Gasparilla Half Marathon Weekend + Goals

In my New Years Goals Post I wrote that I wanted to run a half marathon PR this year, but I didn't know for sure if I'd have the time to focus on it. When I ran a PR at ZOOMA Florida it came as a bit of a surprise, but it also made me aware that I could do more. When I set a new PR three weeks after a marathon without any speed training I started thinking of what could really be possible with some recovery time and devoted half marathon training.

So a few days later I signed up for the Gasparilla Half Marathon! Gasparilla is a mainstay in Tampa, and they have a 15k and 5k on Saturday and a Half Marathon and 8k on Sunday. They have a variety of challenges where you can run different sets of races; in 2012 I ran the Beck's Light Challenge, but last year I didn't run Gasparilla at all. I knew I wanted to do some series of races this year, and when my coach said I could go for a PR in the half or shoot for a challenge and build back up to marathon mileage, I knew instantly what I'd be doing! Half marathon for me please!

 

The courses aren't overly thrilling, but the long straightaway on Bayshore means fewer turns and the added ability to pick up speed. Plus, Gasparilla always does it up right with big medals, pretty tshirts, and lots of food afterwards. 

 

I'm particularly excited for the race this year, because I've been doing speed work and training to PR. I've had some fantastic tempo runs in the low 8:00 mile range, and I did two weeks of 800 repeats to give my legs the sensation of running really fast. Between that and some solid long runs, I have confidence in my ability to beat my current 1:55:10 PR from ZOOMA.

Gasparilla 2012

This week I've been training really light, aside from a 6 mile tempo run on Tuesday. Wednesday's easy 5 miler felt good, but Thursday's easy 3 miler felt hard. My legs felt tired. Hopefully today's full rest day and Saturday's 2 mile shakeout provide all the rest necessary to have fresh legs on Sunday.

I'm looking forward to running with my friend Meghan. She's an insanely fast runner, but she's doing the 15k the day before and has agreed to run the half with me to try to push the pace and hold on for the long haul. She's already told me she's tough and doesn't sugar coat her words if the going gets tough. And for that, I'm ready.

My goal is to PR, but if I could go under 1:52 I'd be very thrilled. My tempo runs have all been under that pace, and I'm feeling like holding 8:30's will be doable for me if the weather is right. And I guess that's what the race will depend on. Right now it's a little warm but not hot--I wish those cooler temps from the last few weeks could have stuck around.

After a few recovery days next week this will also signify the end of my slacking on the cross training. My lack of butt to saddle and body to water time is starting to get a little ridiculous. Next week, I'm going to get more comfortable with an early AM alarm going off.

If you like tracking people, you can sign up to track me on Sunday here (I'm bib #25653, and the race starts at 6:00 am).

Wanted to keep you updated on racing plans! I don't really have any questions for you. Anyone else racing this weekend?! What are your long runs?

 

Reviewing 2013 Goals and Sharing Goals for 2014

Before listing my 2014 goals, I wanted to address my 2013 goals and review how I did with them.
 

First of all, here they were:

 

1. In regards to running 1,000 miles, I did not. However, I ran 852 miles, and I was out of running for several months with a stress fracture. I'm going to consider this goal an overall success because of the time that I was running. Here's my running graph from DailyMile for 2013.

2. As for the other running goals:

Sub4 Marathon: I hadn't run a marathon when I made that goal last year, so I didn't understand the distance and the race. I know I'll run a sub 4 hour marathon one day, but that won't even be in my goals for 2014. A sub 4 hour marathon is something that, for me, will take intense training and focus on only that goal, and I won't have a chance to focus on that for a little while. 

1:50:XX marathon or below: I think this goal was a little out of my comfort zone when I made it, and I did train hard to run a half PR in March, but it wasn't what I knew I could do. Two things threw me off this year and into a completely different world: a stress fracture and getting into triathlons. Had I not gotten the stress fracture I could have continued training hard to run faster, and that time off threw a wrench in my running plans and set me back a little bit. Starting triathlons led me to a new and amazingly wonderful place, but it shifted my focus from accomplishing faster running goals in the fall. I think I'm capable of a 1:50 half marathon sooner than a sub 4 full, but again I don't know if 2014 will be my year.

Set a new 5k PR: Believe it or not I didn't run a single chipped 5k in 2013...I'm a sucker for the longer distances when they're offered at the same races where there's a 5k. I ran one beach 5k at the end of a 14 miler, but it was all on sand and there was no chip timing so I don't even know what my time was.

3. New gym/regular cross training: Major success! I'd say getting into the world of triathlon was the best way to incorporate cross training. I'd like to find a gym and start weights more regularly this year, though.

4. Cleaning schedule: Let's keep it moving...

5. Savings: 2013 could be called the year where I finally became budget conscious! I am pleased to say that I saved 10% or more each month in 2013, and it's all a credit to my husband's continued patience in, let's say, emphasizing unnecessary spending.

