my 2013 resolutions, I signed up for a 20 mile training run in September!! I am on my way to running a full marathon this year!!! I even found one that I want to do, it is in Indianapolis in October. The Chicago marathon is crazy expensive & was crazy to get into this year, there was a lottery this year due to their website being messed up when registration opened...anyways, I am getting excited!! I've taken a few weeks of from running, I've been concentrating on lifting more, but my training starts in June, which is quickly approaching. I can't believe we're over half way done with May! I am excited & nervous to train, to run further than I have ever run before. I KNOW I CAN do it, but it's still intimidating to think about. These legs are willing, but my mind is weak right now.

OK, SO, my new products :) There is a company called "NLA for Her" NLA for Her website & I had ordered some whey protein for them. Unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan of the taste; I ordered it thinking that it would taste chocolate-y, but it tastes VERY cinnamon-y & I can't get over it. I contacted their customer support & asked if I could try their other products b/c I wasn't happy with their whey. I was thinking I would send their whey back to them, but they never asked for it back, so I've used it a few times more & I still don't like it LOL If I add a banana, some almond milk & peanut butter, I can make it taste OK, but it's still not my favorite.

The other products that they sent me were their aminos (to take when I work out) and their thermogenic fat burner. Let me tell you, I LOVE them!!! I really enjoy the Pink Lemonade flavored aminos, which are gluten free & sugar free. I end up filling up my water bottle A LOT, just so I can keep drinking them! LOL They increase endurance, build lean muscle & enhances recovery.

On to their fat burner, called Shred Her. I was curious to see how this works, since I am in the May challenge for the bathing suit & I really want to win!! So far, I haven't noticed any side effects, other than feeling amazing. I take one before I work out & then another one a few hours later. The ingredients include: Green tea extract, Raspberry ketones, caffeine, citrus aurantium extract & ursolic acid. I am hoping to see a big difference in my progress pics from May 1- May30, although I've only been taking these supplements for about a week.

Earth Day 15 mile run

Today I ran a 15 mile race. I hadn't really thought about it or trained for it this month b/c of the flu & then the cleanse. It definitely showed!! I had a hard time making it through the last 5 miles, thankfully I was running with a buddy and with his encouragement, I was able to finish strong!!

The good things about the race were; it was a 5 mile loop that we ran 3 times. It was REALLY well marked, it was mostly dry, there was only 1 muddy spot. We stopped at the aid station 3 times & the people there were REALLY sweet & encouraging! It was great :)

The bad things were; the hills!! I was SO unprepared to run hills today. I tripped over a brand/tree root & I fell in the dirt. My legs were cramping SO BAD after the race, I couldn't sit, I couldn't walk, I couldn't stretch! NO matter what I did, I was in pain. It showed on my face & a kind soul had mercy on me & offered me some tylenol. I GLADLY took it & have been feeling awesome the rest of the day. Mental note for my next race: Pack Tylenol! LOL

So my next race is Saturday! HAHA! I am really excited about it though. I'm driving down to KY with my younger sister & we're going to stay with my older sister. I am so excited at the prospect of a sister weekend!! I am running a half-marathon down there & part of it is on the Kentucky Derby race course! I am super excited about it. It's a road race, so it will definitely be a smoother course than the trail run I did today. I am learning to love trail runs though, they are more intimate & you get CANDY at the aid stations :) My meal plan was lifted for today & I definitely ate candy at the race. If you can't eat it when you're running 15 miles, when CAN you eat candy?!?!

Paleozoic 25K & future races

Things have been crazy around these parts lately! I wasn't home at all last week, so I apologize for the lack of updates. Anyways, yesterday was a fun but exhausting day. I ran my first trail run!! I have been training on the trail for over a year, but have never done a trail run. It was an intense experience.FOR.SURE! It was rainy/snowy a lot this week, so I knew the conditions of the trail would be rough, actually the official website for the race said that it would be "challening" after going over the route Friday night. It was EXTREMELY muddy, I even heard my friend running at one point b/c the mud was so thick!! It was also snowy/icy at some parts & there was even standing water here & there too. Our feet were definitely wet & muddy! These are my feet, they were muddy THROUGH my socks & shoes. GROSS!

