I'm Ready!

My training schedule for the St. Jude Half-Marathon officially starts today!

You guys will be hearing about this for the next 17 weeks (and probably for a few weeks after that), so for now I'll just say that I'm more excited about this race than I have ever been about a race before.  

Everything is in place, and I'm SO READY to get started. 

1.) I'm in such a good place mentally- my confidence has been boosted after finishing the San Francisco half feeling strong and happy. I was really nervous about this race- I really doubted my abilities to do well. For the 2-3 weeks leading up to the race I was busy and stressed, working too much, feeling like I hadn't trained for long enough, and had a few (or several) bad runs.  

Now, that weight has been lifted, things have slowed down (a little bit), and I'm going to enjoy getting back at it!

2. I've got Adam on my team. I have really enjoyed having him coach me- it's great to have a schedule custom made for me according to my needs, paces and abilities. I love having the extra accountability and encouragement. 

It's also really nice not having to worry if I'm doing the right things to be prepared for a good race- he takes care of all of that for me, leaving me to focus solely on the actual running. 

3. I've got motivation. What is better to start a new training cycle than watching the Olympics. It's been said before, but I'll say it again: I cannot take my eyes off the TV! Galen Rupp! Lolo Jones! Allyson Felix! Beach Volleyball! So inspiring. 

In case you haven't seen this picture 10 times already today, here you go.

Literally makes me cry. I'm so proud of them for showing that you can be hard-core and competitive while still being encouraging and supportive of others. This reminds me of me and my sister- she would totally pick me up off the ground after a race if I needed her to. 

Olympics!!!!!

4. I've got the gear, including neon stuff.

 I decided not to splurge on the $150 neon green Nike running shoes many of the athletes seem to be wearing, but I did buy two pair of my faithful Nike Frees for $120 total. I'm so sensible when it comes to shopping. (Well, at least in this case I was.)

Running Shoes on Sale + Tax-free weekend + Free Shipping = Stockpiling!

And because I got my pretty neon pink ones dirty after the San Fran race because the finishing area was in grass (instead of the normal pavement) and was sort of muddy. Yeah, I'm still mad about that. 

Anyways... let's get to the neon stuff. 

 I have this cool jacket:

Which was also seen on some very cool and successful people:

This beauty was also pretty expensive (IMO) but I was able to find it at the Nike Outlet here in Memphis for about 60% off the regular price. 

See? Sensible shopper, right here. 

(We are just not going to mention my many recent Lululemon shopping sprees.)

St. Jude Half-Marathon training week 1 begins, 17 weeks until race day!

I think this is completely logical and normal. Or it might be hoarding.

You know those products that you can't live without? The ones that you are always afraid of running out of, or fear that they will be discontinued and you will never find anything like it, so you stock up on it to decrease that anxiety?

No? You don't do that? That's just me? Ok.

Well, these are the things that I'm stocking up on right now.

Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. I eat this EVERY day with my apples. Stockpiling commence- I signed up for a subscription for this on Amazon and got 15% off for it.


This isn't really news- and I think it's completely normal. When I find running gear I like, I stick to it. And I stock up on it in every color I can. Also, I need enough duplicates to get me through a few days without having to do laundry

I love these Nike tanks, because they are loose fitting and long enough to cover my bum. Plus, they are made of dri-fit (essential) and they come in pretty neon colors. Neon is a must for me when I run, because everyone knows neon makes you fast.

These Lululemon shorts are my first big purchase from there via their website, and I'm pretty sure I could live in them. Lululemon has now been added to the stores that I am obsessed with, and will forever stalk their website and stores for new products and sales.

Nike Frees are my one and only love when it comes to running shoes. If I can catch a pair on sale, they are mine! I am too embarrassed to admit how many pair I own at the moment. In my defense, many are retired from running and now only serve as work shoes.

After a eye-opening visit to Urban Outfitters this week, I've finally faced the fact that I'm preppy. I've actually known this for a while but I'm just now admitting it to myself. J. Crew sales have been outrageous lately, and I've scored several AMAZING deals. I never pass up a classic Jackie cardigan on sale, and picked up this one in a powder blue, and another in retro lemon.

This may or may not be hoarding, but at least it's hoarding electronics and not cat figurines. I posted this proof of my love for electronics last night to Twitter. They come in fun colors, tell you all kinds of cool information, and let you over-share lots of information to strangers on the internet. I need most of them close to me at all times or I feel naked, but some are just for funzies- for example....

This is completely ridiculous and unnecessary. But I had a gift card that I was ready to get rid of, and it sure does get some good laughs. Also, it's perfect for when I do coaching sessions over the phone and need something way cooler than a bluetooth headset.

