Galloway Training Recap (Week 5)

Another tough week....fatigue got the best of me this week so I skipped the weekday training. Therefore, no miles during the week. I had every intention of getting out there and run but I just couldn't. But I did my assigned miles for the long run. 

Tuesday:

No running

Thursday:

No running again...

Saturday:

I woke up early even though I just wanted to sleep in. Got ready and head out the door by 5:50am. I walked 2 miles even though I was tempted to run...but I followed what Jeff Galloway assigned me to do...my pace was 22:45 but yet, I was supposed to do my long runs at 16:30 pace!?!? After 2 miles I did 15/30 I felt great for 9.25 miles. I walked the last 3/4 mile because it was getting hot. But overall I felt great! (Minus the heat...lol). My average pace is 18:05. I didn't reach my suggested pace but I felt really good so I am ok with it :)

Total miles for the week: 12.01 miles

Galloway Training Recap (week 3)

Another tough week. I didn't get to do the required weekly training because we had to get ready to cruise with Mickey! I had every intention of running and doing my workout on Tuesday but ended up going home and took care of packing and cleaning up the house. One of my favorite thing to do while cruising is to actually get up early and run around on Deck 4! (I know, weird...right?? Lol) So guess what I ended up doing on Friday?? Lol 

Tuesday:

No running

Friday:

Got up early and attended the stretching class then went down to deck 4 and did 4CD (45, 49, 50, 51) and 4 AG drills. Then did 1 mile of 15/30 intervals.

Miles ran: 2.01 miles

Saturday:

I woke up early again and attended the stretching class. Then I signed up to run the Castaway Cay 5k. It was VERY HOT and HUMID! I ran 15/30 the first 2 miles but ended up walking the last mile. I finished it last but at least I didn't cheat and did 2 loops!

Miles ran: 3.05 miles 

Total miles for the week: 5.07 miles

Galloway Training Recap (Week 2)

Ever since my first run with Galloway training, I have been more excited about going outside and do my workout! Of course, week 1 was tough...and didn't get to do the week day workouts. Week 2 was much better (but still didn't follow the plan all the way! I still need to really follow the plan and not skipping out on the weekday workout...

Tuesday: 

Weather: sunny, 81 degrees

Warm up, 4 CD (45, 49, 50, 50) followed by 4 AG

4x800m: Lap 1 (30/30) - 7:40, Lap 2 (20/20) - 7:31, Lap 3 (15/15) - 7:18)

Total miles ran: 3.52 miles

Thursday: 

I skipped the workout

Saturday: 

Weather: cloudy, 71 degrees

Plan - 12 miler long run

What I did: I ran 6 miles and did MM during the first mile

Magic Mile #1 (time per 1/4 mile): 3:41, 3:44, 3:47, 3:53 (final time: 15:05)

Total miles ran: 6.02 miles

Total miles for the week: 9.54 miles

eCoaching with Jeff Galloway

I have been running since 2012, and just recently completed half marathon #12 couple of weeks ago (Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare). My fastest half marathon is still 3:17:33 (my first half marathon) and I can't seem to PR...I have discovered Jeff Galloway's e-coaching couple of months ago and have been contemplating on signing up for his ecosching. Well, after my #12, and the time hasn't improved (probably because I haven't followed the training program in a long time), I finally decided to bite the bullet and signed up for his e-coaching. 

2 days after signing up for his e-coaching, I got an email from Susan with some questions to be filled out.  I filled them out in details and send it back. Within a day or so, I got my personalized training program from Jeff Galloway!! (Which align with 4 half marathons and other races that I will be completing in the next 6 months). So you would think I was excited about going out there and run, right??? Wrong! I had a hard time getting out there and do my weekly workout!  I ended up missing the weekly workout but I did do my long run this weekend despite not feeling well.  

Jeff wanted me to do my long runs with 15/30 intervals with at least 16:30 pace. Well, most of my long runs ended up being 17-18min pace so I was little worried about keeping up with 15/30. I started my long run on Sunday night (finally decided to get out there and run) and walked for 5min before started on the intervals. after a mile, my pace went from 20min to 17:30 and I felt really good!! By mile 2, I was running 16:10!  It was very humid but I felt good the whole 3 miles!! My pace ended up being 16:20 (after the 5min cool down). And no aches and pains whatsoever! Not even my Plantar fasciitis!!!

So glad I did the long run today. Now I feel better about the training and about myself and now looking forward to do my weekly trIning next week!! 

My goal is to run 3:15 half marathon by the end of the coaching without any injuries! (Sub 3 would be GREAT if I can do it!!)

Race Recap: the best race...EVER! Nike Women's Half Marathon 2014

What can I say? I'm a sucker for finisher's medals....when I found out that Nike women's run series gave away Tiffany's necklace at the finish line couple years ago, I knew it had to be on my running bucket list. But only one problem....back then, Nike only had the race in San Fransisco...in OCTOBER. I knew then that running the race will just have to wait until I retire...lol. Then came a big announcement from Nike last year!! A new race!! In WASHINGTON D.C.!! In APRIL!! Heck yah!! But still...I didn't think I was able to do it. 

When I came across the race info for 2014 and saw the race date, I was ecstatic! It just so happened to fall on on our spring break! So what did I do?? I recruited my friend Betsy and Angela to run the race with me! We signed up for the lottery (unfortunate for Angela as she had completely forgot to sign up 😞) and waited for the results. I had to prepare myself in case we didn't get in. Well...WE GOT IN!!! 

Fastforward to race week. Jeff and I got there on Wednesday so we could enjoy DC for a little bit. The expotique opened on Thursday so we did the tour of the Capitol and the Library of congress before we went to the expotique. Unlike runDisney's expo, this expo was really small. I got my bib in one tent, then walked up to another tent for the race shirt and the bag. Then I walked down to the actual expotique.  Inside the HUGE tent, there was a big screen right in front of the entrance. As I was about to check out the expo, the screen caught my eyes! MY NAME was on the screen!! I thought that was neat!  So I walked back and forrth on the sensor with my bib and took pictures in front of the screen as my name popped up! Now...THAT WAS COOL!!!

I walked around a very small expo. I decided to get my running analyzed before our tour started and so glad I did because it confirmed me for the third time that I'm a neutral runner! And the video that they sent me was really neat!!

Now let's fast forward to the race day. Since the race started at 7am, we got up around 5am and left the hotel about 5:45am. Walked to the Metro, got on with no problem and got off at Federal Triangle to drop off Jonathan's bag. By the time we got there it was about 6:15am and no one was hardly in the corral so we went ahead and walked up to the front of the Wave 3 corral.  Took several pictures with the Capitol and sunrise as our background and waited for the Wave 1 to start!

