Third Half Marathon - in the books!

Well, I can now officially say I've run THREE half marathons! Yesterday was the annual Flying Pig Half Marathon here in Cincy and this was our 3rd time completing it together. Caleb has actually run it 4 times, he's a beast!

The morning of, we picked up my brother in law, Jared, and headed downtown. The weather report leading up to the big day was kind of scary and unpredictable. They kept saying to expect thunderstorms/lightning/rain all day. I'm so thankful to say it ended up being absolutely perfect. The sky was overcast all morning, so it wasn't too hot, and it stopped raining just in time for the race. It honestly couldn't have been better!

We got to the race just as it was beginning, so instead of getting to our designated corral, we sneaked through a side railing and jumped in an earlier one. Big mistake, these people were SPRINTING and we felt like we had to keep up since we jumped in. So the entire first mile we ran way too fast, which made us exhausted by mile 2-3. Luckily, Caleb is a good pace setter and insisted we slow down so we wouldn't die!

By about mile 4, I needed a quick break, which worked out perfectly because Caleb wanted to get rid of his jacket. It seems that every year I'm so surprised by the amount of hills in this half, even though I've done it twice before! Some of the hills are small, but most of them are huge. The views at the top are always worth it though...even when my calves are screaming.

Caleb and I both ran on and off the rest of the race, but we promised we'd stick together through it. His legs were cramping, and I had some annoying hip pain, but we encouraged each other and couldn't help but smile at all the amazing spectators the entire time. Seriously, I've never seen so many clever signs!!

One of my favorite parts of the course is passing a retirement home and seeing all these elderly men and women cheering us on - some of them had the best signs! It really makes you thankful to be able to get outside and enjoy a nice run. I was also encouraged by the multiple runners who carried heavy American flags - it made me pretty emotional!

After the most vicious hill of my life (my fitbit said I climbed almost "90 flights of stairs"), there was the sweetest group of Veterans singing in a choir. I mean!! How sweet?!?

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We were SO close. We spotted the mile 11 banner and ran the next mile or so without stopping. Once we got to mile 12, though, we felt like we needed a break to walk. At this point, we were just SO exhausted and so ready to see that "finish swine"!!

When we rounded the corner, we knew it was a straight shot to the finish line so we booked it until the end. I always get so emotional when I cross that finish line! Seeing everyone cheering, finally making it. Just gives me such a sense of accomplishment!! We definitely took a little longer to finish than last year, but we didn't really mind. I wasn't trying to PR in this race, I just wanted to cross another half off my list and enjoy it alongside my man! That medal is always worth it!

Once we got home we relaxed for just a couple hours, made sure to stretch out our muscles so they didn't tighten up too much, then headed out for a carb filled post-race meal! 

I'm not sure which half I'll run next, or if I'll run another one at all. I do like this distance, but I may want to switch it up. I haven't decided yet. Like I said last week, I'd really like to work on speed - and getting quick for 5K's, so we'll see!

It was so much fun crossing that finish line with Caleb, though. Accomplishing things in life together is one of my favorite things. It was fun to be each others constant source of encouragement throughout the race. I love that man! Hope everyone had a fun weekend!

T minus 3 days!

3 days until my 3rd half marathon. Whaaat?!

my bib from my first half in 2014!

I'm weirdly excited for this race. I don't think I trained quite as hard as I should've, but I'm a lot more prepared than I have been in the past. Of course now they are calling for AM thunderstorms on Sunday so we'll see how that goes. Running in the rain isn't ideal, but it beats the race getting cancelled all together due to lightning or something crazy. How about we all collectively do our own "rain dance" today and it'll stay away here in Cincinnati?! Cool, thanks! ;)

Regardless of my worries about the race-day weather, I can't wait to add another medal to my collection!!!

