Oh no!

Had a bit of a scare there. I went out for a run today and when I went to turn on my Garmin....nothing. I mean NOTHING happened. Blank screen and I had checked it last night and made sure it was charging.

I tried the power.
I tried the lap/reset button.
I tried plugging it back in to the wall.
I tried plugging it into my computer.

NOTHING.

This went on for about 10 minutes. Then all of a sudden it came back to life. PHEW! I was getting really scared there....and I have never had any problems with it before. I ended up running 7.5 miles and the battery is charged, luckily there were no other problems. Maybe it was just playing tricks on me?? Not funny at all.

Off to finish packing then moving tomorrow. Happy running and Memorial Day weekend!

Halfway to the goal!

While entering my miles into my RunningAHEAD log, I noticed that I have logged over 500+ miles this year! Plus, as you know, it's only MAY! Woo hoo! I am officially over halfway to my goal of 1,000 miles in 2010! So exciting!

Aside from that, I have been keeping up my miles during this busy week. My last few workouts are below:

Monday: ran 4 in 35:00
Wednesday: ran 8 in 1:12:00
Thursday: ran 7.5 in 1:10:00

For those of you keeping track, the average pace on the Thursday run was 8:37/mile! That is a lot faster than my normal 9:00/mile pace. I'm not sure what is going on, but I'll take it! I read somewhere that to notice a difference in running you just have to keep at it and your time will slowly slowly get better. It seems that it is taking about 4-5 months of consistent training to lose half a minute per mile on my pace. Has anyone else noticed this too? I might just be slower than others :)

Hope everyone is having a good week! Happy running!

No running :(

Ahhhh, Im guessing it was all wishful thinking for the weekend. I WANTED to run, and probably could have on Friday, but bachelorette activities and the group arriving at different times made it impossible to get a workout in. I did see 2 girls running down the strip and I was insanely jealous! Although, I am not good at running in the heat, so it might have been a bad idea :) Besides that, it was a wonderful weekend in Vegas! Also, dancing is sort of a workout too....

On another running note, I was trying to run in the North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon on June 6th, but it seems that it has sold out :( I was waiting to see if I could work it into my schedule, and when I was sure that I could, they capped the entrance to 1500 runners :( There goes my chance for a race with a medal! I might try to find another race early in June before the Seattle Rock N Roll Half that I luckily signed up for. Anyone know of other races in Washington State?

Aside from that, I have been running around with errands because I am moving next weekend :) I'm planning on fitting in an 8 miler later on today before our Sounders Game (a friendly against Boca Juniors for those futbol soccer fans interested!) Last week was a sad running week, and I am hoping to get more than 16 in this week. Good thing I did the 12 miles before I left for Vegas, or else it would have only been about 10 miles! Eek!

Also, I found out that I won a giveaway from the awesome Julie over at Minesota Mileage. Check out her blog if you haven't already....she is super speedy! More details to come on that when it arrives :)

Happy running and let me know if anyone knows of other half marathons in the PNW for June!

Viva Las Running!

Quick post, but I thought I would post something before going on hiatus again this weekend. Just had a lovely 8 miler (9:08/mile) through stormy Seattle. A pretty strong run for me considering I wasn't really trying to run at any pace.

I'm hoping to go look at apartments, then come back, get another 4 in on the treadmill, pack, and off to Las Vegas for my friends bachelorette party. That should put me at 12 miles today!! *Hopefully* I can put in another 4 miles while there to make up for my weak running week (haha, that rhymes!)

 

Happy running and have a great weekend!

Ahoy Runners! Cruising USA Picspam

First off....welcome new blogging buddies! I'm really excited and can't believe that there are 50 of you that read my random running rambles!! I promise to post more and hopefully keep you entertained :)

So as you might remember (since I posted a WEEK ago!) that I went on an awesome Holland America cruise through Alaska.  Here was our route:

The trip was amazing. I would recommend it to anyone....basically as soon as you are on the boat you don't have to worry about anything. Food and travel is planned for you (with many options!) so all you need to do is plan time to get to that pesky treadmill. I was usually the only one there, and managed to put in 22 miles on the boat (it was after the half, and I was getting sea-sick running on the moving treadmill!) Here are a few running related pictures before I go into the full blown cruise review picspam (You have been warned!):

Amazing and empty gym I had to myself

View from dreadmill

Notice there is nobody else there?!

One run...probably not the best idea since it was extremely rocky that day. I was holding on to the treadmill the entire time to NOT fall off. You know you're a runner when...... :)

Cooling off after a run....

The BF and I in Glacier Bay

Naturally I found the Alaskan Brewery in Juneau :) 

Alaskan White is the best!! Yep, it's a wheat beer.....

Red Dog Tavern in Juneau

Creek Street in Ketchikan

Finding the perfect gift for friends.....kidding. WTH is that? A furkini??

