Spirit of the Marathon

I just downloaded Netflix on our PS3 and feel like a kid in a candy store. I'll never have to go to rent movies from Blockbuster and the Redbox again! Yay. I scanned through as many categoeis as i possibly could be for I sttled on a solo movie night since the boys went out.

1st on my list was "Spirit of the Marathon" I heard so much about this movie and couldn't wait to watch it. I dont think many people understand the courage and spirit someone has to have to complete this incredibly crazy endurnace event. You start one person and finish a completely changed different person.

Watching a little bit about the history of women in the marathon was so amazing. Katherine Switzer was the first woman to run a marathon, and entered the race under K. Switzer in order to get a bib. The film showed still shots of Katherine Switzer almost being pulled out of the 1967 Boston Marathon by a race organizer were so emotional. She able to complete the race when her supporter and boyfriend and other male supporters help "safegaurd" Switzer. The fact that she didnt give up was so inspiring. Spitzer paved the way for some of the most amazing, strong long distance female atheltes like Paula Radcliffe, Deena Kastor, Kara Goucher.

I got choked up several times watching the runners thinking, Hey that happened to me. I felt like that. The internal battle Of, you can't do this/ YES, I can. I know I look like a train hit me and I am still going. Can I just crawl across the finish line. And that final surge of energy that comes from nowhere when you realize that this going to happen. I am going to cross that line and have a life altering experience.

Ladies, get out there, get running, sign up for a marathon, its because of her tenacity and perservence that it is possible for you to tackle that 26.2 miles.

"The Triump over the adversity, that is what the marathon is about"-K. Switzer

Challenges for 2011

Ok so, I have come up with 2 challenges for myself for the year in addition to my goals for 2011.

Challenge #1
Run at least 1 mile a day for 364 days.

I was inspired after scanning Twitter under the #running hash tag when I came upon a user. Geez, I feel so bad cause I can't remember her handle, but she had posted something to the effect that she was on her 1234 day of running at least 1 mi or more. And I started thinking "Damn! That is a hell of a record." I don't think it should be a largely difficult challenge to complete but I have to MAKE time no matter how busy or how ugly the weather or day is.

Challenge #2
Log 1,000 miles over the course of 1 year.

Oh Sheeeeeeet. That is a big goal, especially considering I only really started to get back into the groove of running back in April of this year. Ok, ok I confess, the reason real I want to do this one is Nike has a super cute 1,000 mile club shirt. I am a material girl. I like to sport my accomplisments. I think I might just buy the shirt and not wear it until I've killed the 1,000 miles. It averages out to 2.75 miles a day. Considering challenge 1 where I'll run at least one mile a day plus training for 2 HM and possibly 4 FM, I should SHATTER this challenge and get to be part of the 1,000 mile club. :D
(If by mid year I'm 3-400 miles away from the 1k I'll increse the challenge by a few 100's)

I'll post my daily and total weekly milage each Sunday, so you guys can watch my numbers climb!!!!!

Run the Causeway = Oh, Cra(m)p!

So my race calender says I'll be running a 10k in about 1o days... my legs say otherwise. Being off on vacation for 2 weeks has been fabulous but today was my first run in nearly 2 entire weeks. I purposely slept in until 11 this morning, forcing myself to enjoy the warmth undercovers. Until I realized how guilty I felt for not being outside enjoying the cool running weather with that nagging thought I dragged my butt out of bed and immediately began scavenging for my things.

I got to wear a couple of my new Christmas gifts, a pair of Nike running capri's which I had been oogling at the outlet mall forever and a purple nike dri -fit running tech tee (both gifts from my awesome bf). I finally charged my Garmin, strapped on my HRM grabbed my tunes, spare key and went out the door. Normally by 11:30 it would be nearly impossible to run in our Texas heat but we have been fortunate enough to have a couple of "cold" fronts blow through which made my mid morning run a possiblilty. Thank you baby Jesus.

I kept in mind the entire way that next Saturday I would be running my first 10k across Queen Isabella Causeway from Port Isabel to South Padre Island! Crap! 4 miles of that race is going to be an uphill battle. The picture below....is of the bridge....uh. yeah. Looking at it sort of terrifies me right now. : /I dont quite know how my legs are going to fare but I am gonna do it. I hope my legs dont get tight and cramp up. This morning, I pushed myself to pump out a little over a 5 mi run. 45 mins. Not bad, not good, just alright. I think I need to get in a 6 or 7 mi to reintroduce my body to running longer distances. I havent run more than 5mi since Rock N Roll SA in November. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a better running day. This picture HAS to be my motivator to do better. I've place in my age division in the short races I've run so far, I want to keep my streak going.

2011 Race Schedule...

I am a neurotic planner by nature. I have this thing about planning big, medium, and small events in advance because I just like to know what to expect. Especially when it comes to the massive work I am planning to demand from my body this year I have to have a plan.
I have totally been bit by the running bug. The Long Distance running bug that is. I have convinced my good friend Kayla to train with me, so we can both run out first 1/2 marathon. I am so excited to be doing this with a friend. It is so much fun and great motivation to train with a buddy. I decided to run 26.2 for my first long race like a mad woman, now I get to work backwards.