6. Change my name: Success! It only took me 8 months, but I did finally change my name this year! Now I just need to change my name on all my other stuff...that's the not fun part...

7. Date Nights: I didn't track this well, but we were definitely more intention this year about spending time together. It's still an area that needs improvement, but we've got a lifetime to work on it.

8. Goal Weight: I laugh. Nowhere near it. I had a hard time this year figuring out healthy eating and limiting myself while also training for and participating in endurance sports for the whole year. It's something I hope to figure out more in 2014. 

9. Meatless Mondays in January: I can't remember, but I did go meatless a lot more frequently this year than ever before. I don't feel like meat is a necessary part of a meal, which I think is a big realization for me.

10. Learn about and transition to clean eating: I learned about it! I was slower in transitioning to it. It continues to be a work in progress for me as I work on balancing time, training, and (just being honest) laziness surrounding meal time.

I feel like my 2014 goals are more thought out and better suited to what 2014 holds for me.

 

There are a lot of goals on this list, and I don't feel like I need to go into explaining them all, as they're mostly self-explanatory. The two biggest I think are finishing IM Chattanooga and also successfully balancing life and 140.6 training. I can't list how I will balance life and the training, because I don't know yet, but I do know that I will be able to look back at the end of the year and know whether I have or not. It'll be similar to know I looked back and 2013 and just knew that I wasn't successful in transitioning to clean eating.

I don't know if running a half marathon PR will be possible this year. This year is about triathlon, without a doubt, but I'm thinking there's a chance I can squeeze in a half PR somewhere.

And as far as blogging more regularly, I just mean that I need to standardize my posting frequency. Sometimes I'll post 5x/week and other times I'll post 1x/week. I need to get to a comfortable number that I can sustain regularly. 

What is your biggest 2014 goal? Did you put anything on your list that you're particularly nervous about accomplishing?

2013 Year in Review

I love reading everyone's years in review, and I've been so excited to share my 2013 recap. This year has been epic in the true definition of the word.

In January I started the year off with the Disney Marathon. I hated it and immediately knew I wanted redemption on the distance, but I still did it and officially became a marathoner!

 

In February I ran the Best Damn Race 10k with friends as a 10k PR attempt. I was successful!

 

Also in February I ran the Princess Half dressed up with friends to take character pictures. I learned a lot of lessons about Disney character pictures during races, but I had a blast with my girlfriends!

 

I trained hard through February and March for a Half Marathon PR, and though I earned a PR in March at the Florida Beach Half, it wasn't a great race and I knew I head better in me.

 

In March, I bought a bike without any knowledge of what that would lead to!

 

And I went on my first ride. I went alone on the road without clipless pedals, I rode 22 miles, and I pretty much felt like I owned the world for that day. I was so proud of myself!

 

I then found out I had a stress fracture, which would derail my plans of running the Chicago Marathon or running at all for a few months. My butt spent a lot of those months sitting on the bike seat, and by the time I was able to run again I had already gotten up to 40 miles rides. I started pondering a Half Ironman (even though I hadn't done a triathlon at all yet...).

I went to see my sister Kacey graduate from law school in May.

 

And in June Tim and I spent a long weekend in the Keys with good friends. 

 

And then we celebrated our one year anniversary in Atlanta!

 

And I may have forced our trip a day short so I could come back to race my first sprint triathlon at Top Gun! It was a hard day.

 

In August I then raced an International Distance Triathlon at FD3 and got 2nd in my age group! I won't tell you how many were in my age group...

 

I did two organized charity group rides and conquered (for the time being) my fear or riding on roads and with groups. I'm going to need to shake that out again after a couple of months off the bike, but looking at these pictures reminds me of that success. 

 

And then all the hard training I put in paid off as I completed my first 70.3 distance triathlon at Rev3 Florida! It was an amazing day in every way possible, and my 5:54:25 was minutes faster than I had  thought possible.

 

And soon after I found out that I had made the first round of cuts to join Team Rev3! In December I found out that I made the team, and I'm already thrilled for what's in store in 2014 with the team.

 

And to put the cherry on my already amazing year, I ran a nearly 16 minute PR on December 29th at the Jacksonville Bank Marathon! It was a crazy race, but I felt like I really wrapped my head around the distance more successfully. 

 

Aside from the races, trips, and events in 2013, I felt like this year I realized I am truly happy. 

I have an amazingly supportive husband and am in a marriage that is constantly growing and evolving. We've learned a lot over the course of the year, and I feel like we continue to get better at this marriage thing. 

I have made new friends this year and developed strong friendships with them and friends I've had for more than this year alone. I can't explain how much this has made Tampa feel like a home to me, since I came here five and a half years ago without knowing anyone.

I've realized, finally, that being an adult doesn't mean giving up on having personal goals and striving for success. For a long time I thought that it all stopped when we finished school, so I went back to school and got my Masters degree. Now I've learned it's just about continuing to dream big.