After this race is over, I'll probably take a couple weeks off to relax. BUT! I've really been thinking about working on my speed. Long distances are just hard. I've already told Caleb I will never have the desire to run a FULL marathon - so he can do that bucket list-item of his solo! ;) What I'd really like to do, is sign up for a 5K this Summer/Fall and really rock it. I've only ever run one real 5K and hadn't trained for it at all (back in 2011 - my higher-metabolism days, ha!, so I'm hopeful that I can get around 28 minutes if I really train for one (my sweet friend Anna would leave me in the dust)!

Tomorrow Caleb and I are each taking a half day at work and heading up to Columbus for a wedding of two of our friends! We're so excited for them! It'll be a little strange going to a wedding as GUESTS and not a photographer - but we're so pumped about it. We've known Luke (or as we like to call him, Sarge) and Ashlee for years and have been waiting for this day to get here!  I know its going to be beautiful! I mean, look at how adorable they are!!

I've really been enjoying the freedom of this week. The rain ended up canceling an engagement session that I had on the calendar but its all good - Caleb and I have been enjoying our evenings together! I hope everyone's having a great week! It's almost Friday!!

Think about your 'why'

Last night Caleb and I went for a 3 mile run and it was basically the worst ever. Not going to lie, I almost cried. I could tell I was holding Caleb back, and he kept saying it was fine, yadda yadda yadda... but I hated that feeling. For some reason (& I know its because I didn't run at all last week) my legs felt like a ton of bricks and with every step my thighs burned worse and worse, which caused me to stop and 'catch my breath' a LOT more than normal.

I can usually last about a mile (again, getting back on the running wagon is hard) before needing to walk for a second, but we hardly made it three quarters of the way through our first mile before I was asking him to slow down, and then eventually stop. Bless Caleb's heart, he tried so hard to motivate me, and if I'm being totally honest it was kind of irritating in the moment ;) wife of the year, anyone? I truly just hated the jealousy I had for him. His speed, and more so his ability to keep going. He basically told me to get it together, find a good song to pump me up and to "think about my why". Uhh, hello..."what do you even mean!?!". He just started running faster and I had no choice but to push myself...

Well I'm really glad he did. We ended up finishing a 5k distance throughout our subdivision and while it felt like the worst thing ever, I'm so thankful he pushed me yesterday.

The duration of that run though, I continued thinking about what he said. What WAS my 'why'? Why was I pushing myself through the mental battle of running another mile when I truly just wanted to be at home relaxing on my couch?
During that last mile I think I found my answer. I'm running because I want to prove something to myself...that I can do hard things. I can train my body to endure more miles, I can become a better version of myself just through another mile or two. Not only become healthier physically, but spiritually as well.

Running brings me joy. Sometimes certainly not WHILE I'm running, but I generally feel more accomplished, and that certainly trickles down into other areas of my life as well. I want to be a better version of myself, all the time. More kind, more giving, more joyful...healthier, sillier and happier.

I feel like with running, there are good days and there are bad days...and then there are REALLY bad days, like yesterday. But that's kind of like our life, right? Some days are great, and others not so much. But we put on a good song, cry it out, move on, and get the job done. Because we CAN.

I'm thankful for the best training partner a gal could ask for. I truly am amazed at what we can push our bodies to do when we tell our minds we're up for the challenge. Whether that be a race, working a long weekend, or even simply making it to the grocery store with all your kids (I don't know how you mommas do it!!)...set yourself up to win this week!

The weather here in Cincinnati has been unreal lately. So much sunshine, light and breezy. I'm absolutely loving it! I even got a little red during our run, ouch! Who knew you could need sunscreen mid-March?

Happy hump day, friends!

Contemplating another race...

Oh how proud I am of these few numbers on this little piece of paper!

Flash back to May, 2013. Erin picked me up and we headed Downtown to go see our husbands finish their first half marathon. Erin and I still laugh when we think about how rough we were looking that morning, but it really didn't matter, we were going to see our men cross that finish line and celebrate! That's what mattered!

