The next featured runner!

I know, I know.

We haven't had a featured runner up here in a loooong time, and for that I take full responsibility.  Life has been bunches of crazy, and this poor blog has been one of the things I let fall to the wayside.  Thanks to Christy for being so faithful with her Marathon Mondays, otherwise this blog would be a ghost town!!

Anyway, for the next featured runner, since it has been way too long since there's been one and since you all have nominated fellow bloggers, I decided this time that I would just utilize random.org and enter all of our followers and choose one that way.  Well out of our 68 followers, random.org came up with no. 18 which is...

Cynthia O'H from Balls in the Air!!

Congrats, Cynthia!  Email me {Chloe} at chlooeee[at]gmail[dot]com to get you set up to be featured!  Excited to start doing these again!

{Oh, and for those of you who are interested, here's a brief race recap of my recent half marathon from my real-life blog.  Sorry I never got around to posting on up here! Bad, bad blogger.}

Marathon Monday

Hey everyone! I hope you've all had a wonderful week training!

I...did not. I only ran twice this week and only for about 3 miles each. I missed my 18-mile long run and all of my workouts. I was at the UN from 6am to sometimes 10pm every day last week and had class and school work and my body was not in any shape for an 18-mile run this week, so last night, in place of my 18, I did a 5k on the treadmill and then swan a couple of laps.

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But my schedule is definitely calming down this week and I'll definitely be training this week since I'm running my Half-Marathon on Sunday!!

So since this week is Race Week, I'll be training but taking it easy so that I'm fresh for Sunday!

The plan is as follows:
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: X-Train
Thursday: 8 miles
Friday: Time Trial
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Half-Marathon!

Depending on how my race goes, I may try and throw in an easy 5 miles on Sunday after my race just to increase my mileage for the week so that I'm on track for the race since I'm slightly behind =/ We'll see how I feel though!

I'm now officially 2 months away from my Marathon and feeling pretty good, although as this month draws to a close and I reach the half-way point of my training, my goals for the next two months leading up to Race Day which I'll be incorporating into my schedule next week are:

• Start running 5 days per week
• Run no less tan 32 miles in any given week leading up to Race Day
• Incorporate at minimum 2 cross and strength training workouts per week

I've got a lot of work ahead of me, but it's definitely going to pay off! I'm just 2 months away from crossing #1 off of my 25 Before 25 list and I can't wait!

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Marathon Monday!

Sometimes you just have to let anger be the fuel for your run.

As I predicted, I did not get many of my training runs in last week. Out of what should have been a 32 mile week, I had a 16 mile week. And I am perfectly ok with this. I knew I wasn't going to have time. I needed to catch up on my school work and that took priority. So I did what I could. I ran 6 miles on Thursday and switched my plan 16-mile SLR (Sunday Long Run) for an easy 10 miles.

Here's where the anger kicks in. There's a guy who I've seen running in Central Park lately (on the pavement, in the bike and/or runner lanes, no less) who likes to run the park while kicking a soccer ball around. He also likes to kick it up right behind your feet and then just as it hits the back of your heels, he kicks it out from underneath you. Well, Sunday, I accidentally kicked his ball away and the asshole, if you'll excuse my language, had the nerve to go off on me! I was SO pissed and I was trying to shake it off and I just couldn't. I immediately resigned to the fact that this run was going to suck.

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And then I realized that I was running fast. Faster than usual and I could feel the power in my legs and I could feel the anger just fueling me. I still wanted to shake things off but I kept running. And then I had a guy on a bicycle in the RUNNERS' LANE ring his stupid bell at me just as he was about to hit me. I got pissed. And I just kept letting things get to me and I let them fuel my run, but I turned the anger into positive fuel so I wasn't angry while I ran, I was just fueled. Does that make sense? And you know what? I went on a 10 mile run without any fuel (no GUs, Energy Blasts, etc.) and I think that's what did it for me. The best part? Lance Armstrong coming in my ears at the end of my workout to say that I've reached a new personal best for my fastest mile recorded on my Nike+. 8:05. And that felt awesome.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I want to be this angry on all of my runs. To be honest, if I ever see soccer ball man again, I probably will punch him in the face, but it was an important lesson learned on how to transform that negative energy that had me thinking this was going to be an awful run, into positive energy. And that's what this blog (and marathon training) is all about, right? Lessons learned?

