Minneapolis-Star-Tribune-runningkellometers

Since my blog is new, I'm still getting a feel for how I want to do things. Some other bloggers post videos, participate in WIAW, wordless Wednesday, meatless Mondays, interview other bloggers, and all other things in-between. I haven't interviewed other bloggers before, but I'd like to take a little time to highlight my friend Amanda, because we need your help!

Amanda and I met in June of 2011 at day 1 of Chicago Marathon training. It was our first marathon, we were in the same pace group, and we became friends right away. For those of you that have trained for a marathon, you know there are good days and bad days out on the trail. We would always stick together and help each other out and keep that motivation going. We started the Chicago Marathon together and had a pact. 

Amanda and I before the start of the Chicago Marathon

We would stay together as long as we could, but if one person was doing better than the other, we'd wish each other well and split up. We stuck together until mile 10.5 where I had to drop back because I was struggling. I wished her well and she went on to cross the finish line! Amanda has a really great race recap here, explaining both of our experiences.

Amanda at mile 23 of the Chicago Marathon

I started running in 2003 when a friend wanted to do a run for her 30th birthday and wanted me to participate.  My friend stopped running a few years later but I kept on running.  I like the challenge of running.  For me, it's not easy to do, it doesn't come naturally.  So to be able to do it and run half marathons and even a marathon, is a huge sense of accomplish.

Actually, even though I was running (and even did my first half in 2006), I never considered myself a "runner" until maybe 2009 when I ran 6 miles one day and didn't have to stop and walk!  I literally stopped afterwards and couldn't believe it. I used to just think I was a person who ran, but not a "runner".

Since 2003, I have lost approximately 90 pounds and even ran my first marathon last year. Running is not easy for me but I've met a terrific group of running friends and I love doing it!

Yes, you read that correctly--90 lbs!!! Amanda has some before and after pics on her blog and the transformation is amazing. What a great accomplishment and how inspirational to others! Not only is she a great runner, but she is a great friend. When I went to Grand Rapids to try marathon attempt #2 (Amanda's recap here), Amanda drove the 3 hours and was there to cheer me on!

Us at mile 18 in GR

I struggled again but she was there to help me through it.

About to cross the finish line! Notice, Amanda has all my gear like a true runner friend! :)

Sporting our finisher medals!

Why am I doing all this talking about Amanda (other than the fact that she is awesome)? She has been nominated for Athlete of the Month for the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA). I would like all of your help to vote for her because she deserves to win!

What do you have to do to vote? Simply head on over to CARA's Facebook page and "like" her photo. The photo with the most "likes" wins!

Thanks in advance for all of your help and votes!!!!

After my horrible workout on Monday, I wanted to start fresh on Tuesday. My goal for the run was to complete 5 miles at a comfortably quick pace. I messaged a friend (Ryan) late in the day yesterday to see if he wanted to join me for the run with my dog. He said he usually doesn't have much motivation to run after 6pm so that sounds like a great idea.

When I was changing out of my work clothes, I noticed something strange. Why can I feel the floor even though I have my socks on?

Oh, that's why! There is a giant hole in the bottom of my socks. Thanks Pepper!! She likes to take folded laundry and chew on it if I'm watching TV instead of playing fetch with her. (Yeah, she's kind of a brat.)

After I was dressed, Ryan came by with all the right reflective gear, and I regret not snapping a photo of us runnerds before heading out. Ryan stayed behind me and the pup to start which actually worked out well. We found a steady pace early on so the dog wasn't a complete spaz. I was annoyed that my Garmin wasn't catching a signal for the first 1/2 mile (I thought about bringing my cell phone for its Endomondo purposes but decided against it at the last minute). When it finally turned on, we were well on our way. We finished up 4.0 miles in 37:25 with an average pace of 9:21 which I was quite happy with. I didn't feel overly tired but fresh and motivated when I was finished! (I got on Google maps at the office this morning and realized the actual distance was 4.4 miles, but I didn't start the watch until the satellites were synced up)

On our run we talked a bit about heart rate monitors and the difference of running by heart rate versus speed. I know Maggie at Run for Pi(e) swears by this method. I am intrigued and want to investigate further before completing my next marathon (whenever that is)... I already have the Garmin 405 but don't know much about the heart monitor strap or how to get it activated, etc. I guess that's what the internet is for! :)

Before my husband went off to bed, I had him snap a quick pic of me and the pup. Aren't we cute? Haha
I was looking forward to testing out my shirt from the Dash Into the New Year 5k because at first glance it looked really nice. I LOVED it, mostly because it is nice and long (aka doesn't ride up), dry fit, and comfortably loose (they only had men's sizes).