We kind of got a little emotional watching them accomplish this huge victory and crossing that finish line! It was then that I decided that I wanted to have a moment like that one day. So the next year, we all geared up and decided to do it together. It.was.freaking.brutal.y'all!! BUT it's one of my favorite memories with our foursome and we loved it (even if I was slower than a group of turtles running through peanut butter)...

...it was slow, it was painful, but this beautiful medal and my sense of accomplishment made it ALL worth it!!

I had never experienced pain like I did those 72 hours after that first race It was really bad that entire evening following, so I basically grabbed everything from our freezer and covered my legs with them. In that moment I pretty much decided I'd never run again....

...so what's the only logical thing to do? Convince yourself it was worth it and run it again the next year! ;) I even cut over an hour off my time!

But the recovery from my second half was much worse, as I didn't train properly. My body just wasn't ready to go from practically nothing to running uphill for 7 miles straight. It was brutal and I could hardly walk for 3 weeks. So much so that I thought maybe I tore something. Luckily, it all felt normal again soon...but I convinced myself there was no way I'd ever run that particular race again. I even questioned if running was "for me". Since then, I haven't gotten as into running as I used to be. I think I started putting too much stress on myself that the thought of running just kind of annoyed me. The comparison game was another issue "I'm not fast enough", blah blah blah.

BUT!

I was so silly to think like that.

Running is for ANYONE who can get off the couch and make themselves endure it. Running is for anyone who puts one foot in front of the other, no matter how slow!

So...now I think I want to run the race again. 

I'm all over the place, I know. I think i'm going to take this week and really pray about the decision. I think it would be fun to run my third half marathon alongside my husband, again! I think it would be a fun challenge to beat my last race time and set a few goals for myself throughout the training process. PLUS it would be a fun excuse to whip out my favorite workout pants! ;)

What about you guys? Any fun exercise goals this year? Any races on your calendars?!

Flying Pig Half Marathon {2.0} Recap!!

It happened! Caleb and I ran our second half marathon together! I have to say I wasn't too nervous beforehand, which is strange, seeing as last year I had those crazy weird butterflies in my belly about 4 days prior all the way up until the start line! This year? I had trained much harder...probably not as much as I should've, but I was much more confident in my abilities this year!

I'll admit, when my 4:15 A.M. alarm went off I questioned why in the world I chose to run another one of these?! ;) I stuffed my face with a banana and some Belvita bar-type-deliciousness, and we headed out. We got down to our corral a LOT later than last year...mostly because the two gas stations we went to before we headed downtown had nearly broken down pumps and it wasn't even 5:00 A.M. yet.

When we finally arrived at the correct corral, we all decided to pee, again. You know, that "phantom pee" feeling, because you're just so excited and nervous to cross the start line and you know you haven't had anything to drink in over an hour so there's no way you could have to pee and so you sit in a disgusting porta-potty just to reassure yourself that you won't have to stop during the race (run on sentence much?). Then we took a selfie in front of the porta-potty because hey, why not? & yes, we unintentionally matched.

This year they had the corrals start a few minutes in between each other, but we really didn't notice since we stopped for a bathroom break before hand (and we were kinda late, like I said). We saw the start line, I kicked on my awesome playlist, and took off sprinting. Caleb immediately had to remind me that if I tried to run at that pace, I'd surely die soon ;) he's so awesome. He was definitely setting our pace the entire race, and I'm thankful for that. I just get too excited and want to take off, even though that's absurd!

Surprisingly, miles 1 through 5 were kind of a breeze. I honestly hadn't thought it would be this easy, we kept a pace of about 11-12 minutes/mile throughout this and I know that made all the difference (just like Caleb said). The sun was just beginning to rise as we crossed over one of the bridges, and it was SO gorgeous. I love that you cross into Kentucky, and back into Ohio in this race. The Flying Pig is a great course with some amazing views! I love seeing the city in a way I'm not used to! City skyline, cute coffee shops, the Ohio river, etc. I love my city, and it just motivates me to explore it more! I definitely recommend this course to my fellow half-runners!!