And with that, I'll wish you a Happy New Year! I hope 2014 is a year of big dreams, good friends, and happiness for you.

Jacksonville Bank Marathon {Marathon #2 Goals + Thoughts}

Hope you had a Merry Christmas if you celebrate! If not I hope you had a wonderful Wednesday! While everyone is couch surfing and wishing they hadn't eaten the 3rd (or 4th or 10th) cookie, I'm sitting here doing the same plus thinking about the marathon I'm running on Sunday. It's a weird feeling to run a marathon just 4 days after Christmas, and while I thought about that when I signed up, I didn't really think about what it would be like. I did my best this week to eat smart, stay hydrated, and not change a lot about what I do. But, that's hard with Christmas and the normal festivities.

That being said, I'm confident in my ability to head up to Jacksonville on Saturday to run my second attempt at 26.2 miles. I look forward to reading other people's thoughts and goals as they head into their bigger races, so I wanted to share mine!

I ran the Walt Disney World Marathon in January of this year, and it didn't go as planned. 

I raced Rev3 Florida 70.3 (half distance triathlon) on November 10th of this year, and it went exactly as planned.

Those are the two things that are dictating my thoughts and goals headed into Jacksonville Bank Marathon on Sunday. I want to have a redemption race to make up for how much I hated my experience at the Disney Marathon, and I know that I put my heart and soul into training for Rev3 this year, which led to a shortened marathon training cycle. I did get in a 16, 18, 20, and 22 miler, but the time period was shorter, and those runs were one week apart without a step back week in between. 

I feel stronger and more prepared mentally and physically than I did for Disney, and the very extended amount of time that I spent preparing for Rev3 and then continuing to this marathon gives me a great amount of confidence that I have the physical strength to complete the distance in a stronger fashion than I did in January.

All of the positives and negatives are bouncing around in my head causing me to feel a bit confused and anxious. I go from feeling ready and confident one minute to feeling doubtful and unsure the next. I don't know which side to trust, but I know which one will get me to the finish line. Therefore, I'm choosing the stronger voice, and I'm going to spend the next 2+ days and 4+ hours of the race reminding myself that I can and will do this!

Here are my plans and goals:

I'm just going to be honest, because I'm never not. I originally said that I wanted to run 10 minute miles, but I have found over the course of my long runs that I'm actually stronger than that and would be running slower than on long runs if I went that pace. Therefore, I've readjusted. I'm planning on starting the race in the high 9's with the intention of holding that pace for the first bit. If all goes well my goal marathon pace would be 9:35-9:45. That' in ideal conditions and circumstances.

Then, if I feel good at 18-20, which makes me laugh since it's where I entered the twilight zone (I can't even say hit the wall because I feel like it was far worse than that) at Disney, I'll pick it up. 

So as far as times are concerned, my PR is 4:36:00 from the only marathon I've done. I started this training saying I'd like to go sub 4:30, since my training cycle was smushed. The 9:45 pace would put me at a 4:15:45, and the 9:35 pace would put me at a 4:11:30. Those just seem fast to me.

So what is my goal? To finish the race strong. I'd love to not walk at any point during the race. And I'd really love to hold a pace between 9:35-9:45. If the wheels fall off again I'm hoping I can recover better because I know what to expect. I'm hoping I can beat the mental demons that come from nowhere and get in under 4:30. And that's about as honest as you'll get from me, because that's about all I've got shaking around in my brain right now.

 

For fueling I'll take a GU at 5, 10, 15, and 20, and I'll take salt tabs along the way. I'm planning on just using the water stations, but I'm still thinking about this one. The weather looks like it's going to be rainy and/or stormy, so if you could send positive thoughts to Jacksonville for this Sunday morning that would be much appreciated.

I know more of what I'm in for, but I know there will still be some surprises along the way.

You can track me using the app RaceJoy. You can search for my bib number 421, and then it uses my GPS in my phone that I'll be carrying (unless it's flooding rain) to track where I am on the course.

Rev3 Florida Half: Goals

It's finally here! My race weekend is finally here! I'm in the midst of packing and wanted to write out my goals after sharing my thoughts heading into the race. I'm still nervous, but I will say there are a few things that I've remembered and realized that have helped me build confidence:
I remembered that I did quite a few U-turns in my first mock triathlon that I did back in April. I hadn't even thought anything of them at the time, so I'll just unclip and go about my business this weekend as well. Somehow naivety paid off for me when I first owned my bike.
I bought so much fuel that I could probably supply the two people I'm racked next to with enough to make it through their whole races. I'm glad I'll have my pick of the litter on race day. Who knows what I'll be in the mood for.

