13.1.

this past saturday, i ran my first half marathon! and by ran, i mean we ran most of it and ran/walked a good portion of the last 4 miles. i hadn't ran a single mile the month leading up to the race due to some terrible shin splits, and half assed all my training this summer/fall, so i knew it wasn't going to be easy.

i am not sure what were we thinking when we signed up for this race back in march. running in the south in the summer is pretty much like hell, and neither one of us do treadmills. throw in concerts, beach trips, and football season, there wasn't much time for running! we chose to do the rock n' roll savannah half simply because it fell on a weekend that south carolina & clemson both had a bye week. yes, our priorities are straight.

none the less, kristin & i crossed that finish line!

{start line}

 



 

{pre-race}

our hotel was literally at the start line of the race (thank you, daddy!) so we woke up around 5:30am, laid in bed, ate some bananas, got dressed and headed out to the corrals around 6:30am. the port-o-potty lines were out of control, and i was very thankful that we didn't have to use them. we stretched and hung around before we finally lined up in our corral around 6:50am. after the national anthem they started the count down for the first corral and they were off! about 20 minutes later we made our way up to the start line and so it began.

the only hill the entire race was within the first mile over a bridge - how's that for a flat course? miles 1-3 took us straight through the ghetto of savannah. around mile 3.5, i started to get a cramp, so i stopped to catch my breathe and lost klav. i don't really remember anything noteworthy about miles 4-7 other than being thankful for water and gatorade, and laughing at people's signs. somewhere between mile 8-9 (i think), i found kristin! it was just the right time for us to find each other - i think we both needed it. we ran & walked our way through the last few miles and i was so glad we got to cross the finish line together.

i was overcome with joy when we crossed over the finish line. i smiled my way over to my mom & brian and can't remember a time i was so happy to see them. i teared up a bit when i got to my parents. i realize people run half marathons all the time, but this was a huge accomplishment for little ol' me! we grabbed some chocolate milk, water, power bars, our medals, took a picture and then found a spot to sit down.

 

after resting for a few minutes, we went to meet up with the rest of our gang that was hanging out in the park waiting for everyone to finish. my parents' best friends, their daughter, and their running gang all ran too and we celebrated with 3 bottles of champagne - reason #4568 i love dan & lynne.

 

we peeled ourselves off the ground and didn't stick around for the concert after the race. we also skipped the giant line for the free beer. you know this girl is tired when she skips free beer.

 

it was an awesome race: well organized, great {flat} course, awesome city, happy volunteers, plenty of water stations, cute shirt, fun medal, a band at almost every mile - i would definitely do it again!

 

so my first 13.1 in the books! we have already decided {read as - i decided for us} that we are going to run the publix half in atlanta in march. heck, we may even train this time :)

ballantyne 10k!

saturday morning kelly, derrick and i ran the ymca ballantyne 10k. i woke up at 5:15am which is never fun. i like to wake up extra early so i can eat breakfast & have coffee & not feel rushed.

 

derrick & i left around 6:30am & headed to ballantyne. we met up with kelly before the race & had plenty of time to watch all the weird things going on around us. people sure are interesting!

 

 

{before}

 

the course was pretty boring since it was through a corporate park. we did get to run over a bridge at one point which was definitely the highlight. there was a 5k & a 10k, so they turned us around near the finish line & sent us back for a little bit of a longer loop. there was a killer hill that we had to run up twice, and the last time was ROUGH. it was probably right around mile 5.75 so you know you're close, but that didn't make it any better. we all ran the first 3 miles together, and i was with derrick up until around mile 4 but he sped up & i lost him. my mom randomly showed up on the side of the road around mile 3 too which was hilarious. you just never know with her!

 

 

{after}

 

 

according to my garmin, i finished in 57:46. the official times showed our time from when the race clock started (so my time was 1:00:11), and it took us several minutes to actually get up to the start line (there were a LOT of people & kids). seems weird they didn't use our chip time, right? i was happy with my time & i kept a pretty consistent pace throughout which is always a goal for me.