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When we hit mile 7, its pretty much ALL uphill for nearly 3 miles. I'm talking almost a straight incline, and I forgot how hard that was from last years race. Caleb and I did a good job of jogging most of it, but I'll admit, we walked a few minutes. I witnessed something insanely inspirational when I saw a woman probably about my age, strolling her disabled sister UP this monstrous hill...I couldn't even believe it, but I can't thank her enough because it was just the push I needed.

After those crazy hills were over, we had about a mile of straight downhill, which was so GLORIOUS. Then we get to mile 10-11 and guys... I. AM. DEAD. Seriously, I hit a wall. I kept having to slow down, catch my breath, drink a crap ton of water. I truly felt like the end was no where in sight. But - I had Caleb by my side. He encouraged me, listened to me, and most importantly? He pushed me like crazy! We were there for each other and that's just what we needed.

We FINALLY turned the corner after mile 12 and I could see the finish swine (hehe)! I wanted to sprint as fast as I could, but I knew I'd probably fall over from emotions and sheer joy that I could actually see the finish line now. Last year, I cried on my way to the end, and this year? Same story. The amount of spectators and cheering going on from total strangers is overwhelming. Everyone is so amazing and encouraging! We crossed that finish line hand in hand and I felt on top of the world. It's so amazing to me what our bodies will do when we push ourselves! We are capable of so much more than we believe at times.

I'm SO so thankful for this hunk for being by my side through that entire race!

I also haven't taken my eyes off my new finishers medal. I love it!

I do have to say, I missed running side by side with my Erin, but she was there in spirit. During our race we passed a local radio station and yelled her name for a shout out! "WE MISS YOU ERIN!" ;)

I'm extremely proud of us for finishing the race, and how much we pushed ourselves! We ran this one in 2:46, which for me? Is a huge accomplishment. I'm really, really proud of that. Woo! Maybe next year I'll break two and a half hours?! #agirlcandream

In other news, I'm experiencing some serious discomfort. Obviously, pretty much every muscle in my body is constantly on fire, but my right foot is actually in a lot of pain, and I can hardly walk on it. I won't be too concerned unless its like this in another week or so. I've been icing it like crazy at work so I'm hopeful that that will help. Send me some good vibes, friends!

Thanks for reading along!!!

A few pre half-marathon ramblings!

I'm less than 48 hours from my next half marathon, and somehow, I'm out of my mind excited. Ask me again right after, when I can hardly walk. It's kinda funny, last year I had hardly trained (idiot move #1) so I was in a lot of pain DURING and after the race for weeks. This year? I trained pretty hard, up until a few weeks ago, but I'm not very nervous at all. More anxious, I want to get to that starting line, enjoy the views, and finish hand in hand with my husband. That's my only goal; to cross that FINISH line, by his side. Since its Friday, and its been a LONG week, I can only muster random thoughts regarding the upcoming race/last years race.

-I was fumbling through photos from last years half marathon and came across a hilarious snapchat that I sent my sister in love. I can't help but laugh looking back - what else did I expect?!

-The fact that I have a running watch this year makes me THRILLED. You guys, I'll actually be able to KNOW what my pace is, DURING the race? Whaaat?! ;)

-Shoot. It hadn't crossed my mind until now that I don't have an arm band to hold my iPhone (it doubles as my ipod)...and Lord knows I'm not HOLDING that thing in my actual hand for hours on end. So now I'm frantically texting my husband asking if he has an extra, cause if not, that is my #1 goal for tonight! FIND ONE!

-We need to figure out what our carb-loaded meal will be indulging in tomorrow night. I'm leaning towards Olive Garden or PF Changs (haayyy gift cards). Rice is my love language.

-The forecast right now for our race morning begins in the low 50's and will easily rise into the 70's by 11AM. It's kind of perfect and I'm pumped about it. The fact that I won't need a jacket makes me thrilled. Nobody likes to run with something tied around their waist. Or is that just me?