The best part of trail runs are the aid stations. We went through 3 and folks, there is CANDY at the aid stations!! At some longer runs they even have pop along with the standard gatoraid & water. I definitely took the M&Ms & gummy hearts at each aid station LOL If you can't eat candy when you're running, when CAN you eat candy?! 

This was the inaugural race, so there were some kinks to iron out. One of the most glaring is that the trail was not properly marked all along the way. At one point my friend & I came to a fork in the trail, we were about to turn left, when a whole group of people came from that way saying they were 60% sure we needed to be going the other way! lol So we followed the group, not even knowing if they were right or not, but the chance seemed to be in our favor ;) My friend & I ended up cutting of 2 miles from our run though. There was a "back" 5 miles that we were supposed to run, and at another fork in the trail we started going left when we saw flags to the right. We had been told the trail would be marked with orange flags, which we saw to the right, so we ended up going right instead of left & cut off a couple miles from the run!! But we are proud of our awesome run & good finish :)

I have to say, now that it's over, I'm sad we lost those miles, but at the time, I was totally fine not doing them LOL It was a hard race, the trail was yucky & muddy, it was cold & there were a lot more hills than I was used to. When we ended up shorter than we were supposed to, I was OK with being done lol I definitely had a good experience though & I could see a trail run being really nice in the fall, when the weather is a little better. I was delighted by the aid stations & I LOVED the small atmosphere of the race along with the friendly people. I made a few friends standing in line for the porta potty LOL It was really cool & I'm glad that I did it!! I'll have to do a few more trail runs this year for sure.

Next up, I am going down to Kentucky for a half-marathon. I am planning on going down with my sister & staying our older sister. I am excited for the race b/c part of it on the Kentucky Derby race track! SO fun, right?! Then I found a marathon in May that I still need to register for & I have another half-marathon coming up in June. I'm excited to be busy & keep up running and working out. I always need a reason to keep doing it, so I like to register for as many races as possible :)

Updates!

There have been a few changes around these parts. I have to admit, I am not doing the Whole30 Challenge anymore. I had an epic fail Saturday night & ate some pizza when we were out as a family. I tried to get back in the saddle on Sunday, but we had a birthday party and I quickly realized how many birthday parties/baby showers/celebrations I had in March and how difficult it would be to stay on the Whole30 for the whole month. I KNOW I could do it, but is it worth it?? I believe in the challenge & I LOVED the results I got from doing it in January. The thing is, I was super stressed about it this time around & was having a hard time with cravings, I didn't want to spend the whole month feeling that way. I am more interested in keeping my eating clean when NOT on the challenge, when I am left to my own devices and have the liberty to eat whatever I want. I want to CHOOSE to eat clean & prove to myself that I can do it even when I'm not following the Whole30 program. SO- there you have it folks. I am spreading my wings & trying to do it on my own.

Other than that, I have a race on Saturday. It's my first 25K (15.3 miles!) & it's a trail race. My running buddies & I generally train on the Des Plaines River Trail, but I think the one we are racing on has more hills. EEP! I'm nervous about the terrain. I am excited to try something new though. All of my previous races have been road races, so this one will be a whole new experience. I do have to say, the closer it gets, the more nervous I get. I am nervous about the weather holding out, we seem to have a lot of flurries & rain in our future and I am worried that the trail will be miserable. I am sure it will be dirty, hopefully not crazy muddy though. This will be the longest race I have ever run, I'm just glad that I'm doing it with my running buddies, I will have support & good conversation. Plus, I know that when I do something new & prove to myself that I can do it, I feel awesome. I really hope to have a successful race on Saturday!!