I'm planning to take 800-900 calories on the bike through fluid and food. I've been told on Instagram and from friends to open everything I'm going to eat before I start the race so that I'm not fumbling with it on the bike. I'm planning to grab at least a bottle or two of water from fluid stations on the ride, though I've never done that so I'm a little nervous (shocking) for how that's going to do.

My plan then is to go into the run and take a gel around mile 3 and mile 8. I'm planning to carry my gels with me, though the aid stations are stocked according to the athlete guide. If I need more, there's an aid station every mile to fix me up.

But that's not why you're here. If you're like me, you look for bloggers to post their goals before their goal races so you can get an idea of what they're going for. First of all, I'm super thrilled to have your support, so I'm going to be extremely honest about my thoughts in all of these areas:

The swim:

The swim is of course where I'm the most comfortable; it's what I've been doing the longest (I was a swimmer in middle and high school and a water polo player in college). With that said, it's also the only area of my training that I have slacked on. I know if I put in more time in the pool I could do a lot better, but I don't want to wear myself out in the water to try to achieve a goal I could do one day. I'm viewing the swim on Sunday as the opportunity to get warmed up and comfortable and to shake off some of my nerves.

I'd love to be able to stay on feet for a lot of the race as a main goal, and I don't want to get frustrated when I start catching people in previous waves. I'm starting in the last wave, at 7:30, and I know I'll catch the slower in the couple of waves ahead of me. I'm just going to relax and swim around people and not worry about whether it's adding to my time or ability to stay in my groove.

I'd be lying if I told you I didn't at one point want to go under :30, but I don't think that'd be a smart goal for me on Sunday. I just want to keep my heart rate low and swim strong. If I go under :30 (that's holding 1:30/100) and it feels comfortable, great. If not, no big deal.

T1/T2: 

My goal for both transitions is to stay calm and think everything through. I don't want to forget nutrition or hydration, and I don't want to forego necessities for a few seconds. I'm going to take my time a little more than I have in previous races to make sure I'm all set.

The bike:

The route for Rev3 is very disjointed with lots of turns and loops. There aren't a lot of stretches to build up speed and not think about turns. I know that will keep things more exciting, but I know it will also bring my average speed down a bit. My main goal for the bike is to ride smart and be confident. The bike is the area where I feel the most nervousness. I know it'll take 5 or 6 miles to shake that out, and after that I'd like to get into aero, focus on nutrition, and stay out of my head. Another main goal would be to not stop on the bike, though I'll have to see how I feel.

The only number goal I have for the bike is to keep my heart rate around 130-135, as long as that feels easy. Whatever that will correlate to is what I'll probably aim to ride at. Because I've really only used my HRM on my trainer that doesn't have a cadence monitor, I don't know what 130-135 relates to in speed. I just know I hold tempo around 150-155 for up to 30 minutes, so 135 shouldn't feel hard. I've heard if it feels hard, slow down, and if it feels good, slow down for the first part. That's what I'll focus on.

I'd love to average over 17 mph, which is around 3:17-3:18 total. But, like I said before, I don't know what could happen out there, and I don't want to get too hung up on the numbers.

The run: 

How will I feel? The million dollar question! The run is a two loop on a paved trail that is covered for a very small part and is otherwise open to the elements. The high is 84 for the day, so it's a bit warmer. I'll probably be out running in the heat of the day, so I know that will have an impact in some way. My main goal is not to walk, and my stretch number goal is to run under 10:00/mile. But, I've never done a race of this time or distance before, and I could get off the bike feeling like a bus hit me, or I could get off feeling much faster. Only time will tell!

I'm not going to add it up and throw a goal time out, because in reality just finishing is what I want. Yeah, meeting my stretch goals on the bike and run would be great, but they're out there just as stretch goals. 

And there you have it:

Swim strong

Bike confidently

Stay on the bike

Don't walk

Try to stay under 10:00/mile

Want to track me? Go to http://rev3live.com/. You'll be able to click the "results" tab and search for me. I don't have my bib number yet, but I'm female 25-29, and my name is Meghan C. My wave starts at 7:30.

Tim and I are heading down to Venice in the morning to get in a swim, bike, and run shakeout, check the bike in, and visit the expo. I'm so thankful to have him there as my support. He'll be able to take pictures, so I'll have my own personal photographer too! I'm lucky to have him, because though he isn't interested in the sport, he gets my love of it and supports me along the way.

Now to go finish packing...

Not buying any of the things...(and May goals)

Money isn't a normal topic I post about on here, but something happened in April that I thought was worth sharing. In the past I've been a bit of a spender (to say the least...). I bought clothes, shoes, running stuff, jewelry, monthly box subscriptions, or other random items that I can't always recount. Tim has been very focused on saving and reaching savings goals and has been trying to get me to buy in for a few months now. I saved quite a bit in March to appease him, but I broke records (for myself) in April; this made me pretty proud of myself as well. I definitely saved more this past month than I have ever in a month. And when the month ended and I saw all that I had saved, I immediately had a thought:
"I'm going to buy more stuff in May."