So I this is what my calender looks like so far. I'll spice in some shorter distances throughout the year.

2011 Half and Full Marathon Schedule

• BorderFest Half Marathon in Mcallen, Texas on March 6th, 2011. It is supposed to be similar to the Rock N Roll Series with local bands playing along the course but on a smaller scale. I love the fact that it is close to home. The entry isn't super expensive and I don't need to get a hotel or drive far to race.
• Zooma Women's Half Marathon in Austin, Texas on April 16th 2011. Dubbed a women's weekend race offering a post race expo with champagne, massages, and shopping. A little on the pricey side as the race will be held at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort. Its best that you stay at the resort or risk missing race start time. :/ On the bright side the hotel looks GORGEOUS!
• Frankenthon Monster Marathon in Cedar Park, Texas in October date not yet set. Small race, no expo but it looks like a good race to do. The course is a 3 loop 8.75 mile course, which for some maybe tedious and boring but I like the fact that breaks up the race into a more mentally managable distance. Also if you have friends and family who plan to come and cheer you on they can see you a several points during the race unlike at BIG events.
• Rock N Roll Marathon San Antonio in (duh) San Antonio, Texas on November 13, 2011. I had such a good time at this race last year. I just hope I dont hit the wall again as hard as I did before. It was a horrible mile 22-24. But the atmosphere, the people, the event and volunteers were awesome. Must register early and on a savings day!
• Fiesta Marathon in Mcallen, Texas in December. Hometown Marathon, Flat Course, Familiar Route. It should be a good race and I'll have a chance to meander my way around the expo. yay.

If my parents are still living in Virgina I would hope to run The North Face Edurance Trail Marathon in Washington D.C. I think it would be so awesome to truely get out and be one with nature in the woods. That would be bliss.

I knew when I started running when I was younger my parents would foot the bill for my escapades, shoes, clothes, race entries. Now, its all on me. I've got to be smart, register with plenty of time and take advantage of the savings, shop around for as many deals as I can find on my must have items.

Maybe after running a half, that nice bug will chomp on my friend Kayla and she'll run a want to run a marathon with me. YES. Kayla, I am calling you out. We'll see how she feels after our half, maybe I'll ask her in her post race delirium when you say yes to anything because you think its food.

What half and full marathons are on your schedule this coming year???

Just My Luck!

So this week has been a killer! With wrapping up the last week of school for the students, our annual campus christmas party, buying gifts for secret santas, a birthday party for a friend, I am so pooped!

So this week I missed my Friday TurboFire workout due to said, Christmas party and Birthday party. I crammed it in yesterday feeling much better about the fact that for the next 2 weeks, I get to workout on my own terms. No students, no super early mornings, no rushed breakfasts. Not to mention, I get to try out my gift exchange goodies. My friends and coworkers know me well. Anything fitness and I am happy.

My Secret Santa, our school coach, surprised me with a Nike running headband/earwarmer and a Under Armour loose fit/short sleeve tech tee. She did a great job! I had been complaining that needed an earwarmer in for our cold weather days (60F) Haha. Now if I can only get my boyfriend to replace my running gloves which he decided to use as gloves for when he golfs....

My students tickled me pink, buy picking up my not so subtle hints on loving snowmen for Christmas. They gifted me with some uber cute holiday treats. A snowman cake platter and knife, snowman candles. I made thier day by giving them a surprise "It's Vacation Time" party. Pizza, juice, chips and all. We watched Despicable Me to cap off the long first half of the year. It truely was a treat to us all. Some how I managed to keep my room spic n span so I could jet as soon as our christmas party was over.

I am working on my 2011 Race Schedule and Goals keep an eye for that post next!

Runner's Tip #2: High Visibility

Be Seen!!!!!!!

Oh My Goodness. I can't tell you how important it is to be a visible runner. I should start counting how many times I see runners and walkers in the early morning and after sunset out and about in black, grey and dark colors! If you do this you are just asking to get HIT!

As a force of habit. I go for high visiblity.

I currently wear:

Ankle reflectors

Our xcountry coach in high school made us wear these ungodly thing on our early morning runs and they saved us. We played around with them of course wearing them as head bands and arm bands doing everything but wearing them the way were supposed to. I invested in a cheap pair of ankle reflectors from Academy for about $5. REI has some great reflectors you can purchase for just about the same amount.

Hat/Visor with Reflective Strips.

I am now obsessed with wearing hats when I run. At first, I wore one because my hair was too short to fit snugly in my ponytail and I would look like a beast by the end of my run, so I would cover it up and pull my ponytail through the hole in the back. Now that my hair is much longer, I still wear the hat. I feel naked without it. That reflective material will signal to drivers that someone is out there. This Adidas Women's Marathon hat has the reflective strips on the bill and is made of moisture wicking material. I own this one in White and Grey about $16.95 from Running Warehouse

White workout tops.