I need something to boost my morale. I've been feeling low lately. I am just really hoping to find my niche in the fitness world soon. It's too soon for me to be looking for a job, since none of my kids are really in school yet & I don't even WANT to work until they're all in school. However, I feel stuck. I feel like I'm not really moving ahead in any area. I would love to somehow learn more & become a part of something bigger. If you think of it, please keep me in your prayers, I am waiting for God's timing & leading in my life, but it is hard to wait & I am losing heart while I wait.

It's Valentine's Day today!! I have to say that I am excited!! :) I love Valentine's Day, maybe b/c I love hearts, roses, pink & chocolate?? I don't know where this love stems from, but it's there & I like to make it special for my kids & my husband. I started the celebration yesterday morning, with heart shaped cinnamon rolls & today I will serve the kids hot dogs cut in half & then put back together to create a heart. Last night, I just had to feed my husband & myself, so I made heart shaped hamburgers for us. Love is on my mind <3

Today I ran with my loco running buddies. We are crazy!! Last week we ran in ankle deep snow & today we ran on the trail that was basically a skating rink. The best part of our run today was getting off the trail & just running on the sidewalk. We did end it on the trail & we got 10.5 miles in, not the 12 we had planned, but for the conditions of the trail, I think we did pretty well :) I also had an amazing run around PR on Monday, when the kids were in preschool. It was cold, windy & a little snowy, but it was awesome. Except for those random sidewalks where people hadn't shoveled well & left tons of ice all over. There were many times where I was sure I would slip & fall, but thankfully I kept light on my feet & was able to hobble, jump & walk over the ice.

All in all, I am happy folks!! I am happy with how I feel, I am happy with the foods I am eating, I am happy that I feel healthy & am starting to see results of the lifestyle changes I've made so far in 2013. I have hit my stride with the daily mile challenge for Feb & have run every day since last Monday. That makes 11 days so far :) I love lifting weights & seeing muscles pop up! I am beginning to look into what supplements I need to help build up my muscles. I am still losing weight, which is not bad, but I would rather be building muscle right now. I do want to lean out, burn fat & build muscle, so really the # on the scale will eventually go up again, once those muscles get bigger. lol I'm hoping that some changes I'm going to make during my next Whole30 will help with that. I used bacon occasionally during my last challenge, but I am cutting it out this time around. Sadsies!! If you know me at all, you KNOW that will be a big challenge, I Lurve me some bacon :)

Other than that, I just want to celebrate love today, so I hope that all of my dear readers get to enjoy the day, whether it be with family or on a romantic date.

It's been too long! I've been busy, sorry blogland! I have been trying to run more, I must thrive on challenges. A group I am a part of, challenged the members to run at least a mile every day in Feb. One of my friends has taken that VERY seriously & has inspired me to do it too. I was going to do it, but then didn't run for the first 3 days or on Thursday, so that makes 4 days total that I missed out on. Anyways, my other workouts have suffered a little bit because of that, although when I run on the treadmill I always try to lift weights too.

I ALSO told a friend I would do this workout every day:

ummmmmmmmm, that has suffered more than the running one, I think I've done it twice!! Sorry Kallay! I did incorporate it into my Thursday night circuit workouts, so it also includes strength & cardio. Fun times!! We had a blizzard come through Chicago on Thursday night, so I had to cancel our Thursday night workouts at church. So I did my circuit at home by myself. 

Spicing up my side plank ;)

Actually it was funny, my kids joined in for a little while, but then got bored & went off and played. The rest of my workout was uninterrupted with them needing things from me or me having to split up their fights. Fun Times!! 