The weather was PERFECT! It was about lower 60's (maybe upper 50's?).  Right about 7:15am, our corral (the last corral) crossed the starting line. I was very nervous because we have to finish by 11am!! Of course just like any other big race, the first 1-2 miles were very congested. Betsy and I ran and ran until we reached the Capitol,before I took my first walking break. Betsy is a fast runner and I'm slower than her. I felt bad that she was staying with me and I kept telling her to keep going. But she stayed closed by. We started 1/1 ratio and I felt incredibly great despite I haven't ran much in the past couple of weeks. We ran by the mall, passed the Washington monument, Lincoln memorial and ran through a tunnel (lost the GPS signal for a bit there) and ran across the bridge to the Arlingtn cemetary. By mile 5, Betsy and I were separated (potty break) and I went on. The first part of the course was very nice and lots to look at. However, the second half was kind of boring. The course was in the park (I think?) and nothing really nice to look at. As I was reaching mile 9, I started to get worried because I usually hit the "wall" around there. But the "wall" wasn't there and I just kept on...not as strong as in the beginning but I kept on. Between mile 10 and 11 was the chocolate station and boy oh boy those chocolate truffles tasted so good!! I probably had about 6 chocolates while running!! (And probably could had some more chocolates to last me until the finish line!! Lol). We went through the tunnel again and I knew I was getting close to the Pensylvania Ave.  right before I reached mile 12, I saw a jumbotron and saw my name on the screen again!! It was amazing and gave me a boost of energy that I needed to finish the last 1.1 mile!!

That last 1.1 miles seemed like 3 miles but I finally crossed the finish line! YAY I DID IT!!! Not only got my Tiffany's necklace, I shaved off about 30 second from Albany half! It felt so good that I finished the race without getting swept and finished it on time!  Betsy finished before me and she waited for me to cross the finish line, get my necklace pic and we headed back to the Metro to get back to our hotel. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this race!! Would I do it again?? You betcha!! But too bad Nike cancelled DC race for next year. But I would do another Nike Women half as long as it is doable :)

 

Weekly Training Report: 3/09/14

Weekly Training Report: 3/09/14

I just could not get into the training mood, but thanks to my friend, I got out and walked some this week!

Sunday: Rested

Monday: Rested

Tuesday: walked with Besty and Angela in Betsy's neighborhood. 

Miles for the day: 3.03 miles @ 16:26 pace

Wednesday: Walked with Betsy and Angela again. This time, we added some running intervals. My Nike App states that I ran 5.34 miles but my Garmin says 4 miles. 

Miles for the day: 4 miles 

Thursday: Rested to get ready to go out of town

Friday: Walked ALOT at Disney! My fitbit said I walked 16,670 steps (6.55 miles). 

Saturday: Walked around Disney! According to Fitbit, I took 20,642 steps (8.08 miles)

WEEKLY TOTAL: 7.03 miles (not counting the Disney walking)

Training plan for next week:
My tentative plan for next week is to try my very best to follow the Galloway training plan for week 10:

Sunday - Rest
Monday - Rest
Tuesday -  4 cadence drill, 4 acceleration glide, 1 mile run and 15 min warm down run (if the weather is good)
Wednesday - tennis 
Thursday - 30min walk
Friday - 3.21 miles run for RDS World Day
Saturday - 4 Acceleration glider, 4x800m intervals (or 8 miles run)

Wow! Where have I Been!?!?!

It has been over a year since my last entry. What was I doing this pas year, you may ask? Well, here's a quick snapshot of what I have done in the past year and a half....

1) I did all of the major races hosted by runDisney (DL half and Tower of Terror 10 Miler in September, and Wine and Dine in November) and got my coast to coast medal in 2012. I must say, of all the races at Disney, I really enjoyed the Wine and Dine course despite being a night race and I got sick before the start of the race. 

2) In 2013, I ran the Dolad Half with my friend George, I meant Keisha (her very first half) and then ran the Princess half for Team RMHC, my first charity race, then of course did ToT again (going for Perfect status here!). In November, I ran my very first non-Disney half marathon race (Rock n Roll Savannah) and really enjoyed the race!  I enjoyed it so much that I signed up for another non-Disney race, the Space Coast Half the weekend after Thanksgiving. I was VERY impressed with the medal for Space Coast and will be planning on running that race for the next 4 years for the Big Bang Series!! 

3) My running mojo has been up and down during this past a year and a half (I did not train for most of the races at all) but since I found out that we (my friend Betsy and her hubby Jon and couple of the strangers on FB) got selected to run the Nike Women's Half in April 2014 that my running mojo has been sky rocketed!! (No I'm still slow...lol). So now, I'm in my training mode! (Like......seriously!!)

4) 2014 started off real slow....I just did Minnie 10k during the WDW marathon weekend and skipped the Donald half. Since I was already there for the 10k, I decided to volunteer at the expo and on course during the marathon on Sunday. It was FUN, and definitely will do that again for a free Disney ticket!! 

5) I ran the Gasparilla 5k and Half marathon (race recap to be published later) at the end of February and then decided to qualify for the Half Fanatics by running my hometown race, the Albany Half marathon (race recap to be published later!). I have NOT officially signed up to be a part of the fanatics YET, but I'm sure I will in the future. 

Thoughts on the past two years of my running journey...I ran my first 5k at Disney and my first half at Disney.  Back then, I would never thought I would do any races outside of Disney because I thought it would be boring. Well, guess I was WRONG! Each races (non-Disney) is so unique that I really enjoyed every single one of them!  The Rock n Roll Savannah had an awesome finish line for runners (and not to mention the free beer for the post race recovery drink) and running through historical Savannah was pretty neat. 

Space coast half...what can I say??? The out and back course is so beautiful and the finisher's medal is better than Disney (and a beach towel at the finish line!?!? Awesome!!). I did Gasparilla because of the pirate medal....but I didn't expect the awesome food at the finish line!! (Salad, rice and beans, yogurt, smoothie....and so much more!!). And then there's Albany Half Marathon...I decided to run that so I can qualified for the half fanatics! I never thought I would really enjoy the course!! 

So now, there you have it...and my runnung journey still continues!!  I'm looking forward to signing up for other races and maybe try to shoot for 6 half marathons in 6 consecutive months!!! 

Weekly Training Report: 7/1/12

Well, I had a full intention on walking at least 2 miles every day, but that didn't happen this week...Unless you count walking around Disney World on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!!  hahahahaha  My hubby decided that he really wanted to take a vacation so we went off to Disney World (where else??) on Fourth of July! (which I WAS planning on running in our local 4th of July 5k race..)

4th of July at Magic Kingdom!

I'm really picky about what count towards my goal...in order for it to count, I have to have a proof (ex: Nike App, pedometer, Garmin, etc.) and because I didn't use any of it, (but I KNOW I walked at least 2 miles each day!) I'm not going to count towards my goal...so NO MILES for me this week!!  On a good note, my knee seems to be fine now and I don't feel any more pain!  Yay!