 

next up: warrior dash on june 1st and noda brewery 5k on june 7th!

new running shoes + garmin gps watch!

a couple of weeks ago, i went to try sports in southpark to get fitted for a new pair of running shoes. because of way too many years of cheerleading/flipping over/lots of impact on my body, my feet are almost flat. so i knew that when i got my new pair of running shoes, i needed to get the right ones.

the whole process was pretty neat. the first thing the guy helping me did was measure both my feet. then he brought me out a pair of  shoes to wear while i ran on the treadmill. i hopped on the treadmill and he explained that he would be video taping me while i run - i could also see what he was seeing on the computer on a big flat screen in front of the treadmill. i ran for about 1 minute at a 10 minute mile pace. once he had what he needed, he asked me to join him at the computer.

much to my surprise, the software they use for this, dartfish, is a software that i am very familiar with! my dad's company uses it & we know the dartfish crew very well. it was super cool to see it used for something other than cheerleading. the next thing he did was pause the screen mid stroke on my right foot. he then measured the angel from my foot to my angle, and from my ankle to my knee. he did this for both feet to figure out whether or not i'm a pronator or a supinator. no surprise to me, i'm a pronator, and my left foot pronates quite a bit more drastically than the right. this quote from runner's world explains pronation pretty perfectly:

  "If you have a normal arch, you're likely a normal pronator, meaning you'll do best in a stability shoe that offers moderate pronation control. Runners with flat feet normally overpronate, so they do well in a motion-control shoe that controls pronation. High-arched runners typically underpronate, so they do best in a neutral-cushioned shoe that encourages a more natural foot motion."

next up, he brought out 3 pairs of shoes that are made to stabilize your foot while you run. i put on one shoe on each foot from two different pairs and ran around the track at the store. i decided which one i liked better out of the two, and then put on one shoe from the 3rd pair and ran around the track. then after deciding which one of those i liked better, i put on both of the favorite & ran around the store again. when all was said & done, i ended up with these beautiful shoes.

 

{newton: motion}

 

because they are essentially changing the way i run, they are taking some getting used to. i ran my first longer run with them last night, and some strange parts of my calves are screaming today. like the, thought i wasn't going to be able to walk all day, kind of sore. but i know this is a good change & will help me run faster & better in the end.

 

and while i was at it, i went ahead and purchased myself a garmin forerunner 10. i have been eyeing this for a few months now and they had 1 green one left in the store, so i took that as a sign and got it. this is also taking some getting used to, but i am really glad i no longer have to run with my phone in my hand to keep up with my pace.

next up on my list will be wireless headphones. those pesky headphone cords are really annoying!

happy running!

milestones.

a few big things happened for me today. some things that i am really proud of. some things that i never dreamed would happen. 

i ran 7 miles. which is my longest run ever, for now. 

i reached 300 miles on my nike running app. 

i started running last january. the only time i had run before last january was running suicides for my teammates missing back tucks at cheer practice in high school, and running a half mile every time we missed a skill at a game in college. i hated every second of it. but last year, i set out on a journey to start running. i started just like most non-runners do, with the couch-5k plan. after a few weeks, i really started to enjoy it. 

 according to my nike app, my 2012 breakdown looks like this..

january-april 2012: 53 runs

may-december 2012: 8 runs

needless to say, i fell off the wagon. many reasons, lots of excuses, and a lot of hours at work later, i started running again in january. i pretty much had to start back at square one. i have completed 47 runs so far in 2013. back in february, i hit the 200 mile mark and blogged about wanting to get to 300 by the end of june. and then sometime in the beginning of march, i decided to set a goal to hit 300 by may 4th meaning i'd have to run 11.25 miles per week to get there. well here we are, 11 days before may 4th, and i hit my goal. 

i also decided at 300, i would get some new running shoes, some actual running shoes. so tonight's run was the last one in my good ol' nike lunarglides. we have been through a lot together, and they have been good to me. 

so today i am thankful to have legs to run with. i've now ran 300 miles, and somewhere along the way, i've turned into a runner. 

elizabeth 8k!

saturday morning i ran my first timed race! warrior dash is too fun to count as an actual "race." so i skipped ever running a 5k race and went straight for the 8k. i even convinced derrick to run with me too.

saturday morning i woke up around 6am and had a cup of coffee and a banana. i picked derrick up around 7am and we headed over to elizabeth. after hanging out inside the rec center for awhile before the race (it was cold!) we headed outside to line up for the start. a little bit after 8am - we were off!