I got paid yesterday, and I had to go shopping for a friend, so I stopped by my old trusty friend, Nordstrom Rack. I haven't been there for ages!! I still liked it, but the prices weren't as good as I remembered  Anyways, I found myself looking at the workout gear. I need a heavier "jacket" to wear when my running buddies & I are out this winter, when it's supposed to *ahem* SNOW on Monday. Yeah, I think I'll be happy a got a running jacket. Anyways, I think that cute workout clothes definitely motivate me to get more workouts in! LOL

New jacket, forgive me, my bathroom lights are really dim! BAHA

Snowy 10 mile run.

Today I did a "two-a-day". I ran 4 miles this morning & lifted weights and then this evening I did a Jillian Michael's DVD. Feeling pretty strong today!! I am just motivated to keep working on building strength, especially now that I am training for a 15 mile run in March. I don't want my strength work to suffer b/c I am getting more miles in.

Speaking of more miles, I ran with my running buddies yesterday. 10 miles.Outside. In.the.snow. DEFINITELY not comfortable! lol I went into it knowing my feet would get wet. I was telling my running buddies that as we were at mile 3 or so, and we were commenting on how the snow didn't seem to be "wet" snow, we felt pretty good. Well, going on mile 5, we were feeling it. A few times during our run, we would cross streets & that's when you would feel the difference. The concrete just felt right. In the snow our feet were slipping, and every time our foot would come down, you would need to stabilize it. It was hard work and mile 6-8 were terrible. Even mile 9 was hard, but I knew we were almost done, so I hobbled through it. When we were done running, my legs just felt like tree trunks, or elephant legs. They were just heavy. And the PAIN! Oh my, I was scared to sit down, but I knew I had to go get my kids & I had to drive to go get them...so my muscles cramped up, all that stabilizing in the snow? Yeah, I felt that in every single muscle in my leg! A hot shower helped, but I still needed to take some pain medicine later that day. Sheesh! It was hard, but definitely worth it!!

It's the hard things, where you don't know if you're going to finish, that make you stronger. Running is definitely a mental thing, even more so than physical, I think. Your mind can either be your best asset or worst enemy, so that is where the real test comes in. I think a lot of things in life can be related to that. In fact running in the snow reminded me a lot of how life works out. Sometimes your footing is unstable, you may even slip & slide when you take a step. However, you keep going, not knowing how the next step will turn out. You fight through the mush, that wants to pull you down, to keep going & keep moving. Every step is a step of faith, & you need to be strong mentally & physically to finish strong. It is not easy, but it is worth it, it is painful, but you are getting stronger.

sweaty from my work out, but excited about my muscles!

Get comfortable being Uncomfortable

I have not been feeling well lately, but I was determined to get outside & run today. It was 60 degrees in Chicago, in January!! AMAZING! The only bad thing is, that it was super cloudy & I could tell it was going to rain when I stepped out to run. I was hoping that I could get in a good 6-7 mile run before the rain came, but that didn't happen. I got to mile 2 & I started to feel some drops and THEN! It began to down pour. I literally felt like I was running in the shower. It rained harder & harder, my feet were soaking wet, the rain was going through my pants & even through my 3 layers on top. Let me tell you, VERY uncomfortable!

SOAKED!!

At first the rain didn't bother me. I enjoyed it, there is something primal about running outside in the rain. Who didn't go outside & play in the rain growing up?! It's something we loved, something different, something new & exciting. I think it's sad that as we get older, we reach for the umbrella, run to our cars, or stay safe in our houses. I mean, I know I'm guilty of it...but I loved getting out there today, to run in the elements. To be honest, I DIDN'T totally enjoy the whole time I was getting soaked, b/c that kind of stuff weighs you down, but it didn't stop me. Eventually the rain let up & I'm sad I didn't go for my goal of 6-7 miles, I ended at 5.

I felt like this thought process, could apply to us, as Americans. We have no reason in our every day lives, to be uncomfortable. We have abundant food supplies, we don't have to be hungry. Our lives are totally climate controlled (which don't get me wrong, I would LOVE for our house to be 80 degrees all of the time), we can go from our warm beds, to our warm cars, to our warm offices, back to our cars, then back home & back to bed. 

