10k or BUST

So 13 days into the new year and here I am.  It's great to blog about my accomplishments into the new year and my goals that are coming up.  For now, I will walk about the Rogue Distance Festival 10k I ran last Sunday, January 5th.  It was such a fun run, for being a 6.2 miler and the weather made it that much better.  I truly believe that I am a more effective runner running first thing in the morning and also when the temperatures are more on the cooler side.  Waking up the morning of the 10k, the temperature was 39 degrees and windy.  I didn't complain too much...until I got to the starting line.  I had a long sleeve shirt under my Denver Broncos (John Elway #7) shirt, gloves on and something to warm my ears.  I did not want to put on my running sweater because I knew I wouldn't wear it the whole time, that I'd just sweat and be miserable, so I told my boyfriend to hold onto it.  Thank goodness I did because within 4 miles of the race, I was sweating and ended up taking off my gloves.  BUT I did see a few people tying their sweaters around their waist.  Too much work.  Once I run, I just want to run.  Anyway, It was a fun run and I 6.25 miles in 1:07:43 (according to my Garmin).  My race time, since it was a timed race, was 1:09:01.  I think it was a little bit over 6.2 miles because my Nike Plus GPS said 6.34.  Regardless of the distance, it was a fun run and I ended up getting the nicest running shirt from it.  Seriously, it's nice.  It's made from a dry fit type of material and I LOVE IT!

Here's a photo from the race:

Entering a Groove

This week was a bit more productive than previous weeks.  Maybe it's because I'm mentally psyching myself up to this half marathon in 162 days, but whatever it is, I happy to be finally getting back into a groove.  The last 10-ish months I've been off and on with running, more off than on.  I think a lot of it had to do with my personal life changes and adjusting.  Now I feel like I am at peace with everything in my life and now it's time to get back into what I loved to do, RUN!  As you know I was never a runner growing up.  I had really bad asthma as a kid and I couldn't even run down the block so I basically just never attempted to run.  Now, within the last year I've became more focused with the idea of getting myself to run.  A lot of it had to do with being in Austin and admiring the activeness of the city.  Plus I love to eat and hate doing certain workouts, so running is what I decided on.  To make a long story short and after a mud run, 5 mile race and 10k, I registered for my first half marathon.  So with that being said, I feel like September has been a great time to start mentally preparing myself and trying to be as active as possible.  This week was the first week in a long time that I ran 7 miles.  I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but with my schedule, I am happy that I got to do even that.  I really thank my friend Tami for being with me on Saturday mornings at 6:30 a.m. and being such a positive partner.  I must, however, break her from apologizing to me for her pace.  Pace, right now, does not bother me.  I love getting up early, having chats while running and focusing on distance.  So even if I do 2-3 miles during the week at my regular pace, I can always have my Saturdays with Tami.  I enjoy them.  Plus, I can always run on Sundays, which I plan on doing tomorrow.  For now, I will leave you with this awesome picture from one of my Saturday morning runs:

How beautiful is that sunrise view.  I could look at it all day!

Early Morning

Good morning and Happy Wednesday.  Today, I achieved my goal by waking up and getting my butt out to the trail for my first early morning run.  What I mean by early morning is waking up around 5:30 a.m. - 5:45 a.m. to leave my house by 6:00am to be running at the trail by 6:30 a.m.  I did, however, realize that I can leave earlier than that because when I started running, the run was up (not fully, but there was light), so I might even start at 6:00 a.m. rather than 6:30 a.m. only because it allows me more time to get ready for work.  The temperature difference between running at 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. is a whopping 20 degrees!! When I started my run, it was 72 degrees and the high today will be 92 degrees.  I was still sweating just about the same, even more this morning, but I always feel like early morning runs are my best runs.  Maybe it's because I'm waking myself up and my energy is focused more on running rather than exhausting all of my energy on work and forcing a run after work.  Who knows, but I'm sure that is the reason.  Another reason why I love running so early in the mornings is because there is not a crowd of people you have to pass.  Serious runners run that early and I'm not saying serious runners do not run at 6:00 p.m., but the traffic is less, which I like.  Also, something about being able to go with the flow.  That is exactly what I like about running in the mornings rather than the afternoons.  

Today I ran a good 2.70 miles, but it wasn't my best.  I started having a little pain in my right calf, like I had previously, so I am probably going to start running with my compression sleeve.  I really think I need to consider getting new shoes because I feel like my Nike Free 3.0 need to be changed out.  I believe I logged about 190 miles.  WOW -- to think I have ran 190 miles in a little over a year.  It's surprising considering I don't think I would have ever thought of running ONE mile let alone ONE HUNDRED NINETY!

Anyway, I'm writing this blog still in my undergarments, so I must get ready for work.  But to leave on a good note, here is a photo of lovely Downtown Austin at about 6:38 a.m.

ENJOY!!!