Training plan for next week:
I will be wearing my glasses again (for the last time!!) next week to prep for my Lasik surgery on Friday, so I'll be running on my treadmill next week!  That means no track workout either :-(  I don't really have any plans other than to do at least 2 miles everyday so I can meet my goal of 50 miles this month!  But I really do need to run longer miles as Disneyland Half Marathon is only 58 days away!  Ugh!  Hope I can get back to normal after my Lasik surgery!  I'm looking forward to not worrying about contact lenses or glasses anymore!!

Weekly Training Report: 6/24/12

Little late posting this....Anyway, my training week was alright this week.  I didn't get to do what I planned to do (as usual) and by Friday, my left knee started hurting so I took the weekend off from running.  The pain on my left knee was so familiar to what I felt back in January of 2011 after my very first 5k...and found out my VMO is weak so I had to do 6 weeks of physical therapy to strengthen the VMO....Well, I was supposed to continue on with the exercises and I haven't....the worst part, I bend my knee and sit on my left foot (like criss-crossing except only on my left leg)  when sitting on the couch for hours.  So that's why the pain came back...

Sunday: Leisure Walk

Buddy and I went out for a walk this morning since I promised him I would take him out for a walk this morning.  The sky was gray and looked like it was about to rain, but luckily we were able to finish our walk before the sky fell on us.  We did a one mile loop in our neighborhood and when we got to our road, I noticed our neighbor's dog (Buddy's enemy...they always bark fight in the backyard) was out loose!  So I turned around and walked the other directions before Brownie (our neighbor's dog) could see us.  I called Jeff and told him to come pick us up, and that's how we were able to come home without Buddy getting in a fight with Brownie.  It was a nice walk, and was great way for me to start the week of my training!

Walking with Buddy means forget about the pace!

Miles for the day: 1.06 miles @ 25:36 pace 

Monday: Rested (rained)

Tuesday: Treadmill Run
I got up early and decided to run on the treadmill since the weather was bad yesterday and it looked like it was about to rain again this morning.  Wow! What a great run!  I did 0.5m/0.25m intervals today and I ended up running longer than my plan! It was so nice to get a run in first thing in the morning because I feel great and energize for the rest of the day!!
Miles for the day: 4 miles @ 15:01 pace 

Wednesday: Track Workout - Week 7

Wow! What a great attitude I had going to the track workout today!  I left my friend's house an hour early so I can prepare myself for the ladder workout today....instead, I decided to do the first workout as a warm up to see if I can even do it!!  I just wanted to make sure I PACE myself while running....Well, good news and a bad news...good news is that I CAN do it!  Bad news??  I used up all of my energy so by the time the actual workout began, I ended up stopping after the 800m!!  But I was so proud of myself because I DID IT!!

Warm up....

Lap 1 (400m) - 3:09 (1:16 walk break)

Lap 2 (800m) - 6:17 (with 4:54 walk break)

Lap 3 (1200m) - 10:26
Then walked until it was time to do it again


Actual exercise:

Lap 1 (400m) - 2:56 (1:16 walk break)

Lap 2 (800m) - 6:44 (with 1:05 walk break)

Then walked the rest!!!
Miles for the day: 3.97 miles @ 15:15 pace 

Thursday: Rested

Friday: Rested

Saturday: Rested

WEEKLY TOTAL: 9.03 miles

Training plan for next week:
Since my knee is in pain, I'm going to take it easy this week and will just walk at least 2 miles everyday...and no track work out this week!!

Weekly Training Report: 6/17/12

This week was awful....I lost my motivation and couldn't get any of my run in this week....Hopefully, next week will be better.

Sunday: Rested

Monday: Rested

Tuesday: Rested

Wednesday: Track Workout - Week 6
We had the same workout as last week, but unfortunately, I couldn't keep up at all!  I did 2 x 400m and 800m and quit...I ended up doing the "walk of shame" towards my car while others were working hard on their last 800m....
Lap 1 (400m) - 2:41 (1:22 walk break)
Lap 2 (400m) - 2:47 (with 1:34 walk break)
Lap 3 (800m) - 6:19
Lap 4 (400m) - walked the entire lap (6:54)
Lap 5 (400m) - walked the entire lap (5:37)
Lap 6 (800m) - walked out of the track workout :(
Miles for the day: 2.26 miles @ 16:22 pace 

Thursday: Rested

Friday: Rested

Saturday: Treadmill run
By today, I felt like CRAP!  I didn't want to go out and run and just wanted to stay home all day so I did...but after dinner, I felt really bad about not running enough this week, so I decided to run on my treadmill and did HALF of what I was supposed to do today.  Even though I only did 3 miles, I felt much better afterwards!
Miles for the day: 3.47 miles @ 13:33 pace

WEEKLY TOTAL: 5.8 miles

Training plan for next week:
I sure do hope I can keep up with my workout next week instead of becoming a slacker again like I did this week.  I also looked at the weather and supposed to be raining next week (higher chance on Monday) so I also need to keep that into consideration...If it rains, then I guess, I'll either run on treadmill or do cross training at the gym!

Sunday - Rest
Monday - Track Workout (6x400m with 2:15 break)
Tuesday -  Leisure walk (2 miles)
Wednesday - track workout (Ladder workout: 400m, 800m, 1200m, 800m, 400m)
Thursday - 45min 1/1 interval run
Friday - Leisure walk (2 miles)
Saturday - Long run (4 miles)

Weekly Training Report: 6/11/12

I totally forgot to factor in the fact that I had to wear my glasses on Friday (and the next 5 days) so it was hard trying to run with my glasses this week as I was  not used to it.  (I only wear glasses at night).  However, I tried my very best and did what I needed to do even if I had to walk my miles in!!

Sunday: Rest

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40min 1/1 Interval Run
I waited til right around almost noon to go for a run today.  It was cloudy so I thought I would be ok...but as soon as I stepped outside, the sun decided to shine BRIGHTLY on me the whole time!  I tried my best to do 1/1 combo but ended up walking the last mile again...and once I got home, the sun went away and the rain started coming down!  I guess the sun wanted to play with me today!!
Miles for the day: 2.40 miles @ 15:57 pace


Wednesday: Track Workout - Week 5
Oh BOY!  This week was TOUGH! We did 2x400m, 800m, 2x400m, and then 800m!!  He gave us our average pace, and mine should be 2:54 for 400m and 6:00 for 800m....I went to the track workout with my head in the game...but the heat and humidity got the best of me (as you can see my results).  I hope to do better next week!