A few Instagram pictures of random purchases that I can honestly now say haven't gotten their use...

I texted this to Tim, mainly as a joke, but also because I decided that I could spend more and still save enough to make myself and Tim happy.
But then I spent some time thinking yesterday and today about what I didn't buy this month that I had bought in previous months and missed. And the earth started shaking and the heavens opened up, and I realized that there wasn't anything I didn't buy this month that I felt like I missed out on. And to take it even a step further, I thought really hard about whether I was less happy last month than I was in previous months, and I have to tell you that my thoughts led me directly to a resounding: not at all.
I'm not less happy or satisfied because I didn't buy things. 
This may sound ridiculous to have to actually have to type out, but there have been so many months that I've set savings goals and haven't reached them because I bought stupid things that I later can't even explain or necessarily remember (probably a few of the things pictured above). Maybe it's even crossing the border of sounding shopaholic-ish, but I wanted to document it. I never thought "things" made me happy per se, but I guess I thought in some way I would miss them more when they weren't arriving on my doorstep or being carried into my house on a semi-regular basis. I don't. 
There have always been things I've seen and wanted to buy, and I would decide to buy them, whether or not I needed them. I didn't do it this past month...and in the end I haven't even missed it.
Are you in control of your spending? Do you set savings goals and meet them monthly? Have you ever thought happiness and buying things would feel associated?
And that leads me to a few goals this month...I haven't set them in a few months, but I want to for May.

source

1. Track every food I put into my mouth everyday.

2. Follow Laura's Sugar Detox 2 Challenge for the days assigned.

3. Follow the Tone It Up Diet from May 6th to June 3rd.

4. Finish Born to Run.

5. Save at least 75% of what I saved in April.

6. Take my thyroid pill everyday (I need to go more into this another time...I'm so bad at this one).

And those are my goals...they're not lofty, but they're things I'm going to stick to.

Did you make goals for the month? What's the one you want to focus on the most?

Dear Friday... {spring break edition}

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Dear Friday, I cannot believe you're finally here. I've been waiting for this Friday in particular for several weeks, and this week has crawled by. I thought it was Friday on Wednesday this week, and yesterday I knew it was. But, it still wasn't. Why is this Friday so exciting?! Spring break starts! Dear Spring Break, starting at 3:20 today, we will be reunited. Every year I feel like this because the week before has been so long. I can't wait to get things done. I'm going to make a "to do" list and actually accomplish it this year. Dear Tim, I know you're going to be jealous of my break, but I'm hoping that one of the days I'm off and you are too we can do something fun and different. Maybe a Disney day? I'm proud of how hard you're working on your classes right now, and I'm impressed with your constant dedication. I do miss you when you're doing school work all the time, though. I'm counting down until you're done with this MBA. Love you!

Dear Target Skirt, I really love you. You're stretchy and flattering, and the color and pattern is so far from my normal spectrum that it looks like I put a lot of thought into my outfit. I need more pieces like you in my life. Dear Pi Day run, I told Kat that my obsession with numbers was going to come to heads with my obsession with training plans yesterday, but Genna suggested I just run Pi backwards. So that's what I did. It just wasn't as fulfilling, but I'll take it. 

Dear Google, through a lot of product discontinuations I haven't really cared or been affected, but this whole closing Google Reader thing doesn't make sense to me. I went ahead and imported some blogs into bloglovin', but I can't figure out if that's what I'll use. What are all of you going to turn to? 

Dear Nuun, I'm excited about the new cherry limeade flavor since that's one of my favorite beverages, but I'm concerned about the caffeine. Am I going to be wired when I drink a tab or two? Or maybe this is you calling me out on the fact that I drink these things throughout the day instead of just when I'm working out. 

Dear Old Navy, This. Thank you. I'll be ordering a dress or two on sale plus 17% off for St. Patrick's day. 

Dear Florida Beach Half Marathon, I'm excited for you. I've trained for you. I'm looking for a big PR from you. I'm excited for Sunday, but I'm also nervous to have worked for a scary goal time that I know I'm capable of. I'm going to shoot for a 1:50, but I won't be disappointed with anything below a 1:52. My PR is a 1:57:44 after all. Exciting! Dear HUGE group giveaway for $200+ Lululemon and/or a race entry, Wow! What a success you've been so far! We can't wait to give away this prize, and it's really fun to hear what races people are hoping to enter!

*My questions for you*

Who are your letters to this Friday? 

What's the next thing that you're counting down for?

Anything exciting going on for you this weekend?

Did you leave a question yesterday? I'm planning a post of answers next week, and I'd love all the questions I can get!

