My lucky number

 Tomorrow is the big day! I'm getting super excited and also really nervous. There's just so much I'm unsure of because I've never run a race so of course I'll be eager to update you all tomorrow night...or Sunday or Monday. Really I'm right out straight all weekend and Monday but I promise to write out a post the second I get a chance to sit down at my computer! :)

After what felt like ages in construction traffic, I got to pick up my packet! I called my sister the second I was in my car because my race number is 6! It's weird but I have always thought of 6 as my "lucky number." My birthday is 6/6 and there's been other stuff in my life that corresponds to that number as well. Needless to say, I was a little tickled. 

Hurray race bib!

I did my final pre-race run this morning. 2.25 miles around campus in the ice and snow! I was up and at 'em before they salted the sidewalks so I definitely ran in place a few times but no falling! Of course I did fall when I left the dorm for real later on after the salt had already been put on, so obviously I'm much more graceful when I run. The cold was what killed me though. My weather app read 30 degrees when I woke up but it was so much colder than that! It was way too cold out for my lungs to handle and I started to wheeze after the first mile and a half or so, love my lungs. I took my inhaler and it was immediate relief, just gotta roll with the punches I guess.

I did finish the first two miles in 20:29 this morning and the overall run in 23 minutes flat. For weather conditions like the one I was fighting, I'll take it!

Then I warmed up with a big bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter and freeze dried banana slices mixed in. SO good! The freeze dried bananas gave it such a nice crunch while the peanut butter is just perfect as always. I was going to eat a Clif bar tomorrow morning but I just love this combo way too much to give it up yet (until I get sick of it). 

First ever race shirt!

I'm sure all of you are probably annoyed with my constant talking about running, races, food and such. I know my friends probably are by now at least. But it truly helps keep my accountable by announcing that I am going to do something. If I didn't announce it or talk about it then it would be so much easier for me to quit or skip a run without others knowing. So thank you all for taking time to read my ramblings, I truly appreciate it. Thanks everyone!

An assortment of news

It's CRAZY to think about how blessed I've been this past week. Let me fill you in on some highlights (some you may already know, while some things most of you definitely don't).

1. I got a JOB! It took me a while but I found one that was the perfect fit for me because it is on campus and fills up those annoying breaks between classes that I got stuck with this semester. I am (almost officially) an office assistant at the Career Center here at school! They were all so helpful during the mess of switching majors last year which makes me even more excited to work with them!

2. I ran 3.1 miles straight! And felt like I could keep running, hellooooo runner's high.

3. I have now lost 30 pounds and am 2.3 from goal (as of last Wednesday, I haven't weighed myself since)

4. I got a size 4 dress over the weekend and it fits quite nicely. And I've never been a size 4. Hollaaa!

The dress I bought one in the picture. It's my new favorite thing in the world to wear. Also: my room has been obnoxiously clean lately so I'm not even cringing at the background when I look at this picture. Progress everyone, progress.





4. And last but certainly not least, I signed up for my first race ever last night....and it's this weekend. I'm insane! But it's "just" a two-miler (Whooo says that?! I hate when people say "Oh I just ran 5 miles today, it was an easy day." So rude.) I'm super nervous for a zillion reasons but also really excited. It's for scholarships and such for the Boys and Girl's Club in Downtown Lynchburg, which is a pretty awesome thing to be contributing to. So I'm doing it, no backing out. That and I'm too cheap to back out ;)



Off course the downfall of signing up last night for a race that will be held this weekend: only 4 days of training! Eek! I did Day 1 this afternoon and ran 2 miles in under 21 minutes so I might shoot for that. Honestly, my goal is to have fun and enjoy myself while also attempting to push my limits. Training for the rest of the week includes 1 interval run, 1 run outdoors (weather permitting), a rest day, and another 2-3 mile run.  I'm starting to get really excited!




There's been a few other little things going on but those are the highlights.

Also: I tried a Clif bar this morning. I have been reading a lot of good reviews on it lately so I bought one the other day. I definitely thought it would be dense but not nearly as dense as it turned out but that's okay because it filled me up so well. And at only 240 calories, it was kind of a steal.

Of course I didn't think to take a picture of it until after I had chomped on the bar for a while, so this is a picture of the wrapper and my computer screen.

That's about all of the fun and excitement I've got for today, off to knock out just a little bit more homework before calling it a night!

Running in the Snow

Well yesterday I started doing something that I have been terrified to do since Day 1 of this whole working-towards-a-race thing: I ran OUTSIDE! And it felt so dang good!

I've been terrified for multiple reasons:
1. My asthma--this time of year the cold really quirks with my lungs and it's been super cold.
2. Dogs---I've read lots of stories about people being bit by dogs while running so I was a little terrified. 
3. Pavement---Okay I'm not really scared of pavement, but I've read how bad it is on your knees. I have researched some trails but I don't want to venture too far from home right away.

Right now I am planning on running my first race this spring and the weather was supposed to hit the 30's this week (SO warm compared to the negative numbers last week!) so I figured why the heck not.

Of course, yesterday's run was my worst nightmare as far as a first run goes though. I was antsy to go for a run before work but didn't have enough time to drive all the way to the gym and back and shower before I had to leave again for work.

Issue #1: My Nike+iPod app sucks. Seriously. I was planning on running around my neighborhood since it is a quiet loop and figured it was a quarter of a mile. I did a warm up walk once around and the app kept saying to walk around to activate my sensor. After the warm up lap it hadn't activated so I turned it off and put on my music to run with instead. So annoying.

Since I figured out each lap was about a quarter of a mile, I figured 4 laps would be one and I would see how I was feeling after that. I ended up doing 5 or 6 then decided to run on this other quiet road next to my loop to finish off the run. 

Issue #2: Big Dog. I was halfway down the road when this massive dog starts running down the road after me. AWESOME. So I screamed like a thirteen year old and kept going. 

Issue #3: Busy roads. I didn't want my first run to be on a busy road at all. I hit the end of the road and the road next to it is significantly busier. But there was no way around the dog. So I sprinted down that road, turned and sprinted on the next busy-ish road and was back into my development. What a workout!

If my app had been running, I'm almost convinced it would of read 3 miles especially after I learned how long my loop really is today. 

I downloaded this app: MapMyRun and it was perfect! Today was significantly colder but I decided to give the app a try and see how far I could go. I was able to set it to do half mile splits. After each mile a voice would come over my phone telling me I had run a mile, how much time had passed, and what my pace was. Since it was via GPS I trust what the distance was and it told me that each lap around the block was .35 miles! So I definitely had to of run 3 miles yesterday, woohoo!

Today's run was so much better than yesterday's! I ran 2.25 miles despite the cold and definitely could of done 3 if I wanted to push it. But I didn't, not yet at least. 

So yeah, there's a long boring post about running outside. I hope everyone's break is going well! I'm starting to get pumped to leave for school this weekend.