Lap 1 (400m) - 2:49 (2:00 walk break)
Lap 2 (400m) - 2:51 (with 1:48 walk break)
Lap 3 (800m) - 6:18
Lap 4 (400m) - walked the entire lap
Lap 5 (400m) - 3:06
Lap 6 (800m) - 10:23 (walked)
Miles for the day: 3.28 miles @ 17:20 pace 

Thursday: Rest
I decided to rest today since I woke up feeling like a truck ran over me this morning...Used BioFreeze for the first time since Princess Half in Feb!


Friday: 45min 1/1 Interval Run
I totally forgot I needed to wear my glasses today!!  I first took Buddy for a nice walk (a nice long warm up for me!) then did 2 miles of 1/1 interval run.  I decided to take off my glasses since it bothered me while I was running.  I did good the first mile, but my shins started hurting while running...but didn't give up...I slowed down, and took many walk breaks, but on the last run, I ran down Northlake drive (about 0.3 miles) all the way back to my road!  Then I walked as I cool down for 10 minutes.  I'm so glad I went for an early run this morning rather than waiting til in the late afternoon!
Miles for the day: 3.00 miles @ 17:34 pace


Saturday: Long Run (6 miles)
I got up SUPER EARLY (not intentional) and went for a run around 7:30 this morning.  I knew it was going to be a rough run because my shins started hurting the first mile and my glasses kept slipping off my face.  Every time I do a long run (longer than 3 miles), I usually go to the neighbor, more richer, subdivision, so I don't get bored doing loops around my neighborhood.  I did a lot more walking than running, but when I started running, I noticed that I don't huff and puff any more like I used to...I do feel like my body is trying to pace so that I don't get tired...I did several runs that were longer than 2 minutes and I was very proud of myself for that! If it wasn't for the pain, I think I would have kept running!  I enjoyed running in this neighborhood because most of them are shaded areas and the view is wonderful! (especially when I get to the lake!).  By 4.5 miles, I was back to my neighborhood, and thought about cutting my run short...but then I decided against that!  "I can walk 1.5 miles to reach my goal," my mind spoke...so I did....instead of taking a right to go back home, I took a left and finished miles for the day, and I'm so glad I did!

This view of the lake is worth going to this subdivision!

Miles for the day: 6.4 miles @ 15:39 pace

WEEKLY TOTAL: 15.08 miles

Training plan for next week:
I decided to add additional track workout to my training so I can keep up with my Wednesday track workout group!

Sunday - Rest
Monday - *Track Workout (6x400m with 2:15 break) - IF my legs won't hurt!
Tuesday -  Leisure walk (2 miles)
Wednesday - track workout (4x400m and 2x800m)
Thursday - 45min 1/1 interval run
Friday - Leisure walk (2 miles)
Saturday - Long run (6 miles)

Weekly Training Report: 6/3/12

Here's the recap of my training this week!  Wow! I was very motivated (somewhat) this week, thanks to my new gadget and this blog!!  I ended up resting on Friday because my body wasn't quite used to this daily activity that I had plan for this week, and also realized that I NEEDED to rest my body!!


Sunday: Leisure Walk
I decided to go ahead and get my walk out of the way this morning, and Jeff and Buddy decided to tag along with me on my walk (They ended up doing only 1 mile since it was getting hot for Buddy).  We took the same route that I did yesterday to see if my Garmin will track the same miles as yesterday...and you know what?  It did!  So my new Garmin is pretty accurate.  On mapmyrun.com, it calculates the distance by measuring the middle of the road, but I walk on the edge of the road...so I'm thinking that's why my Garmin was 0.07 mile off than mapmyrun.com's measurement.  I'm also glad I had my Garmin with me today!!  Around 1.8 miles, I realized that my Nike+GPS didn't give me the audio feedback (I had it set for every 1/4 mile) and realized that the app PAUSED!!  Thank goodness for Garmin.  Luckily, I was able to calibrate the run (which the app doesn't usually give me that option after every run...) on Nike+GPS so I was able to log my miles for the day.
Miles for the day: 2.21 miles @ 18:29 pace (Garmin)


Monday: Leisure Walk
Walked 1/2 mile with Buddy this morning despite less sleep last night.  I took him back home and walked (and ran a little) the rest.  I thought getting out at 8:30 in the morning will be still nice and cool but the sun was beaming already! I guess I need to get up earlier IF I wanted a nice cool run in the summer!  Overall, I'm proud of myself that I went out there and walked!!
Miles for the day: 2.25 miles @ 18:17 pace (Garmin)


Tuesday: 40min run/walk
I wanted to run in the late afternoon to get used to the heat, but my plan was ruined by south Georgia's weather. So instead, I did my run on the treadmill.  I was able to run 5 min at 4.5 mph and walked 3 min at 3mph.
Miles for the day: 3.07 miles @ 13.09 pace


Wednesday: Track Workout - Week 4
Today's goal was 6 x 800m with 2:15min walk breaks in between.  This is my 4th week with track workout and last week was horrible and ended up only doing 3 laps and walked the rest.  Every time I come to the track, I get nervous because I'm surrounded by runners and always felt like I was out of place because I'm always the last one in the group 2.  So I got there early and walked 3 laps (0.76 miles) before we started the workout.  I tried my very best and ended up only doing 6 x 400m but that was the BEST track workout EVER!  I FINALLY saw the progress in this workout! I was able to average 2:40 every time I ran 400m, which is what I was supposed to do! I still need a little longer walk breaks, but at least I was able to do what Mike Beeman wanted us to do in the past 4 weeks!  Yes, I was still the last of the pack, but that's my pace and I'm sticking to it!  I was a bit discourage last week because my time seemed to slip away at every lap (and the last lap being 15 seconds slower than the one before it) so I almost gave up on the training, but glad I stuck to it!  And here is the result of my workout today:

Lap 1 - 2:41 (with 1:05 walk break...realized I was a minute short of my walking break!)
Lap 2 - 2:40 (with 1:46 walk break)
Lap 3 - 2:42
Lap 4 - walk the entire lap
Lap 5 - 2:41 (with 2:18 walk break)
Lap 6 - 2:42
Lap 7 - walk the entire lap
Lap 8 - 2:38 (the best ever!!)

Miles for the day: 3.29 miles @ 16:08 pace 

Thursday: Leisure Walk (and little bit of running)
My new shoes (Asics Kayano 18 in blue) and the inserts came in last night so I decided take them for a walk.
Miles for the day: 3.5 miles @ 17:26 pace


Friday: Rest


Saturday: Long Run (4 miles)
I totally missed the opportunity to run this morning while it was nice and cool because I wasn't feeling well. Then decided to go for my long run 1 1/2 hrs after I ate a big lunch, which turned out to be a BAD IDEA!  My plan was to do 1/1 intervals, and by 2 miles in, it turned out to be "run whenever you feel like it" intervals...lol  By the end, I pretty much walked the rest.  Not a good result, but at least I went out there and did what I needed to do!!
Miles for the day: 4.39 miles @ 16:05 pace

WEEKLY TOTAL: 18.71 miles

Training plan for next week:
After thinking about my 2 training plans by Jeff Galloway, I decided to stick with "Finish in the Upright Position" training guide for both races rather than to improve my time training guide for half marathon since I'm already doing a speed workout on Wednesday nights.  So here is my plan for next week....