I came home from our run just in time to see the end of the Biggest Loser. I'm now totally addicted to this season. I've seen episodes before here and there, but never a whole season. This is going to be my first one (I know, I'm a little slow to the BL train). I really like Dolvett and want his team to do well (Bob is annoying to me for some reason), but I really like a lot of the members of the black team better than the red team. So now I am hooked and can't wait to see what happens next week! What are your thoughts on this season of the Biggest Loser? Which trainer do you prefer? Which team do you like better (black or red)?

Last week I didn't really run all that much. I have plenty of excuses to justify it, for sure. In light of the latest season of Biggest Loser that I'm addicted to and their theme of "no excuses," I feel guilty.

I guess I would feel less guilty about it if I was still meeting my goal runs. However, that is not the case. Yesterday was attempt #2 of the "progressive" run (as seen in Runners World). The plan was to run 1 mile at 8:30 pace, 1 mile at 8:00, and 1 mile at 7:30. The first mile at 8:30 was no problem. Halfway through mile 2, I could feel that this was not good. I pounding my feet really hard, could barely breathe, and my body didn't feel right. I slowed down to a 9:00 pace for a quarter mile but tried to bump it up again for the last quarter mile (to a 7:30 pace). I couldn't keep the speed up and had to finish at 9:00 pace. There were a couple different factors that might be the cause. The main reason, I think, is that I didn't eat enough for lunch to have such an intense workout. Thinking of food as fuel, I don't think there was enough in the tank. breakfast: bowl of Crispex; Snack: banana; lunch: Lean Cuisine rigatoni. The plan was to eat a salad with my rigatoni but I got busy and didn't make the time to put it together. A mixture of not enough to eat as well as a failed week last week lead to an unsuccessful attempt. Thankfully, tomorrow is another day.

Tonight the plan is to do 5 miles with the dog at a leisurely pace. I received lots of fun running clothes for my birthday, so I cannot wait to test them out! I'm also doing another 5k this weekend. I am going to aim for another sub 23:00 (obviously) and see how things shake up. With my lack of speedwork in the past 2-3 weeks, I don't know if a sub 23:00 is possible. I'm running this race with a few other good competitors so I have hopes it will be a good one!

Yesterday I asked about race envy. I have been seeing some posts about the Disney marathon. Have you ever thought about completing the Goofy Challenge? I don't know about you, but that is one race where I do not have race envy. I think just a marathon or a half marathon is enough for me in one weekend.

Sorry I haven't been posting much over the weekend. I only had my iPad with me and I don't yet know how to use many of the features. Warning, the "iBlogger" iPad app is not for the "Blogger" website, despite the logo being exactly the same. (I will be contacting Apple to try and get my money back from that scam, by the way.)

I spent the weekend (Thursday through Sunday) with my husband's family in Lake Geneva. We had tons of fun! The scenery is beautiful.

We always play lots of really fun games.

Drink too much alcohol...
and end up like this

The birthday gods must have been shining down on me because I didn't get sick the next day. I felt horrible, don't get me wrong, but didn't get sick. As my birthday is January 6 and most people are tired from Christmas and/or New Years, my birthday isn't usually a big deal. I have fun keeping things relatively low key and my husband and I just go out to dinner and that is it. This year was an exception and we had a ton of fun (as I'm sure you can tell from the pictures)!

I planned on doing a local race in Lake Geneva on Saturday, but we always go to church on Saturday night. I thought I would be able to squeeze in both but decided against going to the run and ran on the treadmill instead. I also planned on getting up early our last day to run around the area, but packing took longer than expected and I wasn't able to get out there. I'm disappointed I wasn't able to run outside like I always love to do on vacation, but I was happy to get the run in regardless! Now I know for next year to plan my time better to get it done!

I'm happy to be back to reality, sleep in my own bed, and catch up on all the blogs I've missed! Today I plan on hitting up our office fitness center to get in 3 miles and also see if I can do the circuit workout that my friend Kate and I did last Monday. We'll see if they have the right equipment to do all of the exercises! Half marathon training will start soon and I'm excited to get my butt in gear to work towards my first sub-2 hour half marathon in May! I think I'm going to enjoy not training for a marathon this year, but I already know I'm going to miss it. Do you get race envy? Wish you signed up or trained for something when cheering on a friend? Do you sign up for next year's race right away? What do you do to help counter your envy?

After a long day of travel and shopping we arrived at the Abbey Resort last night. The hotel restaurant is arguably the worst food you've ever eaten in your whole life. (I've been watching a lot of "Kitchen Nightmares" lately and am seriously considering nominating this place.) I was exhausted after dinner so we just hung out in the hot tub and went to bed early.

