Half Marathon Finisher

Me (left) and Kristina (right) 13.1 finishers

I have been a total blog slacker. But it's all for a good reason.  These last few months have been INSANE. Who knew being in your "mid-twenties" meant every weekend was consumed with plans. I don't even remember the last time I had a full day of "Breakfast in Bed" with SOAPnet. The great news is it has been a lot of fun even if it has been overwhelming.

I can officially say I am a half marathoner. I finished the 13.1 mile race about 10 minutes under my goal time. I trained relentlessly for this race, each Saturday was consumed with running as my long runs got longer and longer. I felt my self get skinnier and I knew this would all be worth it in the end.

Race day finally came and my training partner Kristina who was battling a foot injury ended up toughing it out to do the race with me. As soon as we started I knew it was going to be so much more fun to do over two hours of running with someone else. We ran the entire time, except for a brief bathroom break which took way too long but someone decided to blow up the porter john. Each time we hit a water station we slowed to a fast paced walk and would do one water and one Gatorade. There were no mile markers along the course so the only way we knew how far we'd gone was by asking the volunteers throughout.

Kristina foot and knee came back to haunt her, so we split up around mile 10. I went ahead and battled the last long hill on my own. Only to be so excited when a guy who had recently finished told me once I got over the hill it was a downhill finish (thank you running gods!). I took the downhill at a sprint and saw my parents and fiance cheering me on. I crossed the finish line with blisters on my feet but with an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.  Just the year before I had said a 10k would probably be my longest distance and here I was finishing MORE than double that. Barely a few minutes later I cheered Kristina across the finish line. Her first race ever was a half marathon, holy cow! Both of us so excited for how awesome we did.

After the race we got our medals and rocked our new tech t-shirts. I was insanely hungry and immediately wanted a pizza. I had spent the last 12 weeks training and eating better than I had my entire life, so I deserved a Mellow Mushroom pizza. And to end the day on a really high note, my fiance had bought me a 13.1 sticker for my car, and ceremoniously added it to my back windshield.

Crazy Start

It's a new year and last time I said I was going to make some big changes for 2012. Well little did I know the big changes 2012 had in store for me. First things first, I started training for the RunRaleigh Half Marathon in April and it was a killer first two weeks, stuggling just to get through 2 miles on the treadmill and being so mad that I let myself get out of shape that fast.

The second week of January 2012 had another surprise, I got engaged to my best friend and althetic motivator! I was blown away at how sneaky he was in setting everything up to make it so special (I literally did not believe him when he said he arranged for me to be off work until I talked to my boss). He proposed on Appalachian State's campus, down on one knee, in the snow with 19 degree weather. After an amazing engagement weekend in the mountains where we met, my motivation to get in the ultimate shape tripled knowing that a wedding was on the horizon.

Once we were back I got into a serious running routine, I've been doing 3-5 runs a week with two days of weights. I can already see some changes and I'm only into my third week of my half marathon training plan. My longest run in a very long time was this past Saturday. I went out for a run with my Iroman in training fiance (still crazy to say!) and pushed myself to 5.5 miles (he went off on his own after that and did 10+...show off). I am paying for it this week with cramped calves and sore shins. But I have done some reasearch and realized that I am terrible about stretching so basically it is all my fault and I plan to get much better about it.

To make this first 6 weeks of this year even more insane and overwhelming, we put an offer in on a house. It has been the most stressful/emotional process ever. We fell in love with a house and have gone back and forth over logistics numerous times. Last week (after 3 weeks of debates) we are finally under contract on the house and so excited to finally be moving forward. I can't wait to have my house warming/engagement/I completed a half marathon party in our new place.

2012: The Year of New

2011 was all about motivating myself and others to find a job (or even a career) that we could all be happy in. I was lucky enough to become the Editor of my company's website, finally putting in to practice four years of college that lead to a journalism degree. With this position has come an enjoyable work environment, I find I am less stressed and don't struggle to get up in the morning for work. The hardest change has been I don't really get up from my desk. I sit for hours, snack, and edit.

On Thanksgiving day I did an 8k Turkey Trot through Raleigh. I ran it in under 55 minutes and was generally pleased with my finish. It wasn't as fast as I know I could do but considering it was cold and I didn't train at all for it I was pumped. That is until I saw the pictures that were taken of me during it. EW! I realized I'd gained weight (maybe not noticeable to others but definitely to me) and those pictures were to never be seen by anyone... EVER.

Right before Christmas I decided to get it together. I had just had a stellar year of races (running and triathlons) and a new job in 2011, I was not going to go into 2012 feeling like I did when I saw those pics. I bought an exercise ball to sit on at work and decided my next fitness goal for 2012 would be a half marathon.

Initially I wanted to train for a half marathon that would be in March, but after my first week of training last week I realized I didn't just want to finish the race, I want to finish the race and feel good. So I have committed myself to a race in mid-April. Throughout this training I hope to lose weight, get in the best shape of my life, and get that 13.1 sticker up on my car. Between this training and so many other events in 2012, I can genuinely say 2012 is going to be outstanding and I am looking forward to sharing it!