Monday - Leisure walk (2 miles)
Tuesday -  45 min run with 1/1 intervals
Wednesday - track workout
Thursday - leisure walk (2 miles) OR rest
Friday - 45min run with 2/1 intervals OR leisure walk (it depends on my body)
Saturday - Long run (8 miles for half and 3 miles for ToT according to the training guides...average them up and came up with 6 miles!  So I'm going to do 6 miles this week with 1/1 intervals...If I'm up for it, I'll do 2/1 intervals...)

Weekly Training Report: 5/24/12

I realized I needed something to make me accountable for my training since I have been slacking with my training and I only have 92 days until my next half marathon! Well, I came across a running blog and the blogger posted her training recap on the blog and I thought... "HEY! I need to do that!!" I have not been blogging about my running and felt that this will be a great way to kill two birds with one stone! (post new blog and making myself accountable for my training). So here it goes!
(Oh, by the way, my week starts on Sunday!)

Sunday: Rest

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Rest (yup! I rested, and rested, and rested!! hahahaha!)

Wednesday: Track Workout
Today's track workout was AWFUL! It was awful because of the heat and my body...my body was NOT in the mood for a speed workout at all! We were supposed to do 8 x 800m with 2:30 rest, but I was only able to do 4 and....let me just say....was horrible! (Lap 1 - 2:40, Lap 2 - 2:42, Lap 3 - 3:01, Lap 4 - took a walking break, Lap 5 - 3:14, then walked the rest) I did much better last week than this week...

Miles for the day: 2.13 miles @ 17:28 pace

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Rest

Saturday: A late afternoon run
I purchase Garmin Forerunner 210 so I decided to take it for a run today to see if the GPS was accurate. The run wasn't easy and my legs and ankles started hurting, but I think it's because I gained 5lbs in the last month and haven't really run like I'm supposed to...Anyway, after my run, I went to mapmyrun.com and mapped out my run and compared the three to see if they were accurate (I had Nike+GPS running as well...can't give that up since I like to hear people "cheering" for me).

Here are the results:
Mapmyrun.com 2.27 miles
Nike+GPS 2.28 miles
Garmin 2.20 miles

Well, as you can see Nike+GPS was much more closer to mapmyrun.com but I really liked Garmin Forerunner because I was also able to keep up with my heart rate.

Miles for the day: 2.28 miles @ 14:12 pace

WEEKLY TOTAL: 4.41 miles
(I'm gonna go with the Nike since I'm keeping up all of my miles on Nike+GPS)


Training plan for next week: Technically, I am training for 2 races (Disneyland half marathon on Sept 2 and Tower of Terror 10-miler on Sept 29) so I'm going to have to combine the 2 together. Luckily, I'm already committed to track workout on Wednesdays, so I am not going to do the speed workout for Jeff Galloway training plan (or should I??) on the days that it require me to do it, which is usually on the weekends. In addition to my training plan, I'm also going to walk at least 2 miles everyday next week!

Tuesday - 30 to 45 min run
Wednesday - Track workout (8 x 800m and 2:15 break)
Thursday - 30 to 45 min run
Saturday - 4 miles

ABAC Fitness 5K (1/21/11)

I signed up for this race a week before the event and was very nervous...now you might think, "what in the world you were nervous about running the 5k? You just ran a half marathon!!". Yes, you were right, I just ran a half marathon and I was calm...I was nervous because of the hills and running on the dirt road...and running in front of the elite runners!!

On the morning of the race, I got up and ate my usual breakfast before I headed to Tifton (45min from my house). Once I got there, people were already warming up for the race...wow, I'm about to run with a bunch of elite runners!!!  I saw several of my sole sisters and we all lined up at the starting line. My legs started hurting and my heart started beating even faster.  I positioned myself in the middle of the pack, hoping to stay with the pack.  The guy yelled loudly "READY, SET, GO!" and off we ran!

Dawn and I stayed together.  We tried to run as long as we could and took our first walking break after 1/4 mile of running.  We started out in the middle but ended up in the back of the pack, but that didn't matter any more.  I wanted to finish what I started.  So now we started our 1/1 intervals.

Not even a mile into the race, I saw the dirt road.  I saw that it was a bit moist and muddy a bit and got scared again...You see, I have this fear of slipping and dislocating my knee cap as it happened to me so many times in the past.  Running on the dirt road wouldn't be a big of a problem if it was dry, but it wasn't.  But I kept my composure and kept on running.  Soon, we saw the first runner passing us by but we kept going!  We kept our intervals all the way.  At some point, I felt like my right leg was giving up on me and I almost fell to the ground.  I told Dawn to go, but luckily I was able to get back up and kept on running.

After what felt like hours on the dirt road, we finally got back on the road and got my groove back on again.  My legs were fine, didn't feel any pains any more.  At last, I finally saw the finish line!  I saw my friends' kids running beside us cheering us on.  I did it!  Finished the race!  Everyone was cheering us on!  Felt really good knowing that I finished!  My time was 39:27...That was MUCH better time than my first 2 5k race!!

After the 5k race, we all decided to support the kids' first race so we all (sole sisters) ran 1 mile together with the kids.  My time on 1 mile fun run was 12:09...by far, the fasted 1 mile I have ever ran!!

5k race route

1 Mile Fun Run route

I Knew I Could, I Knew I Could, I Knew I COULD!!! My First Half Marathon Experience

I have been waiting for this day ever since I signed up for Disney World's Half Marathon back in August.  We left our home on January 5 headed down to Orlando (took detour to Jacksonville to drop my baby off).  After 4+ hours of driving, we finally got to ESPN World Wide of Sports to pick up my race packet.  I was excited!  I was just here a year ago picking up my packet. . .but this time, it was my HALF marathon packet, not 5k!! When I picked mine up and looked at my bib, I started freaking out because I was in corral F!  That's 2 corrals from the last corral!  So I immediately went to the race relations (or something like that) and asked the lady if I can switch the corral.  When switching corral at Disney, you SUPPOSED to have an official race time printed from an official 10k (or more) race.  Well, I DID have an official 10k race result, but was not happy with the time.  So instead, I told her I just ran a 10k and that I had it on my Nike App (the resolution run - unofficial race but had the BEST time for 10k).  I pulled it up and showed it to her hoping this would be good enough to switch.

Corral D. . .for DETERMINATION!!