On that note, here's my training plan for the week:

Monday: Rest Day (although I was on my feet all day)

Tuesday: 5 mile run (this will be tricky to squeeze in)

Wednesday: Cross-Training (so will this)

Thursday: 1 mile Time Trial (may have to switch Tuesday and Thursday...)

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 4 miles

Sunday: 18 miles

Total Miles Planned: 28

*That doesn't seem right...may have to look at my schedule again...maybe the Time Trial is next week before the Half? We'll see!*

Anyway, this week will be tough again, but I will get all of my workouts in. I'm volunteering at the United Nations HQ in New York for the General Assembly/Millennium Development Goal Summit and I'm up at 4am every day this week to be at the UN. It's tough and I'm off to bed right now at the early hour of 8:30, but it's an awesome opportunity and I met 2 1/2 presidents today because of it! (Half because I only stood next to one of them and didn't converse with him (= )

Happy Running everyone!

Here Goes Nothing...

Hey running friends!

Sorry I've been a bad co-blogger,

and sorry there hasn't been a featured runner in while!

Let's just say, things got a little crazy.

Because that's what you're supposed to say

when you're busy, right?

Anyway, for those of you who don't follow my

real-life-non-running blog,

{on which I actually talked about running today}

this Sunday, I am running my first-ever half marathon!

But, sad to say, I'm not excited about it.

I didn't train as well or nearly as much as I should have,

and thus, my odds of reaching the oh-so-coveted

sub-2 hour half marathon

seem pretty slim.

And my pride is already hurting

for my inevitable 2+ hour time.

Dumb, no?

I haven't even run the race, yet I'm already resigned.

Oh well, my pride could use a little humbling.

Pray for me!  I'll let you know my eventual time as soon as I know!

Any long runs/races going on for you this weekend?

Do share!

Marathon Monday!

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you've all had a great weekend and that everyone is getting in some great runs in prep for upcoming races! It seems like everyone is racing these days...I guess it's that season!

I had a great training week last week and managed to run my furthest run yet: 15 miles! And it felt great! In the middle of all this, I've started grad school and have met tons of runners in my program, including my Advisor who will be running his 10th NYC Marathon this November! How exciting is that?!

In other exciting news, I started running in Central Park and have finally after a bout of 2 months in a running rut, been able to finish my runs at an average sub-9 pace! I've also been able to run non-stop! I ran 15 miles on Sunday non-stop (well, I stopped to pee, but not because I felt like I couldn't keep going!) I absolutely adore running in Central Park! It is the most incredible run I've ever been on! The only thing I don't like about it is that it takes me about half an hour to get there from my apartment because the NYC subways suuuuuuuuuck!

So it's raining in New York this week and my schedule of reading and work to do in preparation for each class is absolutely overwhelming! I have no idea how/when I'm going to fit in my weekday workouts! On top of all that, I started a new job today and am even more busy than I expected to be! How do you all manage to run during busy weeks? Before you all jump on the: "I run in the morning!" kick...realize that it takes me half an hour to get to Central Park and half an hour to get back, so a 6 mile run, which takes me about an hour to run and stretch actually equals 2 hours! And then showering, getting ready etc, we're looking at close to 3 hours and waking up at 5am and getting on the subway is just not in the cards! So if any of you have any suggestions, they would be much appreciated!

In the mean time, I'll be trying my absolute hardest to fit this training into my schedule this week:
Monday: Rest Day! (Much-Needed!)
Tuesday: 6 mile run
Wednesday: Cross-Training
Thursday: 5 mile run
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: 5 mile run
Sunday: 16 mile run
Total Miles Planned: 32

I'm at that point in my training now where every run is further than I've ever run before and I love it!

Happy Running everyone!

Marathon Monday!

Hey guys! Christy here! I'm so sorry I haven't been keeping up with my duties as a co-blogger here at Confessions...there have been quite a few things going on in my life, including the fact that I sold my computer and was computer-less until today!