To Race or Not to Race?

This summer I got myself hyped to do my first triathlon. To my surprise, I ended up doing two sprint distances. In August, I did the Tri the Worx sprint and then in September I did my first open water swim at the White Lake - Dash for Divas triathlon. August was challenging for it's distance and September was challenging because of the open water swim.

Here we are in October, and now I am wondering where to go with my training next? I worked hard at each other the three sports and I enjoyed the workouts because each day was different. Now triathlon season is coming to an end and I am looking for my next challenge.

I loathe running on the treadmill for long periods of time so my running workouts have not been great as of lately. There are two running races on my horizon that I am currently "working" towards, Old Reliable 10k and the Turkey Trot 8k. I know for sure that I will be doing the Trukey Trot (I have challenged everyone I know to join me), but will I be ready in time to do the 10k at the beginning of November?

Pushing through boring workouts is the hardest thing for me, and not having anyone to motivate me makes it even worse. So here are the epiphanies I have had recently: Running without music (for whatever reason) makes the time go by faster for me, I used to think I could never run without it. If you have to be on a treadmill speed intervals and hills are your best friend. And finally, there is no way I will work out from home, so if I am running I run from work or at the gym, this way I don't even have the option to sit down (even for just one second!) and relax.

My current goal is to get my butt ready for some running races, at least one before it is super cold outside! What is goals are you shooting for this fall/winter?

Steve Jobs: Millennial Motivator

Steve Jobs has passed away, far too early if you ask me. The innovations that he has produced over the years have changed the way we listen to music, communicate and learn. We also have some of our favorite childhood movies to thank him for: Toy Story (1,2 & 3), Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and Cars.

But he didn’t just leave millennials with great childhood movies, iPods and iPhones, he left us with a piece of mind about our future:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And, the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” - Steve Jobs

This quote is what makes our generation unique. This is what we have been told our whole lives. We should strive to do something that we love and make a difference doing what we love. As each of us enters the workforce and gains more and more experience, I think we will see dreamers quickly become doers. We will no longer be saying “I’d love to do this” but we will be saying, “I do this because I love it”. Steve Jobs believed we could find that career that would make us exceptional, now we have to believe it.

Insist on Taking That Position

There is something to be said for finding your place in the workplace. After spending the better part of two years trying to figure where I fit and how I was going to make it to a position I actually wanted, an opportunity finally came around. Over two years with the same company finally paid off, after hounding different players (including the VP) of our marketing department, I think I had finally made it clear what I could bring to their team.

Let me remind you, I have applied for 3 marketing positions with our company and was passed up for each one. After the third, I vowed I was done and would make something happen in my current department or look outside the company. Miraculously, I was not forgotten by those who I had interviewed with (or even just chatted with) on the team. The major players of the marketing team worked out some positions, and a Marketing – Editor position was suddenly available. I had no intentions of applying for this after so many fails, but after some discussion with others decided to go for. And who knew I was who they had in mind for it the whole time?

I can genuinely say I have found a happy niche to get a career started and I am FINALLY utilizing my college degree in Journalism. I have already learned so much about marketing and communications, and I’m sure that won’t stop anytime soon.

But perseverance is key when trying to get into that position of your dreams. You may feel like you are being annoying (I know I did), but look at it as being unforgettable. Show your future boss what you can bring to the table and the experience you have already had (if you are staying with the same company show what you know about the product and operations). If you are really ballsy, pitch a promotion idea to the marketing team or talk about how you think you can better the processes in an operations department. In this day and age, it is so much better to stand out than to go with the flow.

Officially a Triathlete

This weekend was the culmination of all of the training I have been putting in over the last few summer months. I completed my first Triathlon! This was a sprint distance triathlon, 350 yard swim – 11.5 mile bike – 3.1 mile run. Over the course of training I had decided my goal was just to finish. As the day came closer I decided to set my time goal for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Then the day came and it was time to race. I completed the race in 1 hour and 28 minutes, putting me in 3^rd place of my age group of 20-24 year old females.

To shatter an hour and a half was the most amazing feeling. I honestly thought when my goggles snapped right before my swim that that was it, this was not going to go well. The swim went well, but I quickly realized I was too cocky with my swimming and did not get enough practice in. The bike felt good, there were plenty of challenging hills but I took each one in stride and even passed two women going uphill. Then came the run, I’ve always had issues with tight calves and they were on fire, finally the halfway turn around approached and I was able to shake them out and get some speed going.

Crossing the finish line with my family and friends support including my dad (an Ironman) and my boyfriend (a half Ironman), was a huge feeling of accomplishment. If you would have told me last year I would be finishing a triathlon and beating my goal time, I would’ve said no way I’d be lucky not to die in the process. Now I can say I am addicted to the sport. My next attempt at a triathlon will be at White Lake in September, a shorter course but with an open water swim.