Tag: Travel

February Rewind

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I’m thrilled that February is over. For being such a short month, it always seems to drag on. I’m not the biggest fan of March, but we’re one step closer to spring….well hopefully. February was a rough one, not only with the weather, but it took a beating on my body. I was in the final two weeks of my 5 week work trips and getting sick was something I was starting to grow accustom to. Let’s take a look at the numbers, and cross our fingers this is the last month of terribly cold weather and snow every day.

Miles run: 47

Races run: 1 (Frosty 5k)

Miles biked: 4 Miles

Favorite Workout: 2/19 Speed work- Mile Repeats

Books read: 1 (Thinking in New Boxes)

Places traveled: 2 (Dallas & St. Louis)

New recipes: 0

I was down 4 miles from January, but considering there were a few less days, I think I was just about on track. I didn’t actually start half marathon training until the 10th, so the week before was a little low on miles before diving in head first. I was also sick as a dog in Dallas, which meant every free moment, I spent sleeping instead of running. But I’m healthy now, so I’m hoping to get well beyond that mileage for March. My favorite workout (new point for the monthly recap) was my first speed day of the training cycle. I did two mile repeats, 8:12 and 8:02, and completed 4.5 miles in 39 minutes. This workout definitely gave me hopes of some fast races coming up!

I did get some miles in on the stationary bike, but no where near my goal. I can definitely see this number going up once the weather is nice and I can spend more time outside rather than trapped inside the gym. However, I have been using my Body Fusion class as cross training and it’s been great! Two months in and I can lift more than I expected and I’m finally getting toned in my arms and back.

I finished up my travels to Dallas, where it snowed, and to St. Louis for work. I wish I could have stayed in St. Louis longer to explore the city, but it gives me an excuse to come back to run someday. I also read “Thinking in New Boxes” for work, which was interesting, but I felt it was definitely a book I would have read in grad school. I’ll be back into my own books now, as soon as I can pull myself away from House of Cards.

So there we have it. February was spent running, traveling, being sick, and waiting for spring. I’m hoping to add at least 20 more miles to what I did in February, hopefully get some time on the bike and maybe dive into a few books.

What was your most exciting thing you did in February? Are you sick of winter as much as me?

A Weekend in Austin

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Two weeks ago, I spent a short weekend in Austin. The plan was to meet up with fellow bloggers/runners from across the states and run the 3M Half Marathon. I flew in Friday morning, and by the time I made it to the hotel, I noticed an unwelcome guest had invited themselves on to the trip…the flu. Because my hotel mates weren’t arriving until later I spent the day curled up in bed trying to make myself better for the rest of the weekend. First day of exploring the city turned into a major fail.

Once Courtney and Luke arrived, we went out for a bite to eat, hoping that food would make me feel better. We checked out Dog and Duck Pub, and had I felt better I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Saturday I still wasn’t feeling my best so I took the morning easy. Once I was good on my feet we decided we’d try to get as much in as we could. First stop was the expo. It wasn’t big, but it was perfect on my wallet. Dollars spent=$0.

Expo time

Expo time

Afterward we headed down to the lake. We hung out at the dog park that didn’t require leashes…perfect puppy borrowing opportunity. Not only did I see some adorable pooches, but I scored some pretty good pictures of the city.

Downtown Austin

Downtown Austin

After driving around and taking in the views of the city, we stopped at a running store and then headed out to a late lunch. We stopped at Abel’s on the Lake and met up with Courtney’s sister and boyfriend who both live in Austin. I highly recommend eating here. Everything on the menu looks great. And yes, it over looks the lake.

Sisters and me

Sisters and me

Afterward we checked out more of Austin and met up with Courtney’s dad who was in town for the race. Seriously such a nice family. By this time it was approaching dinner, which meant it was time for our pre-race dinner! We went to Melissa‘s house and met her boyfriend Brad and Paula, who were also running 3M the next day. It was a great dinner filled with talk of running, travel, and friends.

3M Ladies

3M Ladies

Following dinner we headed back to the hotel and as soon as we were asleep, race day appeared. Post race activities included spending lunch at Abel’s on the Lake, again. (Yes, it really is that good) We were joined by Sam and Jared, who were awesome race spectators.