Since today is my birthday (I turn 28), I woke up to some Facebook notifications and a phone call from my brother. So far it has been a great day and most of my gifts have been running related! I got a new pair of Nike running tights that I'm really looking forward to testing out for the race tomorrow. Considering it is unseasonably warm, I'm glad I brought 5 different running outfits (which is more than regular outfits I packed). Everyone here thinks I'm crazy to run while on vacation, but I think of it as a new adventure. All of the trips I've taken in 2011 involved a run of some sort, whether on the treadmill or outside. Atlanta was way hillier than I expected, and the elevation in Denver didn't affect me as much as everyone made it out to be. And Santa Rosa, CA is beautiful any time of year, period.

What are your thoughts on running while on vacation? Or, what does your spouse/family think of your vacation workout habits?

I've been catching up on the latest issue of Runners World and am totally pumped up for the Olympic trials. The article on Des Davilla has me ready and raring to go. I've been reading up on all the different athletes and the female race sounds super competitive and exciting! Sorry Toph, I'm calling first dibs on the big TV on January 14! Are you all as excited as me? Who will you be cheering for?

For some reason I can't figure out how to upload images in blogger on my iPad so I apologize for the picture-less post :(

Yesterday I was so sore I could barely move so I decided to take a rest day. Working out at the gym is hard!

My husband and I will be leaving tomorrow afternoon to go to Lake Geneva. Every year his family goes up there around or after New Years and takes over a whole hallway at the hotel. It is a weekend where we sit around, drink, play games, and eat really delicious junk food. It's basically Christmas without all the stress of preparing, cleaning, and gift giving. We leave on Thursday and come back on Sunday. Since we won't be around to celebrate my birthday on Friday, I got to open up my present early. Drum roll please...

NBD

Yes, that's an iPad! I've been wanting one ever since they came out but would never justify such a large purchase (especially on myself). My husband knew what I was thinking so he decide to get one for me. (After I opened it, he did say that it was on sale because someone returned it after opening it. He really knows how I love a good deal.) on the plus side, I'll be able to keep up with all my blogs while in Lake Geneva, as long as the hotel has some kind of wi-fi. (Although, The Abbey tries hard to be upscale so there might only be free wi-fi in the lobby.)

Naturally the first thing I did was take a bunch of photos of my dog and mess with the Photo Booth feature. I know this is going to be a fun weekend!

Today on Living Social's website, they have a 1 year subscription to Women's Health magazine for $8. As I'm just starting to get more into lifting weights, I thought it would be a good starting point. If you want in on this deal too, here's the link!

Have any of you subscribed to Women's Health before? What did you think of the mag?

Do any of you also have an iPad? What are some good apps? Pinterest really needs a better iPad app.

Happy New Year to all of you! Its day 3 of the new year... Have you been working on your resolutions yet? :)

On January 1, I was quite possibly the laziest person on the planet. I did absolutely nothing productive all day. It was amazing.

Yesterday, however, it was back to work. I met up with my friend Kate LF at Charter Fitness as she can workout at my gym with me for free anytime. She had brought an issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine with her so we decided to do the circuit workout listed that focused on the upper body. We started out with 12 reps of each of the 7 exercises. After each circuit, we did 5 minutes on the elliptical, and at the start of each circuit, we took the weight up a notch (and decreased the number of reps). I felt fantastic afterwards (and am really sore today). It was great for me to mentally get over the "I can't do more than 20 lbs on the machine" hurdle. Before the end of the day, I had lifted 45 lbs all by myself (yes, I lifted just the bar). I felt far less wimpy than in earlier workouts. I plan on doing this workout again next Monday!

After this workout, I did some grocery shopping at Super Target before heading home to do some laundry. Does anyone else have problems getting the sweat smell out of their clothes? We don't buy Procter and Gamble so we can't use Tide, Wisk, or Gain. I've been using All but I feel it isn't doing the trick and my clothes still smell like sweat even after they've been washed, twice. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Also, since it was Monday and I was around, I headed to RFK for their weekly Monday fun runs. There was a pretty big group of us, and I was able to run with Kate S and Pepper! The dog had a much harder time adjusting to our pace, and we had a rough 1st mile. We finally got our rhythm; it just took a little longer than usual. In the end, we finished 5 miles in 44:01 (average pace 8:47). Now, my tracking of 2012 miles on Daily Mile has officially begun. I'm excited for the year to come! :)

RFK Running Group Where's Waldo. Can you see me?