Tag Archives: Personal Records

#RunnerProblems

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As far as feet go, I have to say that mine look pretty good for a runner’s.  I have a few healing blisters and rough spots here and there but, other than that, I make sure that they stay in pretty decent shape.

Despite all of my precautionary measures to trim my toe nails extremely short, however, it appears as though my second toe nail will be falling off…  It has stopped growing and has formed a delightful little bubble that is now hollow when tapped.  Yuck!  I’ve lost this toe nail before so I know all the signs.  (sigh)

So long, my friend.  The personal record I got that caused this to happen was totally worth it.  All I ask is that you stay attached long enough for your replacement to grow a decent amount behind you.  I don’t want to look too gross in flip flops.  😉

P.R.ing (Yes, its a verb)

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I can proudly boast that I have been able to consistently PR (beat my personal record) at every race I’ve participated in for an entire year! Well, the only exception to this was the Miami Marathon… but I blame the fact I was in coral “J” and had to run sideways around people more frequently than I ran forward towards the finish, lol (I believe there were 28K participants!)

Here’s what I feel has helped me achieve my goals little by little:

1. Train hard during your off season:  Florida’s off season is the summer.  Scorching heat and oppressive humidity make smarter people stay indoors or run on treadmills. Us crazy people, however, just wake up earlier and run outside anyway.  And you know what?  I think it gives us crazies an edge.  If you can run 9 miles in 85 degree heat, then doing 13.1 in 50 degrees and a cool breeze will feel like a vacation, not a half marathon.  Trust me.  That’s exactly what was going through my head a few weeks ago.

2. Rest:  So, you think that the more mileage you get in during the week, the better off you’ll be?  WRONG.  Give your body the chance to rest between runs.  Running is harsh on your joints and can become a chore really quickly if you don’t start allowing yourself to “forget” how much it kinda sucks sometimes by giving yourself a day’s break in between.

3.  Cross Train:  Now, just ’cause you’re “resting” from running, doesn’t mean you are resting from cardio completely.  Take up another sport like cycling or swimming to keep you busy in between runs.  Weight training and fun classes at the gym also count!

4.  Injury Prevention:  My greatest fear is not being able to run.  But even I skip these and later really REALLY regret it.  Injury prevention/ strengthening exercises are imperative if you want to keep running long-term.  There are some common ones you can find on the web but, honestly, each person’s injury prevention routine should be tailored to his or her frequent aches and pains.  I usually have pulling in my piriformis and inner knees so I’ve learned to do things to strengthen the surrounding areas to prevent things from getting worse.  DO THEM!!!

5.  Eat Well:  Believing that eating lots of carbs will give you more energy or that eating a very low-fat diet will make you a leaner, better runner is just a naive and misinformed way to go about feeding yourself.  I’ve found that I need to be very attentive to my protein, carb and fiber balance for a good two weeks before a race… and good fats are your friend not your foe. You DO NOT want to have a “fiber attack” while running and you DEFINITELY do not want to suffer a day’s worth of serious G.I. issues after your race because your body has basically consumed itself due to being poorly nourished.  Balance is key.  Eat what you like, eat what you NEED and eat CLEAN and BALANCED.

9 miles… or sleep in ’till 9am…?

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dreams

So, I had all the intentions in the world to run 9 miles this morning to celebrate my official first day of complete freedom.  No more shortened summer work schedule, no more assignments due in school, just FREEDOM… But when my alarm went off at 6am, I set it back 15min.. then another 15… then another 15.  At 6:45 I decided “Who am I kidding? I need to sleep!”  So, instead of running 9 miles, I slept in until 9am. (Which I haven’t done in a long, long time.  Not even on the weekends!)

But tomorrow I’m hitting the pavement and I’m hitting it hard.  Because my dreams of running a sub-two-hour half marathon aren’t going to become a reality unless I work at it this summer.  I’m so close I can taste it.  Gonna make those 9 miles MINE!

 

Goals I’m Committed To!