Austin crew

Austin crew

The afternoon concluded with a very long and delayed flight back to Ohio, but I left Austin with great memories. It was a weekend full of a beautiful city, a wonderful race and awesome friends. I’m definitely looking forward to my next trip to Austin.

Also, check out the bag we got from 3M, products you’ll actually use!

3M Swag Bag

3M Swag Bag

3M Half Prep

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It’s race week and Sunday is the 3M Half Marathon in Austin, Texas. With only a few days left to go, I ask myself a few questions. Am I ready? Will I be able run the race? Any chance of a PR? The answer is no. By no means am I ready to run Sunday, I honestly don’t know if I’ll even be able to finish the race. After my two weeks required off from running in early December, I never really got back into my training. I was scared of hurting my rib cage again, and honestly I was burnt out. I was mentally done with running for the year. I had trained non stop for the last 12 months and my passion for the sport was quickly fading.

I thought I’d pick up my training again when I had 11 days off around the holidays. I didn’t. Instead I took time to visit with friends and family and finally give myself a few days to relax, reboot and get ready for the new year. Shortly before vacation was over, we finally got a pass at the local rec center. Bikes, treadmills, ellipticals and an indoor track were at my disposal every day. Here it is, just a few days before the race and I haven’t put that much effort into picking up my training. I’ve run a few times, always with shorter mileage, but never pushed myself into a long run. I never felt that urge until this weekend.

So what do I expect as I had down to Austin? Do I pull a DNS? No, I’m going to start and give it my all. If I learned anything last year, it was that somehow my body just knows running. It’s what I’ve been doing my entire life. I may be out of shape, and my training runs have been non existent, but I’m still a runner, and my body can still pull through. I’m not expecting a PR, but I know that I will be disappointed regardless. I let my training go and it will surely show as I step to the line on Sunday.

But with every disappointment, there is a silver lining. I know that I still have that love for running, and sometimes you just need to let it be for a while and realize how true that feeling is. What I’m most excited for is seeing friends and exploring the beautiful city of Austin. I’m in this weekend for the experience, not for redemption on my training.

If you want to follow some true rock stars on race day check out our 3M team:

Rocky Mountain Love

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Over the weekend I finally took my vacation for the year. It couldn’t have come at a better time, with stress completely smothering me. The plan was spend Thursday to Monday out in Colorado, split up the time between Vail, Steamboat Springs and Denver. Due to a snow storm that came through and our lack of experience driving snow covered mountain roads, we had to unfortunately cut out Steamboat and head back to Denver. It was a wonderful trip filled with beautiful views, relaxation and enough food and drinks to keep us happy until Thanksgiving. My personal favorite day was Friday, which was filled with running in the mountains, shopping, and a spa day. Who wouldn’t enjoy that.

Rather than dive into all the details, I’ll share some of my favorite pictures from the trip. The best part, I didn’t get altitude sickness this time! Win for me. We did however travel to Breckenridge, which is at 9,600 feet. I felt a little lightheaded, but I luckily beat the altitude this time around. I’m still in love with Denver, and cannot wait until I can call it home…one day.

Perfection is just over those mountains

Vail Village

Beautiful snowy views

Oh, just some snowy roads

Breckenridge in all it’s beauty

Do we look like Coloradans?

The most beautiful view in Denver

Someday, home sweet home

Have you ever been to Colorado or been in the Rocky Mountains? Did you take a vacation this year?

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 10

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Going in I knew this week would be crazy, but also very important. If I didn’t get a long run in, I knew I wouldn’t be ready for Columbus. Starting off with the long weekend, I took Monday as a day to catch up on sleep, unpack and survive allergies. I followed up the weekend with a work trip to Mississauga, a city outside of Toronto. I wasn’t able to check out the city like before, but I did take advantage of some fantastic food. Seriously, I’ve never had a bad meal in the Toronto area.

My feet and legs took a small beating after standing for two days and riding in the car for 6 straight hours both ways. However, I was able to get a short run in while I was there and another after I got back. I wanted to be careful during the week, because I had a weekend filled of racing that I wanted to be ready for.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 2 Miles

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: 3 Miles

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday:  3 Miles (Run for the Record 5k)

Sunday: 14 Miles (River Run Half Marathon)

Total Miles: 22 Miles

Saturday was my easy race day, I paced my sister in her first 5k. I found the race months ago, and decided it should be a pretty flat course. The weather was ideal as it stopped raining about 5 minutes before the start. It was a good event and I’m proud of Claire for finishing her first 5k. She’ll have her recap posted here later this week.