In a Funk

I tried to pretend like it wasn't happening for a while, but eventually I had to admit it to myself. I have been in a running "funk" for almost three weeks now. 

It started one Sunday morning, when Kelly and I went for an early morning job in Chickasaw. Brandon had made me a very yummy breakfast, but it was a lot heavier than my normal cereal. Well, I could feel that "heavy" in my stomach the entire time. I made it about a mile, then had to stop and take walk breaks.

Walk breaks?!?

I don't take walk breaks on a 3 mile run! Especially when I'm running with Kelly. Once she got back in her groove after having Anniston, Kelly and I always do well when we are running together. 

After that, each time I tried to run there was another excuse for why I was doing so terrible. It was suddenly hot and humid, I didn't have time to go to Chickasaw and was forced to be bored while running in my neighborhood, I simply didn't feel motivated, etc. etc.  It was so frustrating. 

Luckily, Brandon and I decided to buy new bikes, so I've still been able to get a fair amount of exercise. 

But this morning... this morning everything came together perfectly. It was beautiful weather, I started early enough to have time to go to Chickasaw, I stuck to my normal cereal for breakfast, and...... just for good luck..... I wore my beloved, never-fail-me, I-will-now-be-faithful-to-you-until-I-die Nike Free's. 

I don't know why I even try other shoes....

Ok, I do know.

 It's because on longer distance runs, (6+ miles) my feet start to hurt from the lack of support in the Free's. But from now on, if it's 5 miles or less, I'll be in my Free's. 

Let's hope my good fortune continues tomorrow, and maybe even the rest of the week! I'm trying to not worry about my "funk", but a few dramatic thoughts about not being a runner anymore and being forced to try to get into serious cycling did cross my mind. (But being a runner AND a semi-serious cycler does sound appealing and fun.) As much as I like to have fun running, I do have a half-marathon with the most brutal hills in the U.S. in 3.5 months.... It's about time to start getting serious and get my butt in gear. 

I just feel so much better after a good run. For like, the rest of the day. I love endorphins. I might still be high on them. 

I also love this commercial. And Nike Free's. I might need that pink pair...

A Day In Photos

Monday was quite possibly the best day ever.

I stayed in bed with Phoebe and Brandon for a bit, reading on my iPad.

Kelly and I went to go for a run, and the weather was absolutely beautiful! 

We dashed over to our favorite nail spot for a quick shellac manicure.

Then, we hit the jackpot at the Nike Outlet. 

Meanwhile, the husband got his new shoes in the mail. He was so excited, he sent me a pic. 

Kelly and I took Anniston our for her first stroll in the BOB. 

I swear the kid likes me, even though it may not appear so in this pic. :)

I came home to find free goodies had come in the mail from St. Jude for being a hero. 

The boys were playing cards- and offered to take me out! 

Phoebe and I played and cuddled while the boys primped and got ready. 

Please excuse my husband's inability to take a photograph. 

We went to our fav restaurant, R.P. Tracks, and to see The Grey. Because Liam Neeson is awesome. 

I went to bed a happy girl!

Cool Sunglasses Make You Cool, Too!

Or, at least, that's how I feel about my new sunglasses when I wear them.

Maybe it's shallow, vain, and a ridiculous result of over exposure to advertising, but I like to feel good about myself when I run. One of the ways I achieve a bit of confidence is by having cool running gear. Thankfully, I live very close to a Nike Factory Outlet, so I have collected an entire wardrobe of Nike running apparel for a fraction of the retail price.

Unfortunately, I have never found a pair of Nike sunglasses at the outlet, so I've been using a generic pair of sunglasses to run in for the past year or so. When we went to Chicago last summer, we visited a huge Nike Store on Michigan Ave, and I fell in love with a pair of Nike sunglasses. Having just graduated, I couldn't afford them at the time.

Out of the blue (or out of my strong desire for blue skies and a sunny day), I decided to splurge on them the other day. I placed my online order seconds before I headed off to work on Monday. I also live very near one of the Nike Warehouses, so my online orders always arrive very quickly. I waited on the UPS man (for the second day in a row. He totally thinks I'm crazy) to arrive on Wednesday to unwrap these babies.

And I fell in love all over again.

Then, it rained all day long on Thursday. Including during my sorry attempt at a run, so I couldn't even pretend like I needed to wear them. Boo.

But on Friday... I got to take the out for a test run... and our relationship is still going strong. Apparently, they have some sort of anti-fog technology, which sounds unnecessary, but is totally necessary. My generic ex-running-sunglasses fogged up quite a bit. Plus, my new Nike ones are purple and so pretty.