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race goals
Goals I’m Committed to Achieving Next Season (in order of importance and obtainability to me):
  1. Sub-two-hour half marathon
  2. Do a triathlon
  3. Do most of my training runs under 9 minute miles
  4. Paris Marathon in April 2015… I’m not quite sure if I’m committed to doing a full…  Have I forgotten how much a full marathon hurts?  Do I have the commitment to train for that many miles?  Do I have the money to do this?  Lol… all of this remains to be seen.
Steps I’m Taking Now:
  1. Good bye Galloway:  Although I started running using the Galloway method 5 years ago and still using it loosely during races, I have stopped doing this during my training runs.  For any of you that may not be familiar with Jeff Galloway’s run/ walk method, it’s a great way to ease yourself into running.  Running and walking at timed intervals gives you the ability to run faster and recover more quickly.  I may not be able to run a full 13 miles without taking a few walk breaks to lower my heart rate but, doing all of my training runs without walking has helped me build a lot more endurance.  As the saying goes “I run ‘till it hurts so that tomorrow, it’ll hurt less.”
  2. Biker Chick: So, I may not know how to ride it very well but, I have the most important tool necessary if I’m going to attempt to do a triathlon… my awesome new road bike.  I’m taking it out for short 7 mile rides until I can coordinate to go a little further with a friend for support (yeah, I’m a chicken, so what?!) I’m pretty psyched.
  3. Flying (running) Solo:  Although being part of a group has been a huge contributing factor to getting me active and involved in athletics, it is only now that I’m doing most of my runs alone that I am truly coming into my own.  It’s fun socializing with others but if you really want to get faster, you’ve got to be able to push yourself… and only YOU can feel how far you want to be pushed.  You can’t push someone else and no one can push you.
Steps I’m taking Soon:
  1. Sink or Swim: I’m signing up for swimming classes this summer.  I can do a mean froggy and doggy paddle but, I’ll admit, that my swimming form is pretty pathetic.  If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right!
  2. High tech: Although I’ve been kinda “winging it” with calculating my pace during races up until now, I got a taste of what it’s like to use a Garmin watch during my last half and got hooked.  My sister let me borrow hers at the “Best Damn Race” we did together and it was pretty amazing.  Not only did it tell me what my current average pace was at all times during the race but, I was able to print out my pace per mile afterwards.  I couldn’t believe that mile 12 was my fastest at an average 8:32 a mile!  (did I want to get it over with or what?!)  I’ll be asking my family to get me one for my b-day this summer!!!
  3. Extra Income:  I need more mullah to support my racing habits.  Rather than sit under the laurels (or the palm trees at the beach) this summer, I’m going to have to get myself a little part time job to fill in my spare time and make some extra cash for these entry fees and possible travel expenses.

March 1st: 2:04:00 Baby!!!

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proud 2

Its called the Best Damn Race…. and it was definitely MY Best Damn Race.  I beat my personal record by 4 minutes!  The official times are not yet available on the race’s web site but as I crossed the finish, the time clock read 2:04:00 exactly!!  I couldn’t believe it!  I am over-joyed and feeling GREAT!

No tummy aches today either!  I think I just needed to include more protein in my diet!  One down and one to go for this crazy weekend.  Tonight, we will be having a pre-Mardi Gras extravaganza at a local pub and making King Cake, lol.  Let the good times roll!

Wish us luck tomorrow… Swamp House here we come!!

January 20th: I Beat Her! (and by “her”, I mean myself)

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I will beat her 2

Today I am grateful for feeling awesome!  I’m healthy, my legs and hips are not in pain and I’m thinking I might just kick some serious ass in a couple weeks at my next half marathon: The Miami Marathon and Half Marathon on Feb. 2nd (formally the ING Miami Marathon).

This running season has been epic for me so far.  I’ve been putting in some serious efforts.  I’ve been running hard, cross training, eating well, making some sacrifices, taking some chances and believing in myself more.  And its paid off!  I have improved my personal best at each race by AT LEAST 2 minutes.  And although it may seem ridiculous to some, this is the first time in 6 years of running that I sincerely consider myself “a runner.” All these years, I have felt as though I have wanted to be a runner but could not quiet classify myself as one because I just wasn’t good enough.  But, I AM good enough.  And I’m owning my awesomeness today.  🙂

January 4th: Personal Record and Injury Free!