Sunday was my second race of the weekend. I needed the miles, so I figured the best way to get them done was to sign up for a half. I even added an extra mile once I got back home. I’ll have that recap later this week as well.

Overall, I had a pretty good week. My weekday runs need to be a little bit longer, but so do my weekend runs. I feel much more confident about Columbus training now, knowing I can still get the long miles in even though I had to take some time off. And an added bonus to this week, I became a Sweat Pink Ambassador. I’m excited to continue to grow myself as a runner and learn more from this group!

The Big Easy

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Last week I spent some time down south, New Orleans to be exact. Most of my time was spent at a product safety conference, but I was able to break away the day before things started and a spent a little bit of time touring the city. I’d never been to New Orleans, and I had never traveled alone for a work trip. Nervous? Slightly, but still excited to check out why everyone loves the city so much. I flew in Monday late afternoon and was able to spend about an hour walking the streets of the French Quarter…

St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square

Mississippi River

French Quarter charm

The city had a lot of character, and characters. I didn’t want to stay out too long. Tiny blonde, walking by herself in a new city? Probably not a good idea. But I was glad to experience a little bit of the New Orleans scene.

 
Tuesday morning I was up and out the door of my cute hotel by 8am. I was ready to take on the streets, when all of a sudden I started melting. The temperature and humidity were both 85, hello sweat fest! I sucked it up and headed north until I made it to the famous Bourbon Street….

Bourbon Street

So empty and clean

After snapping a picture, I headed back and finished my mini tour by foot with a little over 1.5 miles logged. Not a lot, but a decent run, with my pace near 8:30 and a constant battle of stopping and starting back up at stop signs.

The majority of my time was spent inside a nice air conditioned ballroom, learning about rules and regulations. But I was able to try some Louisiana cuisine with gumbo and jambalaya. The best thing about the south…sweat tea 🙂

I’m glad I got to spend a quick visit in the Big Easy, I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I definitely want to check out the historical factors of the city. New Orleans is also on my list of the 25 challenge. Who knows, the next time I’m down here I may be running 13.1 miles through the French Quarter.

Platte River Training: Week 4

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Here it is, a month into training and I can’t believe how quickly it’s going by. It’s also exactly 3 months until my birthday 😉

This past week was another busy one, I was in Toronto most of the week for work so following my training was difficult, luckily it was supposed to be a light week. I knew going in that the weeks I traveled  would be the hardest. And again, I’m glad they’re in the beginning of training, instead of right at the end. Just like in Vegas I spent four days on my feet from sun up to sun down, so the last thing I wanted to do at the end of the day was run. I was able to get a run in around Toronto, and it was a great way to see the city. The weekend brought two bad workouts, I’m hoping to get out of the funk, but I suppose everybody has bad days once in a while…

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 2.5 Miles

Wednesday: 0

Thursday: 0

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 2 Miles Run, 2.5 Miles Bike

Sunday: 4.5 Miles Bike

This week I’m on the road again, a different city every day. I’m hoping that since I’ll be traveling alone I won’t have any distractions and I’ll be able to get back on my training. Four weeks down, 12 to go!

Show me what you got

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2011 was pretty awesome, but I hope 2012 can be even better. I’ve made goals and plans and hopes for the next year. Of course these will change as the year goes on, but I think I can take on anything that comes my way. Here’s my goals and plans for the next year!

Goals

  • Run a PR for the half marathon
  • Run a full marathon (I’m taking the plunge!!)
  • Run four half marathons in four new states
  • Run seven half marathons
  • Travel!
  • Volunteer at races
  • Try a duathlon
  • Raise and donate money for the American Diabetes Association
  • Learn German
  • Learn to cook…no more pasta diet

Plans

  • Vegas, Toronto, Dallas, Chicago, Long Beach-Work trips!
  • Colorado, Indiana, Maine, Nashville-Running trips!
  • CLE Half, round 2!
  • Columbus Full Marathon, yes that’s 26.2 miles!

So far a lot of traveling, but I’m looking forward to every trip. And like I said, I’m sure more will be added, but I’d say I have some pretty exciting things to look forward to!

What are your goals or plans for 2012?