Yep, even finding SUN in Alaska. So what if it was 62 degrees!!

Overall it was a great week! Unfortunately I have been really busy after getting back (finding apartments is very time consuming!!) and I have barely had time to run let alone blog. I will have to find time next week after my weekend trip to Vegas this weekend. And to answer the questions now, yes, I will be bringing my shoes to the bachelorette party, and NO, it's not a party for me :) I have a feeling I might be the only one at the gym in Vegas as well.

Has anyone else been on a cruise or running while on a boat?? Hope everyone is having a great week! More blogging to come next week.....Happy running :)

Some pictures from HAL website

A New PR???

Well, the Kirkland Half Marathon was last Sunday and….

I finally got a sub-2 half marathon!! Wahoo!!! I guess those clovers really were lucky!

Can you tell I’m exhausted excited??

It was one of the most difficult races I have run, but I had it in my head to do a sub 2 half, and I came in just under the mark. It wasn’t pretty, but the recap will have to come later because I am on an impromptu cruise to Alaska (thanks to my awesome boyfriend!!) Recap to come in a week when I have adequate internet reception next week.

Leaving Seatown

We are in Juneau, and off to Sitka, Ketchikan, and Glacier Bay. It has been awesome so far and I even ran a few miles in the gym. We were cruising up to Glacier Bay the past few days, and it was a bit rocky. It wouldn’t have been that bad while sitting or standing, but trying to run on the dreadmill was a bit tough! I probably looked like I was drunk or something. More details to come in a day or so…..but I will leave you of a few pictures from the Oosterdam’s gym:

 Not bad for not taking a day off after the race!

Happy sailing running! Did anyone else run the Kirkland Half? I didn’t see anyone that I recognized. Let me know if you ran it as well!

You know you're a runner when....

Workouts:

Monday, May : Ran 4 miles (8:40/pace on treadmill)
Wednesday, May 5: Ran 8 miles (9:06/pace) 
Thursday, May 6: Ran 5.5 (9:20/pace) & fast-walk 5.5 miles

Okay, so yesterday I went a little crazy and not only walked 5.5 miles to run an errand (don't ask, and yes, I'm sore from lugging my huge bag up hills!). I also went on a run with my awesome Step-Sis. Thanks for being my running buddy!! :) I unfortunately didn't take a picture on the run, but here is pictures of the 4 and 5-leaf clovers that I found on my extremely long walk Wednesday:

I am either going to have REALLY good luck this weekend, or I have an uncanny knack to find deformed clovers. I really find them all the time. (I'm crossing my fingers for an awesome tough half marathon in Kirkland on Sunday!!)

Now on to the story. On Wednesday I went for a nice 8-miler through the city. I was making a decent 9:00/mile pace without really trying. I was cruising along though the waterfront when I saw another woman running towards me. I didn't think anything about it until she got within 10 feet of me, stopped and turned abruptly and started running right in front of me! This wouldn't bother me, but they sped up and was going just slower than the pace I was going. I just thought that I would speed up and pass them so I wasn't going to run over her through the entire park.

I picked up the pace a bit and passed her. Within a few seconds, I realized that she was again right on my heels. I think she was trying to race me! The sun was shining and I could tell she was right behind me because of her heavy footsteps and her head's shadow bobbing on the path. What was she doing? I picked up the pace even more and she was still right behind me! We went for over a mile and a half at almost a 7:40/mile pace until the end of the park! Seriously, has anyone had this happen??

Let's just say that she never passed me and stopped just before the end of the park. Well, I hope she learned a lesson to not cut people off and try to race them through the park! Who does that? I don't think she knew who she was messing with :)

Do any of you have funny running stories??

And another one.....

Well, here goes....

I just signed up for the Kirkland Half Marathon on Sunday, May 9th!

 

I think I just might be crazy, but I felt like running another one this weekend. You can find out more about the course here. Apparently, its ANOTHER really hill course, so who knows about my sub 2-half:

 Wowsa! Elevation graph from here

Also, I have no idea if there is a finisher's medal or not. I know they had one in year's past, but I didnt see anything on the website for this one. Maybe I'll get lucky and not only receive a medal but also get my sub 2. By looking at the elevation, Im doubtful for both! At least its another one under my belt though!!

Hope everyone had a fun Cinco de Drinko Mayo yesterday. I celebrated by running 8 miles (story about that to come) and having pork carnitas with a hefeweisen and lime. The lime was to be festive, or course!!

Off to run a few miles with my Step-Sis. Happy running!