Racing weight with a DietBet

I've become kind of complacent with my weight in the past month or two. I've been posting about clean eating, and I've been a lot more focused on thinking about what is going into my body. The one thing I'm really not spending much time thinking about, though, is how much of that cleaner stuff is going in. I'm fairly comfortable with how I feel in my clothes, but I've had it in the back of my mind since January that I was going to get down to business and really shave off a few pounds and keep them off.
With all of the running and training that I'm doing, I'm eating a lot, and a lot of the time it's probably not necessary. When I posted last Friday about losing weight and getting down to a more comfortable weight for me, Allie recommended the book Racing Weight, which is a book about how to get to a weight and size for optimal performance in endurance sports. I'm going to order that book and use the Tone It Up diet plan that I've written about before to shed some pounds. 
And because I love having as much incentive as possible (as though all the training I'm doing isn't motivation enough), I'm going to join another DietBet. The whole concept is that you buy into the bet with a certain amount of money, you take a weigh in picture with a code word that is verified on the first day of the bet to prove that it's you, and then your money goes into the pot. When the game is over, you take another picture of you and the scale, and if you've lost 4% of your body weight, then you win part of the pool. Only the people who actually hit their 4% split the pool, so you end up earning money!
The one I'm joining this time is the FitFluential one that is starting on March 12th with weigh ins March 10-11. I've done two in the past. One of them I lost, so someone else got my money, and the second one I won! I ended up more than doubling the money that I had put in, so I was excited to see that hit my PayPal account! This one I'm joining now has got a pretty great pot this far out, and it has been growing daily.

This is going to be my added incentive. I'm going to be very open here on the blog and actually share my starting weight (on day one...which I've never done before in all of my weight loss posts) and my weekly weigh ins and finish weight. I have never been this transparent about my weight before. To start it off, here is my before shot:

I didn't want to pose in the sports bra and Nike Pro shorts so as not to scare you off, but I did want to document in form fitting choices what I look like now. I want to be able to look back in 5 weeks and see a visual difference. The scale matters only in the sense that I'd love to win the DietBet, but if I end up losing inches and missing the actual weight, that's fine too. And it's clearly about how you look and feel and not what the scale says, but one thing I know is that I have 4% of my body weight to lose. It will do me good in every sense, especially racing!

To me, anything that will help support all of the hard work and training that I'm doing is worth continuing to do. The last DietBet motivated me, and I've maintained that same weight from the end, but now I need to take it a step further and really shake off some of those pounds that don't want to budge without more portion control. 

And I've shared this picture before. It reminds me that even though I've come a little ways from the beginning of my weight loss and healthy living journey, I'm not to the destination yet (and just looking at this makes me realize there may have even been a little bit of back tracking). I've still got a ways to go to hit my final goal, and I'm excited to snap into gear with this DietBet.

So, the DietBet starts March 12th, and weight in starts March 10th-11th. Have you been looking for some motivation in losing a few pounds? Come join this DietBet! The added incentive of winning money (or even just not losing it), is an added advantage. It would also be fun to all be in on it together. We can check in and share our successes each week. I'm definitely going to make my post weekly, and I'd love to hear how yours is going in your own posts or in the comments of mine.

Have you done a DietBet before?

What motivates you to lose weight or maintain your current healthy weight? An upcoming vacation? A big event? The thought of wearing a bikini?

Are you doing this DietBet?

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign.

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Gunning for a PR

For the time before my marathon and a short period after, before someone talked some sense into me, I was planning on running another marathon in February. I thought it would be the perfect way to use what I had learned to have an even better second marathon. After really thinking about it (and some discussion with my coach), I changed my focus. I instead started focusing on working for a half marathon PR. 

My current PR in the half marathon is from Rock n Roll St. Pete in February of 2012. It's a 1:57:44, and while I'm happy with that time, I know that I'm capable at this point of going faster. Thought I've run a bunch of half marathons since that one, none of them were goal races. One was part of an ultra race weekend, three were part of long training runs during marathon training, and two this year have been races I did for fun or to run with friends. And each time I've run, I've known that one day, when the stars align, I'd be able to really achieve a big PR.

And that time is coming! On March 17th at the Florida Beach Halfathon I'm going to be putting my best foot forward and running. I'm going to run the race for the purpose of seeing what I've got. It's the ideal race and situation for me for a few reasons.

I started speed training right after my marathon. Mary's training plan included one day of speed work per week starting three weeks after the marathon, and a couple of weeks after that it climbed up to two days of speed work per week. Last week, I did three days of speed training between goal race pace, hills, and a track-style workout. And I'm doing them all at paces that make me smile. Last night, to start the week of really well, I did a 25 minutes tempo run at 7:56 pace! That's a pace that only a few months ago I would have only dreamed of holding. But it's giving me great confidence for what I can do in the future.

I've run the exact course before. This race is at Fort de Soto, where I ran the Halloween Halfathon. It is the exact course that I did there, and as that was my first race back after surgery in August, it gives me confidence to know that I ran that race in 1:58:41, without tapering or doing speed work to prepare for it. Because of my familiarity with the course, I'll know what to expect, how long there is left in each straightaway, and what I'm getting myself into with each turn.