She glanced my Nike app, looked at her chart and slapped the corral D sticker on my bib!  I got moved to corral D!  WOO HOO!  After switching the corral, we went to Jonsten center and got my shirt and the bag. That's when it hit me. . . .I'm REALLY doing this!  There's no more turning back now!

Let's fast forward to the day of the race.  I went to sleep around 10pm the night before and woke up around 2:45ish.  I felt like I slept good.  I got up, drank a whole bottle of water and ate my breakfast (protein wafers).  Then I put my clothes on (and my tutu), and made sure I got all my running gears before I left the room.  The sky was still dark, and the air was a bit chilly, but it was a perfect morning for a race.  I got on the bus feeling embarrassed (I was the only one wearing a tutu!!  OMG!!)  but my embarrassment disappeared once we got to Epcot because there were several people wearing costumes (GUYS and gals in princess outfits) and tutus!  Once I got there, I walked around some and used porta potties several times (can't you tell I was NERVOUS?!?!?!) before we had to walk towards the starting line.  After about 15-20minutes of walking, I finally got to my corral.  After waiting for about 10-15 more minutes in my corral, the race officially started with fireworks and the elite runners and wheelchairs started their race.  6 minutes later, corral A started....6 more minutes, corral B went off....another 6 more minutes, corral C took off. . . .now 6 MORE minutes of waiting time and it was FINALLY my turn!  I got my apps ready and my music ready. . . .I was surprisingly VERY calm because I kept telling myself that I was just going for a run.  I didn't think of this as a race...I thought of it as BUNCH of people got together and decided to go for a run.  I think that might have helped me from freaking out the whole time.  When the firework went off, the herd of people in corral D moved forward. . . .and the race had BEGUN!

I kept my 1/1 intervals even thought it was too tempted to keep running and kept up with people in front of me. . .but I knew I had 13.1 miles to go and if I started too strong, I may not be able to keep my endurance for that long.  The road was very quiet with people running. . . and it was still dark.  I saw MANY runners past me, but I kept my intervals and kept God in my head (my mile dedication).  When I saw the mile marker, I couldn't resist to stop and snap a picture of it!  LOL  I thought about taking a picture of every mile marker, but decided to stop doing that at mile 3 because it was taking a lot of time!  So I kept running. . .

After running for 3 miles, I saw the entrance to the Magic Kingdom parking lot and I got so excited!  I have drove this road many times but to be able to run through it (without paying!  hahaha) was even better!!  Of course I had to snap a few pictures!  I knew then that Magic Kingdom was only a few miles away.  Again, I kept running, and running, and running.  I have never felt so good while running!  I seriously believed that the magic of Disney made me a happy runner the whole time!!

Entrance to Magic Kingdom Parking Lot

Close up

Not long after I ran through the parking lot gate (about 2 miles later?), I saw the Space Mountain building.  Now I knew I was about to run through Magic Kingdom!  It's not like I never been there before, but feeling of running through it was so much different than just walking around Magic Kingdom.  soon after I took this picture, we turned to the left, ran through Cast Member's parking lots, then turned to the right. . . .and guess what I saw?  THE CINDERELLA CASTLE!!

STITCH!!

Castle Background

Oh it was so MAGICAL!  The sight of this beautiful castle always put a BIG smile on my face no matter how many times I have seen it!  From this point on, I was running!  It didn't matter what my interval says! Now my mission was to enjoy running through the park!  I ran through Tomorrow Land, then through Fantasy Land and through the castle (which was very narrow with hundreds of people running through it!) and then through Frontier Land!  The feelings of running through the park was unbelievable!  I cannot express how I felt the whole time!  You just HAVE to be there to experience it!  However, the run through the park didn't last as long as I wanted to. . .as soon as I passed the Frontier Land, I was back on the road again. . . I was now on Floridian Way, running by Polynesian Resort and Disney's Palm Golf Course.  At mile 8, I started looking for Jeff but realized that I got there earlier than what I had told him I was going to be there. . .but I was hoping I would see his face and hear his voice...unfortunately I didn't see him nor heard his voice.  I was a little disappointed.

As soon as I passed mile 9, I hit the road block!  I started doubting myself that I can't finish the race!  I had 4 more miles to go, and I just felt like I couldn't make it that far...my shins started to hurt (even though I put BioFreeze on at every med tent stop) so I stopped at med tent and got some more BioFreeze and Tylenol (they were handing them out).  There was nothing around me but runners and a very LONG stretch of road ahead of me...but I kept moving, I kept running, and kept thinking about my nephew (my mile dedication) and finally saw mile 10 marker.  Now I only got 3 more miles to go. . .but I was mentally exhausted.  I was trying my best to fight back with my negative thoughts that were running through my head, and couldn't keep up with my intervals. . .I walked a bit more than I wanted to and truly felt like I was about to give up.  I don't want to run any more. . .there was no more excitement in me that got me through the first 8 miles. . . .I was emotional wreck and I was fighting so hard not to cry. . .

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and a very sweet lady said, "Congratulations on your first half!". . .that was it. . . .I broke down and cried. . . . in front of a stranger!  I told her "I don't think I can do this any more!" and she said "but you're doing a great job!  You're doing it!!" and went her own way.  That's when I saw mile 11 marker about 1/4 mile away.  I thought of my best friend Christine and ran all the way to the mile marker because I knew then I only had 2.1 more miles to go!

Here's the back of my shirt...got several congrats
and word of encouragements from other runners!

Thinking of my best friend and the stranger's encouraging words helped me regained my strength. . .Now it's time for me to run this whole mile dedicated to my friend/coach Betsy, who inspired me to run this half marathon!  Mile 12 was the HARDEST part of the race because of the ramps.  I was running on the bridge and finally saw Epcot!  I am getting close! I can do this!  Now I felt like that Little Engine in the book, but instead of thinking "I think I can", I was thinking "I know I CAN, I know I CAN!"

I FINALLY reach Epcot's parking lot when my music changed to "Eye of the Tiger". . . then it changed to "Push It to the Limit" once I got inside Epcot and "Now or Never" came on as I was getting closer to the finish line...I felt like God was telling me "you can DO THIS!!" by playing those songs!  I ran and ran and ran. . .I stopped once to take picture of the Epcot ball and kept running some more.  Now I hear the choir singing.  I remembered reading someone else's blog that choir was there RIGHT before the finish line. . .so I knew I only had 1/10 mile to go!  Sure enough, I saw the mile 13 marker right after the choir!  I stopped and took a picture of it, and turned to the right.  Now I see Mickey, Donald, and Goofy right before the finish line!  I ran, and ran, and ran towards them, got high fives from Mickey and raise both of my hands up in the air and crossed the finish line!!!!

I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!!!

I JUST FINISHED MY FIRST HALF MARATHON!!!!