So every Monday I write a post on my blog called Marathon Monday where I talk about what's going on with me and my training for the Philadelphia Marathon. I write about everything from diet and nutrition to maximizing rest days to posting my planned workouts for the week. I've decided it's time to stop boring my non-running readers with my Marathon Monday posts and move them over to here!

Since it's getting late and I have school tomorrow (yikes! i start grad school tomorrow!) so I'm just going to post my training plan for this week and leave you all with a link to my post from a previous Marathon Monday!

Monday:  Rest Day
Tuesday: 7 mile run
Wednesday: Elliptical Hill Workout
Thursday: 6 mile run
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: 6 mile
Sunday: 5k race with 2 mile warm-up and 1 mile cool-down
Total Planned: 25

My training plan has no long run this week which is good because I think I'll need the recovery time while still getting in the same mileage. And speaking of recovery, here's a Marathon Monday post I did awhile back about recovering from a run!

Happy Running!

Review: The Tytenz Go Belt

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It came! It came! It came!

Remember how I ordered a running belt the other day (for which I only paid $2.24.  GOLDEN)?  Well it came today, just in time for my 10 miler tomorrow, and so far and I already love it!  I didn't get a choice of color because I bought it via amazon.com, and they ended up shipping me black.  Disappointing when I realized I could have gotten pink, but I realized black will blend in better with my running shorts and won't be as LOOK-AT-ME as something neon-colored.  Ha.

Alright, so I probably shouldn't be posting a review until after I actually run with the thing {unless you count trotting/bouncing around my apartment while singing along to The Killers}, but I just couldn't resist.  This thing is awesome!  Here's a picture of it on me [don't mind the jean shorts.]

So first I tried it with some gels and my phone.  Not bad.  It didn't weigh me down or bounce or slide. Granted it was jean material, but again, bear with me on the lack-of-actual-usage-part.  Then I decided to stick my trusty iPod touch in there, and dreams of running armbands free starting swirling in my head.  This is also when The Killers sing-a-long commenced.

And that lumpy thing you see to the right?  Heh, that's my phone.  The one major qualm I have with the belt is that one pocket it WAY smaller than the other one.  So my phone sticks out awkwardly through the super stretchy fabric.  We'll see if it makes a difference in the bounce-age.

...but running arm-band free seems like a dream come true.  Can't wait to try it out tomorrow!

Oh ps. other exciting news!  There's a big half-marathon going on this Sunday not to far from us, so Josiah and I are hitting up the expo tomorrow (I going fully armed with birthday money) and we're going to stay to see John Bingham interview Frank Shorter, Jim Ryun and Greg Meyer.  Is it bad that I'm most excited about seeing John Bingham? LOL.  Should be fun!

Happy long weekend everyone!

What long runs or races do you have going on?

New Running Buys/Random Running Rambles

So I just ordered a GO Belt from Amazon and I'm pretty excited about it!  I would post a picture, but the picture is being funny, so here's the link if you want to see it.  What's really cool about it is that I received $20 worth of promotion codes for being part of the Gatorade online review board, so I only paid $2.24 for it to be shipped! :]  Good deal, no?

What has your experience been with running belts?  I really needed something for my phone and gels/chews, although I must say I've been getting pretty creative with creating carrying systems as of late!  But I'm kind of hesitant to have something around my waist, despite ALL the reviews saying it doesn't bounce at all, and you don't feel it, etc.  I'm probably going to end up looking like the biggest loser [not the one from the tv show, ha] but whatever.  Sometimes I feel like the "better" I get at running {I say better very loosely}, the more crap I have to carry around.  What's up with that?  I should be downsizing as I get better, not accumulating!  Oy vey.

In other news, my parents gave me some money for my birthday{in addition to a pretty cute Lilly Pulitzer shirt and PSYCH season 4 on dvd.  They're awesome}, and I'm thinking I'm gonna put it towards getting a runningskirts.com skirt.  Now to decide which one to get!  The princess ones are super cute AND 50% off right now, buut maybe I want a legit one?  You know, the one with the two running girls in the corner?  Ugh, I don't know.  I'm the worst decision maker ever.  But I'd like to decide soon, seeing as I'd like to have it for the half-marathon, which, by the way, is in

19 days.