The course is flat. There are no hills on this course. Anything that might be an incline or decline would be so small that a marble probably wouldn't even roll down. The drawback to the flat course is that it is definitely known to have a headwind. I'm not overly concerned about the headwind, as there was absolutely one when I ran it in October, and I've also been training in wind lately around my house and also when I go and run bridges. I think the flat and fast course will absolutely make up for the wind.

I will have friends there! I know a handful of people that are running the race. Between Tori, Meg, Mary, Caitlyn, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting, it'll be nice to see familiar faces before and after the race as well as during the race in passing. Plus, when your coach is running the race that you've been training for, you've got to put on a good show!

I'm going to pull back a little bit the week before. I'm not sure I'd call it a full taper, but I'm going to drop the speedwork the week before the race and keep it to easy runs and crosstraining to keep the fitness. I'm so excited to see what I can do, and I'm thinking that fresh legs will help a lot as well!

So what is my goal? I'm a little afraid to make a goal. I haven't actually put a goal out there for a race distance that I've run in quite a while. But with the training that I'm doing I think that a good goal would be maintaining 8:30 pace for the whole race. That would equate to a 1:51:30. I think that's a goal that I'm comfortable setting and putting out there right now. If it happens it happens, and if it doesn't it doesn't. I'm working hard, and I'm ready to go put it all on the line to make an attempt at that. I'm nervous, but I'm also really excited!

So, there you have it. I'm also planning another goal race in April at Iron Girl, but with the great training I've been having lately and all the cards stacked my way going into the race next weekend, I couldn't not give that one a shot as well. 

Are you running this race?! Let me know. And if you're not but are looking for a race next weekend, there's a 5k and the half marathon! Chris Lauber does a fantastic job, and it's a really well-run race. Plus, the medal is perfect for the St. Patrick's Day race!

What's your next goal race of any distance? How has your training been going lately? Do you incorporate speed work into your training?

keeping tempo

I can tell you with certainty that I'm not an expert at anything, and I often times find that the more I learn about something the more I realize I don't know. Running is one of those things. I started running with the Couch to 5k program in March of 2011, ran my first race in August 2011, finished my first half marathon in October 2011, and then tackled my first marathon in January 2013. With every stepping stone along the way I thought I'd learned a lot and thought there couldn't be that much more that I had to learn. I knew people were faster than me, but I thought that it was just because they had been running longer.
I admitted that you have to run faster to get faster, but even then I didn't really realize when or how much to run faster. When I decided to shoot for a half marathon goal for the spring instead of going for another full or waiting around until the fall, I knew I wanted a training plan that would incorporate speed work. I had consistently seen in Twitter chats and blog posts that the best way to get faster is to do speed work. When I received my training plan from Mary, I was excited to see that when the training plan started I was doing one day per week of speed work, and when I was sure to be fully back at it I'd up that to two speed work days per week.

Source: runwithjess.com via Jen on Pinterest

And then yesterday I ran my first tempo run. And before I even tell you about it I have to tell you that I learned something about tempo runs. Tempo runs aren't race pace runs. Who knew? There are race pace runs that you run at race pace (rocket science I tell you!) and then there are tempo runs that you run at 15-30 seconds faster than race pace. Novel idea; run faster than you want to run in a race so you get used to being uncomfortable. I like it!
I liked looking at it in the future plan, but when it came to today to actually do it, I was nervous. Since yesterday was my first, it was only 15 minutes. My goal, after gauging how BDR went, was to run those 15 minutes at 8:00/mile pace. When I went out for my warm up, my legs felt heavy. After racing a 10k Saturday then running 9 miles on Sunday I was really sore on Monday, and I could tell that my legs were still working out some of the lactic acid. But, I was determined to hit my goal on this first run.
When my Garmin hit 1 mile, I took off. And I just ran. I glanced at my watch on occasion to make sure I was on pace, I turned around and ran back at some point, and eventually my watch hit 24:39 (it was ingrained in my head), and it was time to end the tempo and go to cool down. I was tired and the last few minutes burned, but when I looked at my splits later and saw that I had run 1.88 miles in those 15 minutes at an average pace of 7:58/mile I was so proud of myself. I had done it! I had nailed my first workout of the plan. Source: healthy-fit-happy.tumblr.com via Maggie on Pinterest I know there will be days that doesn't happen, but for my first attempt, I'm glad it wasn't today! As soon as I finished, I thought ahead to next week and what 20 minutes will feel like. It made me nervous that I won't be able to push on, but then I thought that maybe over time I'd just get better and more accustomed to it and will be able to build on as I keep doing speed work and training harder than I have before. 