My official time was 3:17:33 but time didn't matter!  What matter is that I had the courage to start and finish the race! It is so hard to describe the feeling that I felt after receiving my medal!  I still couldn't believe in myself that I have done something that I thought it was IMPOSSIBLE or something that I thought I could NEVER DO!  But now I know, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE in my life as long as I BELIEVE in myself that I CAN DO IT!

My first Half Marathon Medal!
"She believed she could, so SHE DID IT!!"

With my wonderful friend/coach, BETSY with her 3rd half marathon medal!

With the Jones and  theMcElroy!

I Would Like to Dedicate this Mile to...

The training days are over and in 2 days, I will be running my first half marathon!  It seems like it was yesterday that I struggled to run 3 miles in, and now I am able to run up to 9.2 miles.  The training did not end how I wanted due to pains and the busy holiday season, but I did all that I can to prepare for this race.

I know this is NOT going to be easy!  13.1 miles is very long, and I have NEVER ran that far before even during my training...so I am going to dedicate each mile and keep these special people in mind while running because without these people, I would not be where I am today!  So here goes my mile dedication for my VERY FIRST HALF MARATHON!!

Mile 1: God

This would NOT be possible if it wasn't for God who gave me strength and courage to start running.  I would never thought I could run 13.1 miles a year after watching my friend ran her first half, but He showed me that anything is possible through Him ( Philippians 4:13).

Mile 2: Mom

The 2nd mile will be dedicated to my mom who showed me that it is NEVER too old to start at something as long as you put your whole heart into it! She started taking karate in her 40's and now she's 2nd degree black belt and teaching little kids karate in Okinawa.  We are across the BIG ocean away but she's always there on Facebook "cheer" me on even though it's been HOURS after my runs!  She will be able to actually "cheer" me LIVE since it'll be about 6 o'clock in the afternoon (or 7pm??) in Okinawa this Saturday and can't wait to hear her cheers all the way from Okinawa!!  Love you mom!!

Mile 3: Dad

My dad is always there for me and he was the one that got me started on playing tennis.  He got off work early so he could watch me play during my high school years and was my "coach" over the fence on every home games we had.  Even though he only been to one of my races, I know he's proud of what I have accomplished!  Love you daddy!!

Mile 4: Marie

My sister and I are somewhat alike, but yet different.  She ran her first 5k before me, but told me she's not fit for running and she doesn't know why I like running.  I want to dedicate this mile to her because I want her to know that she can do what I am about to do if she puts her mind to it, and I know she can!  She ran her first 5k faster than me, and I know she's capable of doing it!  So this mile is for you, Sissy!!



Mile 5: Buddy

Buddy had sacrificed A LOT during my training!  I know he LOVES to go for a walk outside with his mama, but most of the times, he stayed at home while I concentrated on my running.  I LOVE it when he greets me at the door after my long painful run and wags his tail and kisses me while I try to stretch.  So this is for my baby boy who are staying with Aunt Nana this weekend!!  (He still wants to meet Mickey and Minnie though!  lol)

Mile 6: My Running Princesses
This is almost the half way point, and would like to dedicate this mile to all of my running princeeses, Amy & Amy, Bonnie, Dana, Dawn, Lori, Marcie, and Missy who will be running their VERY first half marathon in Feb with me and Betsy!  I know they are working SO HARD and I can't wait to run another 13.1 MAGICAL miles with my new running friends!

Mile 7: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
This race's beneficiary is Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and would like to dedicate this mile to those who are fighting the disease and honor those who lost their battle. One of our family friend's daughter was diagnosed with juvenile Leukemia the day after her 11th birthday.  Her and her family fought and fought and won the battle and she's now enjoying her college years at Georgia States!

Mile 8: Ronald McDonald House
I would also like to dedicate the next mile to Ronald McDonald house because I'm raising money for this wonderful organization when I run Princess half in Feb.

Mile 9: Michael
 By Mile 9, I know I'll be struggling and will probably need something that would make me smile so I can finish up this mile! So I'm going to dedicate this mile to my sweet nephew Michael!  I hope that one day, we can run his first 5k together at Disney!  Love that baby boy!!





Mile 10: Amber, Brent, Ashlyn, Megan, Ty, and Mallory
This mile is for my nieces and nephews to let them know that NOTHING is impossible and that sky is the limit!  If Aunt Emy can do it, so can  they!  Love them all dearly!!

Mile 11: Christine

This mile is going to be tough, and that's why I'm going to dedicate this special mile to my best friend, Christine, who overcame her own obstacles and lost weight!  I'm so blessed to have her as my friend, my confidant, my personal trainer, and my nurse!  She's my personal "cheerleader" and I know she'll be up early in the morning to "cheer" me on facebook!!


Mile 12: Betsy

This mile is going to be even tougher, and I'll probably hear my Coach Betsy's voice in my head telling me that I'm doing a great job, and that I can DO THIS!  So I'm going to dedicate this special mile to my friend, Betsy, who also inspired me to run this half!  I don't think I could have done this by myself if I didn't have someone who kept pushing me to the max!!


Mile 13: Jeff
None of this would be POSSIBLE if it wasn't for my wonderful "cheerleader/coach/husband" Jeff.  He's my best friend, and he's my BEST coach ever!  He's been to almost ALL of my races even though he hates getting up early in the morning.  So I'm going to dedicate this LAST mile to my wonderful husband!  Thank you for everything, honey!!



Last 0.1 mile - ME!
This last tenth of the mile is all for me because I believed in myself that I could do this and I am going to FINISH IT STRONG!!  I'm going to sprint as hard as I can (probably won't even stop for the last photo opp with a character), raise both hands up in their air with a big smile on my face, because I will know then that NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE!!

So a big THANK YOU to all of the people who encouraged me and helped me get ready for my big race on Saturday! At last, I'll leave you with one of my FAVORITE QUOTE that I got from my princess friend couple weeks ago, and made it my slogan for this very special race!

"She BELIEVED she could, so SHE DID!"

Hope that you think of me, Betsy, and Jon (and 20,000 other runners this Saturday) and "cheer" us on Facebook!!! Can't wait to report back my 13.1 miles of MAGICAL experience!!!

Looking Back....2011

2011 has been a great year! I started the year off with my very first 5K race and received my very first medal, and also have done my first 10k all in one year!! It sure wasn't an easy process but with determination, I was able to accomplished both of the races.

As you can see the chart on the bottom, I have done 50 tuns and total of 158.6 miles in 2011! WOW! That's 143 miles more than 2010! I have come a long way and I am very proud of what I have accomplished do far!

I'm looking forward to 2012 because my first half marathon is in 7 days, EXACTLY one year from my first 5k race. My goal for 2012 will be to run 500 miles in one year (yes, I tripled the distances that I ran this year!!) and earn all of the Disney World's race blings!! The ultimate goal for 2012 will be to earn the coast to coast medal in September by running the Disneyland half marathon!!