Well, I think it's time we start doing something new, something outside of our comfort zones.What have you done lately that was uncomfortable? It is only outside of our comfort zone that we are stretched, taken beyond our limits to learn new things, to experience new things. It could look different for everyone, it could be talking to someone new, trying a new food, start volunteering in a ministry, or even doing a new work out! :) I think it's so valuable to get uncomfortable some times, to connect to new people, new things, or even to discover new abilities/passions inside of ourselves.

meat loaf & brussel sprouts

I would like to know...who AM I?! What has happened to me?? I am an adult, capable of making my dinner & what did I make myself?! Freakin' meatloaf & brussel sprouts! LOL

Can I let you all in on a little secret? In college, I used to eat cereal,grilled cheese, fries & drink massive amounts of pop. I seriously lived off of that stuff. For my 16th birthday, I'm pretty sure I got a 24 pack of Pepsi! HAHA! And you know what, I LOVED it & probably drank it all within a week...by myself. UGH! SO, just so you know, this is a HUGE lifestyle change for me.

Yes, I am a 32 year old mom now, but my eating habits have only recently gotten better than that of my college days. I have been trying new things, even things I previously didn't like. I grew up HATING meatloaf, just the mere thought of ground beef in the shape of a loaf was enough to turn my stomach, yet here I am, years later, making it for myself (while my kids called it gross & once again, went without dinner). It was Paleo meatloaf, but still, super delicious! Like a big loaf-shaped meat ball! Don't even get me started on brussel sprouts.

I actually never had them growing up b/c my dad hated them so much, my mom never made them. I started seeing yummy looking brussel sprout recipes on pinterest awhile ago, so I figured I should try them out! Now I am trying to use up a bag of shredded brussel sprouts I bought last week. I had a kale & brussel sprouts salad last night & then cooked up some bacon, threw in some of my b. sprouts with a dash of balsamic vinegar & voila! Yummy side dish to aforementioned meat loaf. YUM!

So I am on Day 27 of the 30 day Challenge! WHAAAAAAAAT?! How did the month go by so quickly?! I am amazed at how well I adjusted to the challenge. It was a rocky start, I'll admit, but now I don't want to go back to the SAD (Standard American Diet)! I lost about 7 pounds so far & I am nervous about gaining it back, but really I wanted to challenge myself to eat better, to eat the way I know I SHOULD be eating & I've honestly come to embrace it. Now I DO miss some added sweeteners. I am currently battling a sinus thing & my throat is on fire, I would LOVE to have some hot water, lemon & honey right now...but I'm holding out until after I hit Day 30. I miss pizza & I craved some really cheesy bread at one point, but all of that passes & I am really enjoying eating clean :)

It has finally happened! "They" tell you that after you start eating clean, "normal" foods begin to taste even better, like tasteX10000!! I had that happen to me yesterday!! I was eating strawberries at breakfast & realized how sweet they were, I had some meat at lunch & could taste every little bit of it, even the fat didn't freak me out & turn me off, it had a taste all of it's own! At dinner I was literally almost licking the plate b/c it was SOOOOOO good (another dish my kids wouldn't eat! BAHA! Eggplant strata strikes again). I made some energy bites for running (foolishly hoping I would be able to run today) and OMG- the TASTE! They were SO GOOD!!! My husband said they looked like little poops, but all the better, if the rest of my family is freaked out by them, I'll get to eat them all myself!!

So add me to the list of converted, clean eating freaks that you know!! I'm not stopping once I hit Day 30! :) I also love that I feel amazing when training. I am not a crossfitter (although I would LOVE to be!), but I do run & lift weights (*ahem* & do Jillian Michaels' DVDs) and I can tell that I have more endurance & am starting to see some definition to my arm muscles!! That really thrills me actually. :)

I am struggling with being at the very beginning of where I want to be, but I know that everyone starts SOMEwhere & this is the start for me.