Month Review: April 2010

April 2010:

       Total Miles: 122.4        
       Average Pace: 9:35/mile        
       Running Time: 19:33:09 
       Yearly Total:  409.8 miles

       Yearly Time Total: 68:03:02
       Blog Posts in April: 11

Woo hoo, new monthly mileage PR! This month included 2 half marathons (Whidbey and Bainbridge), increased mileage, went 39 miles over my monthly goal (83.4 miles/month), increased my yearly mileage by 76.2 of where I should be for my Tall Mom 1,000 + goal, and proudly became Half Fanatic #391.

All in all, it was a great month. The two races were great runs (for being sick and a difficult course) but I'm still chasing that sub 2. I'm thrilled (if you cant tell) to be a Half Fanatic, and I'm hoping that I will continue to race consistently in the future. My average pace was decent for the month, but could be improved.  Hopefully my new shoes will do the trick in May :)

Also, here's a little product review:

Hammer Gel ($1.25/single serving):

Hammer Gel comes in the following delicious flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Banana, Chocolate, Espresso, Montana Huckleberry, Orange, Raspberry, Tropical, and Vanilla.
For over a decade, Hammer Gel has been the benchmark of concentrated carbohydrate energy gel, primarily because of what it doesn't contain - Hammer Gel has no added refined, simple sugars, and no artificial colors or sweeteners.

• Rock solid energy
• Made with real fruit and wholesome ingredients
• Versatile and economical
• Espresso and Tropical contain caffeine.
• Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly
• Contains no MSG
• Kosher Certified 
• Comes in Gel Packs or 26 Serving Jugs

Hammer Gel was being distributed at the Bainbridge Island Half, so I took a few while running by. I tried the Vanilla gel before one of my runs last week (it was in the beginning of the run, since I was dragging). The gel has no refined sugars, yet it seemed to taste very sweet. The packet is larger than GU, and was a little more difficult to take while running. Overall, the flavor was decent and I would try it again. I did seem to have more energy about 10 minutes after taking the gel. I would still prefer GU, but this was a nice alternative.

Just because I like pictures, here is a view from the run when I took the Hammer Gel:

Also congrats to Tall Mom who BQ'd in her marathon last weekend and to Amanda who ran her first marathon (plus a half marathon a few days later) as well. Congrats ladies :)

Half Fanatic #391

Tuesday, April 27: Run 4 miles & fast-walk 3 miles (post-race recovery)
Thursday, April 29: Run 8 miles
Friday, April 30: Run 4 miles
Saturday, May 1: Run 4 miles

Okay, I know....I was a bad blogger last week. As promised, I did keep up my running and post-race recovery, but I was really waiting for something else:

I am officially Half Fanatic #391!!

Yep, after the Bainbridge Island Half Marathon last Sunday and the Whidbey Island Half Marathon on April 11th, I completed their Neptune Moon Level, which is their lowest level to qualify (which is 2 half marathons in 16 days, or 3 within 3 consecutive calendar months). To find out more about how to qualify, click here for their requirements, and click here for a list of all the Half Fanatics.

To enter you have to first qualify with races that the group recognizes, then send them an email answering the following questions:

1. Your Best Hard Core Half Marathon Streak?

2. Half Marathons Run This Year?

3. Lifetime Half Marathons Run To Date?

4. Which States You Have Run A Half Marathon in?

After that, you pay your membership fee, pick out a shirt and you are in!

Luckily I heard the shirts run small, so I ordered a medium and it fits perfectly. The shirt is also of a much heavier fabric than regular tech shirts, which I like. Plus, its a women's cut, so it should fit but not be too snug :)

Also, you gain access to upcoming half marathons that other Fanatics are running in, and your own web page to update your half marathons races. It might sound dorky to some, but to me it is worth it! For me, it is just the motivation I need to keep signing up for races. This was one of my goals, now I can just work on that pesky sub-2 half!

To all of you PNW'ers, has anyone run in the Kirkland Half Marathon? Its this weekend on May 9th. I'm trying to decide if I should do it or not. Yet again, I seem to find the half marathons without the finishers medal! Oh well :)

Are any of you Half Fanatics or Marathon Maniacs??

Whoa Grandma!

While looking at the news this morning, my eyes noticed the words "run" and "marathon" which usually isn't front page news on MSN. The article's headline was "Grandma runs 27 marathons in 27 days." I thought it might be a joke, but it was true!

Meet Rosie Swale Pope, a 67 year old grandmother who just ran 27 marathons in 27 days! The article here describes her month or consecutive marathons across the UK, and how she originally planned on running 26, but decided to do another marathon as her "victory lap." Wow.

"I think the main thing is to show people that they should reach out to do what they want to do.

"Maybe you can't always get there but you should always reach out.

"Although I am actually 63 doing something like this makes me feel as though I am really 36."

After googling Rosie, I came across her website. Apparently she also took 5 years off and literally ran around the world! Here is a picture of her route:

Not only that, but she started her run at the age of 57! Now I'm thinking about getting her book. She is truly an inspiration. Who inspired you today??