"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan." ~ Tom Landry

Mentality Check

DEFINITION:
men·tal·i·ty [men-tal-i-tee]
1. mental ability
2. characteristic mental attitude
(from dictionary.com)

Like I mentioned in my previous blog, I was never a runner and never liked running. Therefore, my mental attitude towards running was not so great...I literally stayed away from running whenever possible. It is ironic that now I have to run, no matter what!!

I didn't know what I got myself into when I signed up for 2 half marathons...all I wanted was the blings, but didn't know how hard I was gonna have to work to be able to run 13.1 miles! I knew there was no WAY I could run the whole thing without stopping so I knew interval running was the way to go. So I started interval training.

I started training around June. The summer in south Georgia is HOT but I knew I had to start as soon as possible and couldn't wait to start when it got cooler because it'll be too late then. It wasn't so hard going back to running since my last run was in May. But I noticed that I couldn't push myself up! I keep trying to run longer but I couldn't...it felt like someone or something kept stopping my whole body from running...I wanted to do more than 2-3 miles that I had been doing but I just couldn't!

July passed by with no improvements to my running, then came August, back to school time. By then I started to doubt myself that maybe it was too early for me to sign up for half marathon and maybe I was NOT meant to be a runner...

One day I was at Staples and saw Kristen, Betsy's friend who also ran the half marathon in January. She asked me about my training and told her my problems that I had been dealing with...and her response was that I wasn't mentally ready and that my mentality was blocking from doing my best. Wow....she was so right! Didn't realize it until someone told me!

So for the next 2 months as I was preparing for my 3rd 5k, I worked hard to train my brain as well as my body for the race! The race went well and even though the time wasn't what I wanted, I felt great after the race and mentally, I was ready for the race.

Once the race was over, I had no time to relax and went back straight to my training. My next race was 10k. I am finally comfortable with running 3 miles, now I have to move up to 6 miles! But I hit another road block...another mental block. I could NOT pass 3 miles during my training!

One day in October, weeks before my 10k, I was chatting with my princess runners and told them I was going to try for 4 miles that day. I kept telling myself that I could do 4 and slowly move on up to 6. Everybody was so encouraging and gave me encouraging words on the chat...except Betsy...She typed "Do 5...you can do it!"....5 miles!?!? I have been struggling to get to 3 miles and she's telling me to run 2 more miles!?!?!? Well, I went out that door with a plan in mind...run 5 miles like Betsy told me to do....I don't know what had possessed my body but I DID IT! I had ran 5 miles and that was my longest run ever!! After I finished, I got right back on the chat group and told everybody! I felt great and felt like I could have kept running! (but stopped because it got dark and was getting late!!). That's when I first felt my mentality changed from "I can't do this!" to "I am going to DO IT doggone it!"

The following week, I challenged myself to run 6 miles and I did it with no problem. Now I am able to do longer miles without having the feeling of something stopping me from doing it. I noticed that as I was training my legs and body for 13.1 miles, I was also training my mentality. That's when I realized that I am now a runner! I don't know where I would be today mentally if I didn't have a friend/coach pushing me to do what I'm capable of!

Betsy is not just my friend or a Disney fanatic that I can talk to about anything Disney....she's also my coach (whether she realizes this or not). She's constantly pushing me to do what I'm capable of and formed me into a runner....and because of her, I am where I am today and I thank her for that!

So if you're a newbie runner like me and struggling with your running mentality, just turn to your runner friends and just listen to them. They are there to help you, and not to discourage you!

My awesome coach and her hubby (the running MACHINE!!)

Jingle Bell Jog 10k (2011)

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about."
~Patti Sue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

I think this quote sums up my race today. I was fine all day yesterday until I got to Albany and started freaking out and got so nervous...I was nervous because I didn't want to be a failure again. I set such high goals for myself for every race and it really bothers me when I don't achieve that goal and made myself feel like I was a failure...

My friends and I were chatting and of course everyone was nervous...this race was their first 10k, for most of them. I remembered my first 10k race and remembered being VERY nervous! I was nervous because of the unknown...I didn't know whether or not I was able to finish on time. So I totally understood why they were nervous, but my friends didn't know why I was nervous...(well, now they know!!)

The morning of the race, I had perfect oatmeal from Starbucks, drank some water to hydrate and taped my calf and my knee before I walked out that VERY COLD December morning. I met my friends and chitchatted (and stretched) before we lined up. My goals for this race was to beat my first 10k time and to try 5/2.5 intervals all the way.

The sound of the gun roared in the air and all runners started running. I started my interval app (Runkeeper) and then started the Nike app once I crossed the line. I decided to run with Dawn because there was no way I could keep up with Dana and Missy, who were running like the winds!!

The first set was fine even though my feet were so numb from the coldness...second set...it was fine, even though it was a little bit tougher than the first set...Dawn and I were pretty much on the same pace. She walked a bit faster than I was but I was able to catch up with her once my running interval started. We were doing great with pace and we knew we were going to finish in less than 1:30...but in my head I REALLY wanted to finish in 1:20...by the pace we were going, I really felt like that was possible!

Then we came across a downhill. I usually pace myself throughout the race even on the downhill, but not today....I decided to speed up and ran down the hill as fast as I could! It felt so good knowing that I pushed myself and was able to do it!

By now it's getting hot and I had to take off my jacket. Once we crossed the halfway point, I gave my jacket to Amy and started on our 2nd lap. The 2nd lap was harder than the first lap and my intervals got all messed up but I kept running as much as possible.

By 4.5 miles in, I started to feel the pains on my left shin and my right calf even though I taped my calf with kinesiology tape!! If this was me a year ago, I would've stop running and walked because I didn't have the mentality to overcome the pains. But this is a new me, a new Emy that is a runner...My mind won over the pains and I KEPT RUNNING!!

That's when I felt another surge of energy and started running faster again! Could it be the sports beans that I ate at mile 4??? Or could it be just me wanted to show myself what I'm capable of?? I ran hard during the intervals and walked fast during my walking intervals. When I turned onto the last road towards the finish line, I saw an old lady in front of me...walking and running. Well, nothing against old ladies who are still active enough to run 10k but I did NOT want to finish after this nice lady. So, on the last stretch to the finish line, I ran hard again, passing the old lady and crossed the finish line STRONG with my hands up in the air and a big smile on my face!

The feeling of accomplishment was great!! Sure, I didn't get to finish in 1:20 like I wanted to, but I've learned a very important lesson from today's race! I learned that when you push yourself and give all you got in a race, the feeling of accomplishments that you did your BEST overcome the feeling of failure of not reaching your goals.

My official time for Jingle Bell Jog was 1:26:20 (PR for 5k and 10k according to Nike+GPS App). It wasn't the goal I set in mind but at least I ran faster and was able to shave 3 min off my first 10k!!