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west palm 1:2 jan 4th

Today I am grateful for having broken my personal record at the Sunshine State West Palm Beach 1/2 Marathon without injury.  As you may remember, I have set a goal to beat my race times by one minute each race this season.  I have surprised myself by actually beating my PRs by 2 minutes for the past two races.  Today, I beat my last race time of 2:10:31 by 2m 31sec.  I passed the finish line as the race clock ticked at exactly 2:08:00.

I am so incredibly proud of myself and, to be honest, have never been more emotional at a race… Not even my Full in 2009.  I prayed last night, and throughout the race, that the muscle in the back of my left thigh wouldn’t seize up on me as it did last March during the Coral Springs 1/2 that I ran with my sister.  It was very painful and forced me to hobble past the finish and take about a month off of running afterwards.

This past week, the same muscle has been tight and achey and I have been panicking to myself about it because I have been training so hard and looking forward so much to possibly getting a personal record at this race.  It started to get a little sore and tight around mile 8 but I decided that “I’m not going to think, I’m not going to feel, I’m just going to fricken’ do it” … And I did! 🙂

January 3rd: My Goals

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Today, I am grateful for the ability to make and achieve my goals.  Tomorrow I have yet another race.  I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from my friends and family who know how much it would mean to me to p.r. (get a personal record). Whether I do or I don’t, I’m just excited to try… 🙂

Success!!

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There are three things that I dislike when doing a race, and Boston’s race had all three of them. 1. I hate when it starts so late in the morning that the sun is in your eyes while you’re running. (but at least I brought my cap) 2. I HATE u-turns on the course (but at least I got to see Scott as he passed me) 3. And I can’t stand hills (but at least I was fast enough to get over them quickly and still beat my personal record!!!!)

2:12:30!! I kicked all kinds of butt and hurt all kinds of feelings!!!! I beat my time by over three minutes!! 2:12:31 baby!! Oh, yeah!!

Ok, so I am admittedly the laziest blogger ever. Since the school year started I haven’t been very dedicated to this site and I apologize. That being said, just because I haven’t been blogging doesn’t mean I haven’t been running and running HARD. I have been super dedicated to my goal of improving my personal time by one minute each race this season and…. I DID IT!

Our next race is in November and the pressure is on! Can I keep beating my time or have I plateaued? I don’t know but I’m training hard and am staying focussed.

Our Goals

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Walkers' Feet

Its back to school time… which also means that I’ll be going back to work now after having had a wonderfully relaxing summer vacation. Luckily, it also means that South Florida’s running season will soon begin! Whereas the rest of the country is trying to enjoy the last days of warm weather before fall and winter bring on unbearable cold, us Floridians are in hibernation during the opposite time of the year. May through August (and even September) can have some pretty unbearably hot days. Summer time’s temperatures can go high up into the 90’s. Its really a time of year best reserved for short, early-morning runs and cross training.

November through March are really the best months to get out there and get some mileage in. This is also when most of our local races are scheduled!

Last year’s running season was epic for me. I improved my 1/2 marathon PR (Personal Record) from 2:31 to 2:16 (I told you that I wasn’t very fast but I’m proud of it). Improving a full 15 minutes in one year’s time is pretty amazing, if I don’t say so myself. This season, I’m up for the challenge of pushing myself even harder. My mind is changing, my running style is changing and my body is changing. I am inspired to set another goal. One that will truly make me push my mind and body a little further than before. I will try to PR by 1 minute: each race I run this season.

My first challenge wont even be in my home state: Allstate 13.1 Half Marathon in Boston on September 15th! Can I clock in at 2:15? I’m sure as hell gonna try! http://www.131marathon.com/boston/

I will, of course, be posting my progress as the running season progress. I have 5 Half Marathons scheduled for this season so far and I’m excited.

Here is my race schedule:

13.1 Boston 15-Sep-13

Disney Wine & Dine Half 9-Nov-13

Palm Beach Half 8-Dec-13

ING Half/Full 2-Feb-14

13.1 Miami Beach 2-Mar-14

What are your goals this season? What do you hope to achieve? How do you plan on achieving this? Who will be supporting you/ accompanying you? Please share with me! either as a comment to this page or via email. I’d love to hear your stories and feature them on the blog!