I will scrounge around my dresser looking for anything light colored when I intend to workout outdoors. Friends, believe me when I say it's great to look cute when you workout but be smart about it. There are countless times when I have had near misses with pedestrians who were not being wise about thier apparel and accessory choices. Under Armour has some great light colored tech long sleeves about $23

I am going to buy:

A head lamp Since the fall time change, my running days are getting shorter and shorter. I have small window from about 5:15-6:45 to get my miles in before it is almost black as pitch. I hope getting a head lamp will light my way and keep me in the sight of drivers and give me more time outdoors. I like this one from Black Diamons about $19. from Running Warehouse

I hope these tips inspire you to take a look at your running gear and maybe update it, add some cute things but also things that will save your life!

Do you have any high visibilty products you love or things that keep you safe?

Leave a comment and share!

Happy Running Y'all!

Holdiay Weekend

This weekend we had our first Holiday Party at our great friend Kayla and Balde's. It was so much fun. We had a potluck dinner and everyone brought thier specialty side. I made a Creamy Chili Corn Casserole a recipe which I hijacked from my coworker Layla and some Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffin another recipe I stole last year from our school nurse Sandra. I'll add the recipe for the Chili Corn Casserole at the end.



We really had to squeeze in a for a group photo op. I am on the far right

The day before all the ladies got together to make some sweet treats below are the sugar cookies I decorated. I especially love my gingerbread bikini girl!


While searching and updating my Christmas list for my honey, I decided to catch up on one of my favorite bloggers. Danica aka the Chic Runner Danica writes a great running blog, funny, insightful and informative. She is awesome all around girl. I would meet her one day. Not to mention get goodies for review company products.

Well, I entered one of Danica's giveaways for Punk Rock Racing by responding with a holiday tradition. She had posted the winners and there was a Jennifer. I'm thinking what are the chances THAT Jennifer being me. We turns out it WAS me. The link opened up my blog! I am stoked I won the Punk Rock Racing Hat :)


I'll leave you all with one of our final crazy pictures after a couple glasses of wine or whatever we were drinking this is the result. It was a great, great night. I can't wait till next year's party.

Race Recap: Jingle Bell Jaunt 5k

This morning I decided to run my first race since RNRSA...It's been nearly 3 weeks. And I couldnt stay away.

The University (UTB) was holding thier Jingle Bell Jaunt Annual Holiday 5K. I put in about 20 miles this week and thought what the hell? If I dont do a race now then I won't get back into the groove of training. There were two 5ks scheduled one was a trail run which I planned to do but when I used the GPS on my phone the directions just seemed to confusing. I dont have the greatest internal compass so I had a feeling I'd get lost. UTB is easy to get to. I pushed myself out of bed to make the 30 min drive out to Brownsville.

When I got there it at 7, there was hardly anyone there. I was just waiting for the tumbleweeds to roll by, I thought the race might have been cancelled. I saw the cones and thought game on. If there are less people here, the more chance I have to do well in my division. :) I figured that because the University was sponsering the race there would be tons of people.....there was only 46 participants.

The race shirts were cute. While long sleeves, with a holiday theme snowflakes and what not. I would have much rather had a volunteer shirt. They were dark blue instead of white the design looked way cooler on those.

The gun went off and BOOOOOOOM! The younger kids took off like a shot gun. I tried to keep up and checked my garmin off and on I was pacing at 7:30 for the first mile. The second mile rolled up and I had dropped to 8:00 which was more comfortable. I grabbed a cup of water and ended up spilling more on my clothes and face than drinking it. At 2.5 we ran by the ROTC's PT group and it was about 100 guys oogling all the girl runners. Not nice. And THEN someone backed out of a parking spot right in front of me, forcing me really slow down. JERK! I picked it back up a little at the end and got back under 8 min mile. I pushed through and finished the race in 23:30! A PR for the 5K! YAY me!

After the race, I chat with a couple of people who ran RNRSA a half and a full finisher. It was nice to rehash our triumphs and tragedies. I'm glad that I am not the only one who hit THE nasty WALL. And we all agreed that the hill at the end of the SA race was a cruel sick joke! LOL.

In the end I finished:
2nd female overall
2nd in my division F 20-24
11th overall.
Not bad for a mornings work. Not to mention our awards were adorable chirstmas ornaments!

Look for more pictures soon. I need to steal some from UTB once they post them on the Rec Center Website.

HIIT! TurboFire®

So I just put in my order for TurboFire! Ahhh! TurboFire seems like its going to be an awesome workout. I can't wait to try it out. I hope it lives up to burning 9x the fat. I have a bet going with the honey on who can get a six pack first. I totally think I can do it. I've dropped nearly 15 lbs since February and that hint of abs is coming out. Check out this vid below to see what I'm getting myself into.

I am going to be using this and RevAb to crosstrain.





I AM STOKED!