Holy Moses.  Am I ready?  That would be a no.  Will I be ready?  I will certainly try!  I ran 9 miles this past weekend and while I was tired, I felt like I was able to stay pretty consistent with my pace, but said pace was slightly slower than my hoped-for race pace, and I felt like I was really pushing myself at the end.  Blast.  And I still have to add four point one more miles. 

Anyway, who's ready for some fall-running?  I must suffer from short-term memory loss after training for that first marathon in the winter and being *miserable, but after this nasty summer, I can't wait for some crisp fall running.   I also can't wait for some winter running, when I get to cross finish lines in the snow. 

Yep, definitely short-term memory loss.

{ps. don't forget to check out Katye's feature today and tell her how awesome she is!}

Featured Runner: Katye from Long Legs on the Loose

For our featured runner this week, we have Katye from Long Legs on the Loose.  I'm sure many of you already read her blog, but if not, now is a good time to start!  She's an awesome girl who started running just for charity and wears some seriously awesome outfits, as well as having some seriously long legs!  Enjoy her interview...you'll just love her!

Meet Katye.

{pictured above at her first marathon}

1.  What inspired you to start running in the first place?

Cancer. I was never a runner. I played soccer and did cheerleading but my movement of choice was always dance. Loved the way it let me express myself and clear my mind. But as of late, I was getting injured over and over and the doctor basically told me I was destroying my feet and ankles and if I wanted to stop breaking my toes and feet and spraining my ankles, I needed to not dance so much. Ugh! But I knew it was true and I knew I needed something to fill the hole. But I didn't know what that was until I got a purple pamphlet in the mail. And thew it away. And for some reason I picked it back up and checked it out. It was for Team in Training and before I knew it I had signed me and my dad (who was pub hopping in Ireland and had no idea at the time) up to run the Disney Half Marathon in January 2010 with a goal of raising $7,000. The rest is history =)

2.  What is your most memorable running moment?

Okay this one is so very hard. Its a very hard toss up between my first marathon and my first half. It might be a tie. The Disney Half was the first race over 5k I had ever run and at the time, I had only been running for 6 months. The stamina and endurance I acquired over those 6 months AMAZED me. How could I have made it from barely being able to make it thru 2 miles to finishing a half marathon? I was over the moon. The marathon was a bit different. Because of an IT injury, I really hadn't been able to train the way I wanted to. As a matter of fact, my longest run before my marathon was 14 miles. Yep that's it. Although I did run/walk a 16 miler. But needless to say I was nervous. But I did it and felt amazing! I loved every second of it. Never hit the wall. And as soon as I finished I was so overwhelmed. I burst into tears. The emotions I went through during that 4 hours and 19 minutes was amazing and I learned so much in those 26.2 miles.

3.  What piece of running gear will you never run without?

Running skirt. And not just a running skirt...a www.runningskirts.com running skirt! Most comfortable thing I have ever run in and now I can't stand running in shorts. I also LOVE my compression socks, hand held, Ipod, and my dearest Gracie (my garmin).

Me and T of Racing With Babes before the MAC Half in May

4.  Any upcoming races?

Yes! I have a the Philly Half Sept. 19th and the following weekend I am headed to Washington to run the You Go Girl Half with a bunch of WONDERFUL bloggers! In November I am coaching my TNTers on course at the Nike Women's Marathon. But I'm most excited to conquer the Goofy Challenge in January and BOSTON in April!

5.  What is your *dream* race or distance?

Dublin Marathon! I still have family in Ireland that I have never met so I would love to make a vacation of it.

6.  Have you ever run for charity? If so, what charity?

I am the DEFINITION of Charity runner =) So far I have raised $26,000 for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through Team In Training this year and am about to jump in to raising hopefully another $5,000 for Athletes Serving Athletes (http://www.athletesservingathletes.org) before Boston. ASA is a charity started by one of my dad's friends that matches disabled athletes with able bodied athletes to run and tri together. Its a WONDERFUL organization and I am so excited to serve them!

7.  What advice would you give for someone who is thinking about taking up running

Only do it if you enjoy it. Don't force yourself to run to loose weight. You will miss so much! Take it one step at a time, literally! Take your time, find a training program, weather your goal is to run a mile or 100 miles, a safe plan is a must! And just enjoy it. Pace and times are great but sometimes you just have to run to feel alive.