-More than the forecast, I'm really excited for my new running leggings. So excited, that I think I've mentioned them about 4 times on this lil space of the internet that I call mine ;)

-Caleb is currently downtown picking up my packet, getting my bib/shirt, and scoring a ton of freebies from the Expo and I'm insanely jealous. I want nothing more than to ditch work and join in. Grabbing all the goodies that I can!!! Seriously, we get enough laundry detergent to last us a year!

Can't wait to take another photo like that this year! Yay!

Thanks for all the well wishes and have a GREAT weekend, everyone!!!

4 weeks fit challenge {my results!}

Here we are, finally! Linking up with Erin and Kristin today! 4 weeks after some of us set some goals -- its a time that's either really crummy to look back on because we didn't keep up with our goals, or really exciting cause we rocked the house on ALL of them! I'm here to tell you I'm a little bit in between, and you know what? I'm good with that.

I began the month insanely motivated, then a few things happened that slowed me down, but as of March 22nd, I've really kicked it into over drive. Something just "clicked" in me and I've worked really, really hard! I've run every day since, and for the most part, have eaten really clean! It feels amazing. So, lets go over my goals one by one.

Run 16 times

TOTAL WIN! I ran 16 times exactly. Some of those were as little as 2 miles, some were up to 7 miles... but I freaking did EVERY ONE OF THEM and it feels so good. You guys, I even woke up before work 4 days in the last week. Who am I turning into!? I'm pretty proud of myself. Sure, there were days I wanted to give up...but I pushed on. I finally started seeing some results this week, and that has me even MORE motivated than ever.

Lift weights

FAIL. Ha - yeah. We won't go into that one. I used to do this a lot but this month Caleb and I focused on running outside a lot with the new weather and it was awesome. So I'll be sure to focus more on that in April. I really want to be toned, and I truly think lifting helps my endurance during my long runs...so lets hope in April I can make a dent in this!

Run 3 miles in 30 minutes
HALF WIN! I ALMOST did this, by about a minute. So, I'm kinda giving it to myself - also because I ran 2 miles in 20 minutes a few times!

Stretch more
WIN! Woohoo! This was huge for me. I took a while after (and sometimes even before) each run to stretch my legs and calves, especially. My worst spots are always my shins, and the QL area above my rump... ha! Hey, we're being honest here. But this stretching has helped so much, I haven't had any pain. I'm praying for an injury free journey to my next half!

Some other exciting moments....
-Finding my nice Adidas dri-fit hoodie before an outdoor run
-Accomplishing the 7 miles straight was definitely my biggest milestone.
-Getting some adorable running pants for my half. I think that's going to be my thing - buying myself a crazy pair of running pants for every half or big race I run! It's true - you burn more calories in cute gear ;) sneak peek up above.
-Finally believing in myself. Knowing that I CAN do difficult things. My head gives up before my legs, so I've learned to push through.
-Finally learning how to properly use my watch and actually use it! Pumps me up!
-Finding more good music for my playlist.

I'm really not sure if I'm meant for distance running, I really would like to work on getting faster in shorter distances, but we'll see how I feel after this next half!  Sure, there were days I felt like doing NOTHING...and some days, I did just that. But the feeling I have after accomplishing a hard run, or even an easy one, just can't be beat. I finally feel like I've "found my groove" and hope that this link up has encouraged you guys like its encouraged me!!

Remember...

How was your month??

My first half marathon!!

You guys...I can officially cross "run a half marathon" off the 'ole bucket list. Well, technically I didn't run the whole thing, but I sure as heck completed it.

We woke up around 4:30AM to eat breakfast and Jared & Erin picked us up around 5. At 6:30AM sharp, the half officially had begun though...we were all so jittery and excited to get to the starting point and we just took off! I'm so proud to say that the four of us ran the first 6 miles pretty much non stop -- that alone was the furthest distance I've ever run (yeah, training didn't exactly go as planned, whoops)...so we were feeling great!! We crossed a giant bridge and the view was just incredible. That alone was some amazing motivation, seeing the sun rise over the river with my best friends!