Source: believe-toachieve.tumblr.com via meghan on Pinterest

I don't give it a lot of credit, but running fast (for me) is pretty fun. While logging miles is nice most days, I'm realizing that this whole running fast thing is going to be a lot more fulfilling. These four miles felt so much more purposeful than a lot of my previous four mile runs have felt. I'm looking forward to getting better and being able to run at that pace for even longer!
So, to summarize: -You've got to run fast to run fast.  -Tempo runs are at a pace 15-30 seconds faster than race pace. -I did it!
This afternoon I'm headed out for a 6 miler, and I have two thoughts. I'm a little disappointed that there won't be a certain speed that I'm trying to hit and that it's filler miles, but at the same time I'm a little happy to just enjoy the miles. I think these workouts will make me enjoy and feel peace in the non-goal runs more than I have in the past. I'll look forward to the speed work to feel fast and accomplished, and I'll look forward to the "just run" miles to enjoy the run and not feel the pressure to hit a certain speed. 
Do you do speedwork? What is your favorite kind? Does it change your perspective of the "non-speed" miles?

fun facts friday, February goals, and link love

I opened up Facebook this morning and saw Chelsey's post in my news feed. I went to bed last night with complete write's block and hadn't been able to think of anything of any significance to write about. When I saw her fun facts, I decided that I would write some fun facts about myself too. 
So here goes...

1. I don't watch much television during the week, because I can't get into shows very easily. Every single show I watch comes on either Sunday night or Monday night. Between Downton Abbey, Girls, Kortney and Kim take Miami (it's true...), The Bachelor, and Biggest Loser, I have a week's full of shows right there. But I never want to wait to watch them. I watch them all the night they come on or the day after. The worst part about that? It makes me want Sunday and Monday night to come faster! Who wishes away time for those two days for Pete's sake? 
2. Lauren made something for me for the baby shower that I'm throwing this weekend, and she texted me about picking it up and said we could do HH. I had no idea that stood for Happy Hour. We're meeting tonight, and I'm excited! This will be one of my first Happy Hour only experiences! Do you happy hour a lot? Can I use Happy Hour as a verb?
3. I got an email from Victoria's Secret yesterday with some new sweatshirts they have that I love. Because I teach middle school, though, I look at the "Pink" on the shirt and wonder id I'm getting too old for it. Probably, right?

4. I bought a Keurig yesterday after talking about my Starbucks obsession. I also bought some pods to go in it. And then I boiled extra eggs last night when I made cobb salad for dinner. But I left the Keurig in the car overnight, and what do you think I had for breakfast? Starbucks...last time! I'm declaring it here. I will setup that Keurig tonight and won't have Starbucks again for the whole month of February. Not once.

Whole Living Cobb Salad

5. I made cobb salad for dinner last night with chicken, turkey bacon, avocado, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, and a delicious dressing. It was one of my favorite meals of the week, and it was really easy! I'd say it's lean, green, and clean too. 
6. We refinanced our house in January, and somehow that ended up meaning we don't have a house payment this month because it got wrapped into something (I'm not a mortgage broker...). I should totally be saving all of that money, but I have all these things I want to buy instead. I'm definitely going to save at least half of it.
7. I'm talking with someone about transitioning to WordPress. I'll probably do it this month. I'm also going to join Katy's Challenge and work on some other sprucing up in my social media accounts.
8. I'm playing SuperBowl squares again this year for Sunday, and it makes watching the game that much more fun. I ended up with some good numbers, so I'm excited for the chance of being one of the winners. I'm not very lucky with work pools, so hopefully this is the weekend that changes!
9. I have a Facebook Page that I don't talk much about, but I'm trying to post there more frequently and make it another platform to talk with you on. Does your blog have a Facebook page? 

Source: lovelybride.com via Lizette on Pinterest

10. It's Friday! In case you weren't aware? I told a student on Monday afternoon to have a good weekend, so that's the pace that this week has kept for me! Enjoy your weekend! I'm running a 10k, hosting a baby shower, and going to a Superbowl party! What are you up to?
A Few February Goals and some link love from this week... I didn't make January Goals and kind of regret it, so I'm going to do a few goals for February. 1. No Starbucks at all for the whole month after today. Make breakfast and coffee at home. 2. Read a book. One. Even two if I like the first one. But start with one. 3. Run a four mile or longer run at sub 9 minute mile average pace. 4. Run a 5k. PR it. 5. Start a clean eating plan and make the changes necessary to stick with it.
Link Love! Kat spoke truth in regards to friendships at high moments in life.
Lindsay wrote about grocery shopping and prep to prepare the week.
Though not an individual blogger, Mary shared a great post from BlueGlass about community engagement for blogging.
Clare shared some social media tips I appreciated (I must be really into learning about blogging right now).
Jesica talked about being the runner you are instead of comparing yourself to others.
And lastly, Janae shared an insane video of Galen Rupp running at cheetah-like speeds after running a 3:50 mile. His workout after that is awe-inspiring.