8.  What advice would you give to a first-time marathoner?

Stick. To. Schedule. Do not up those miles too fast! I learned the hard way. And keep your head up. There are some really hard times in training and running the marathon. But I PROMISE you it is so worth it! The feeling you will have at the end it unlike any other. Just always remember you are capable of so much more than you initially realize. Just let your body do its thing =) But also remember, the marathon is as, if not more, mental than it is physical!

9.  What's one thing you don't like about running?

The fact that my stomach doesn't love it nearly as much as the rest of me does. Enough information.

10.  What is your favorite form of cross-training, if any?

Right now I am doing P90X and it is kicking my butt! I STRONGLY believe you need strength and core training to be a better runner. So much of running has nothing to do with your legs. I also really like the Cybex Arc Trainer. Similar motion to running with less impact...but still super hard!

11.  Tell me about your very first race.

It was a local 5K that is held at my college. I signed up on a whim. It was actually a great first race. Small enough not to be too intimidating but big enough to give a the feel for the race atmosphere. Also, it ran around our campus and alot of the pretty surrounding neighborhoods so I was familiar with the area. It was hilly and difficult but I ran the entire thing and I was really proud of myself!

Blogger Meet Up after my 1:47 Half PR in Chicago!

12.  How do you get yourself out the door on the days that you hate running?

Tall Mom Mel once gave me the best advice ever. "You will ALWAYS regret the run you skip, but you will NEVER regret a run". But most powerfully, I make myself remember how many people would give anything to be in my spot. There are so many sick and disabled people out there suffering and going through so much who would do anything to be able to go out there and run. God has blessed me with a body that can run. Who knows how long that will last? Things can change in an instant. So I run because I can!

13.  What running shoes do you swear by?

Bad question for me. I work in a running store and have 16 pairs of running shoes! AHH!!! But for the most part I rotate between my Mizuno Riders, my Newton Gravities, and my Brooks Launch. Love them all!

Have you had any running injuries that sidelined you for a period of time? If so, what did you do to recover?

Yep. I never had pain running but while in marathon training I was about 5 miles into a run when this pain shot up through my knee up through my hip. It stopped me in my tracks and I could barely put any weight on it. Bending it and stretching it ached so bad. And I was 2 miles away from my car. I limped my way back and cried for the first time running. I soon found out it was ITBS. With alot of icing, stretching, foam rolling (best thing ever!), and ughhhh resting I got myself back on track but it was so hard. I felt hopeless and thought I would never make it to my marathon. But I did what I was supposed to and thank goodness I have been pain free ever since!

14.  What are five of your favorite songs from your running playlist?

iYiYi-Cody Simpson (total tween crap but I LOVED it. The beat it awesome!)

Pirate Song- Flogging Molly (my speed song!)

Anything Ke$sha and Lady GaGa

There, There Katie- I swear this song was written for me. Its more of a "I really need the inspiration right now" song!

If I had You- Adam Lambert (I can't stand him! But its catchy)

I Like it-Enrique baby!

I have a ton of LOVE it songs too hard to pick so I put 6 =)

With Kara and Adam Goucher! Kara is one of my all time role models with running and life! I have met her twice and gotten to bibs signed by her, San Diego and Chicago! She is such a sweetheart!

15.  If there was one running accomplishment that you wish you could achieve with no possibility of failing, what would it be?

To keep enjoying running and remember why I started. I don't want it to become a chore and if it does, I'm down. I have an ultimate goal of raising $50K for charity through running and I'm well on my way!

Thanks, Katye!  You made for one great feature this week, and you have some awesome stories!

Mmkay, anyone want to be featured next?

You know the drill.

Leave a comment.

Nominate some running bloggers who you think are awesome.

You and all those you nominate will be eligible.

As always, next runner will be chosen randomly.

Happy Running!

PS.  Loved your answer's from Friday's post! 
There was some awesome running going on! 
Any highlights/horror stories to share?

weekend!

Let's hear from you all today...
what's on the weekend agenda for running/fitness?
Long runs?
Races?
Cross-training?
Rest??

Do share!

9 miler for me tomorrow!
Day off + my birthday on Sunday!

Happy Running!