Love my city!!!

Erin and I both decided it was time to walk...my right hip was hurting pretty bad, and I needed a break. Luckily, the 4 of us agreed to stay together no matter what...so even if one of us needed to walk, we'd all walk...but let me tell you, we all pushed each other like crazy.

A little bit later, we started to get pretty tired...and I hear all of them yelling like crazy while I'm off to the side getting water -- my in laws surprised us and cheered us on the sidelines!! They made a sign with all of our pictures! It literally brought me to tears that they did that for us. It was so thoughtful!

Cincinnati proved to have a HARD course. People from every state around the world were there, and even different countries. So many people say that this is a really hard course compared to others around the world, and boy, I'd have to agree. The hills were OUTRAGEOUS. Around mile 8 (I think -- things are a little fuzzy!) is where things kind of went down hill...we got really tired, and we all kinda just felt like laying down on the sticky ground rather than jog another step. We rounded near mile 9 and someone on the street was blasting "LET IT GO" from Frozen, and in unison, without even knowing the other was going to do it -- Erin and I belt it straight up musical style and just had a hilarious moment, along with a random burst of energy. That was the last energetic part of the half that we had, ha!

Somehow, we pulled through those last few miles on and off walking/jogging. It was a miracle. I honestly don't know if I would've made it through without the encouraging volunteers and random people encouraging me. At one point, I was kind of running alone a few feet ahead, but really struggling...and a total stranger came up to me, patted me on the back, and she told me she KNEW I could do this (I'm like tearing up even thinking about it) and that gave me the strength to keep going.

I cannot tell you how happy we all were to see the "Finish Swine" at the end. Erin and I started to tear up...I couldn't even help it. So many cheering people, so many emotions... suddenly, the four of us were side by side, holding hands, giving it all we had, and it just felt amazing. We pushed each other in those last few moments to just NOT STOP RUNNING and to finish it!! Erin and I were in tears, and it was a great feeling. Yeah, we struggled, and yeah we didn't train hard enough (at ALL), but you know what? We did it...and we did it together!

I can't say enough about the half though. The course was awesome, and I got to experience parts of my city I didn't even know existed. To think I traveled 13.1 miles ON FOOT completely blows my mind. My feet hurt, my knees are swollen, my right hip feels horrible, and my legs are so tight I can hardly walk... but I finished it. I am so proud of myself, and of my best friends!

People have already asked me if I plan to do another one...ask me in a few weeks once my body has returned back to normal ;) 

A little time off will motivate you.

At least it did for me. If you recall, I mentioned I took a fall two weeks ago and hurt my ankle, two days later it was a bruised, swollen mess. So, I decided to take the week off from running...and then last week? I was just plain lazy. I only hit the gym twice and was missing it badly. Am I the only one who loves the feeling of being sore? I seriously love it, because it lets me know my muscles are being worked and my body is CHANGING.

The other night a friend and I were talking about how we just aren't as confident in ourselves as we used to be...and you know what? It's a pretty crummy feeling. I hate that after I take a picture I worry if the angle made my already round face look rounder or not. I want to be fit, and KNOW that I'm treating my body well. I hadn't been working out, and I certainly was still watching what I ate, but not as closely as usual.

So on Saturday? Caleb and I decided to hit up the store...we came  home with a five, yes, FIVE pound bag of chocolate flavored protein powder, a pre-workout mix, and a cute new blender bottle for my shakes (she's pink!). 

It got me so excited again. I love the feeling of being INTENTIONAL with my workouts. I'll admit, I don't always LOVE going to the gym...but I'll tell you what I do love. The feeling I get when I'm done with my workout. Yes, it usually always sucks. Yes, I always sweat like a pig...and yes, I'm always freaking tired afterwards...but do I ever regret it? NEVER.

I'm more ready than ever to begin vigorously training for this half marathon, and get so excited thinking about running it with my people I love the most!

What keeps you motivated?