{before: we ended up on the observer's storify}

elizabeth is a neat historical neighborhood/area in charlotte and the race took us through the beautiful residential streets. around the .5 mile mark, i turned the corner to find my mom & step dad. my mom had a pom pom and was jumping up and down - amazing! they popped up again around mile 1.5 and i tried to snap a picture but they didn't turn out. we grabbed water at the 2 mile mark. somewhere around 3.5, there was a pretty steep/long hill that was tough. but other than that, it was a pretty flat course.

derrick & i ran together the first 4 miles, but he wanted to run faster the last mile. i was already running quite a bit faster than my normal pace, so i told him to go ahead. the last mile was easy & there were a lot of people cheering. the highlight of the race was a giant tailgate party going on in a front yard that we passed twice. there was like 30 people out there with kegs & megaphones cheering us on - it was great!

i finished the race with a chip time of 48:18! my goal was really just to finish it under 50 because i generally run a 10 minute mile, so i was really proud of my time. my mom and katie were waiting for me at the finish line and i was glad to see them. a few other friends ended up showing up a few minutes after we finished - what great pals we have!

{after}

{derrick & alex}

after some water & a banana, we all headed off to brunch at toast for some good post race brunch.

next up: ballantyne 10k on may 18th!

my kind of saturday.

this morning i woke up around 8:30am with the sun shining through my windows. court & i made chocolate peanut butter protein shakes for breakfast (recipe coming soon!) and then headed out on our morning adventure. the local farmer's market opened back up for the season yesterday and is less than a mile from our house, so we strolled on down to kings drive.

the market is amazing! i ended up getting 3 lemons, 3 kiwis, 3 zucchinis, and over a pound of grapes all for $7. they have virtually every fruit & veggie you can think of, tons of flowers, herbs, local eggs, and local grass-fed beef. if you live in charlotte, don't miss out on this place!

{hours are tuesday 6am-6pm, friday 6am-8pm, saturday 6am-3pm}

{for my favorite lavender}

after we walked home with all our goodies, i cleaned up a bit and did some laundry. my mom needed help with a few things, and i needed to get in a 4 mile run, so i killed two birds with one stone and ran to her house. i got lost on the greenway on the way there (woops) but ended up running over the 277 bridge on kings - my favorite view of the city. i've never been on foot while crossing this bridge, so i had to stop and get this picture. charlotte is beautiful place!

after a few hours with mom & brian, a walk with lola, more laundry, and a little cooking, i'm watching ncis reruns and waiting to see where the night takes me. i hope your saturday was happy too!

i bought a $56 sports bra.

it's true. how ridiculous it that? i mean, $56 for a bra that you just sweat in?

well, i am here to say it is worth it. when i started running last year, i quickly learned the sports bras i had weren't gonna cut it. so i invested in some from target that were more supportive - clasp in the back - not stretchy. and those have been serving their purpose. but with how much back pain i already have, combined with my larger than average chest, i decided it was time to invest in a great running bra.

i started doing some research & a blogger who wears the same size bra as me had suggested moving comfort bras. her favorite bra style is called juno, and she swears by them. so after  her endorsement & reading the 506 positive reviews, i took the plunge and ordered it in white.

because i spent over $50, i got free shipping, so hey, there's that! when it arrived, my sister noted that it was really big. but so are my boobs. so i figured that was a good thing. after my first 4 mile run, i knew i made the right choice. so for all you big-boobed runners out there, check out moving comfort & their wide range of bras. they have different impact levels, a TON of sizes, and lots of fun colors. they also have a whole line of workout gear, not just bras.

{a sports bra for every size!}

{the juno. the straps are adjustable. her eyes are scary.}

{3 clasp closure in the back}

movingcomfort.com

also check out sierratradingpost.com - they have some great deals on select sizes. 

happy running!

what a week!

it has been a busy week in my world, but an awesome one at that. some highlights include...

1. my sister's birthday! court turned 26 on tuesday - we are getting old! since court & i now live together, i got to make her birthday morning a little extra special.

 

{birthday sign - i love making these}

 

 

{my best attempt at making this recipe. it certainly isn't as pretty, but it sure was good! my store bought flatbread was a little too big for this, so i may go with a pizza dough next time.}

we celebrated both of my sister's birthdays (leigh's was last week) on tuesday night at the ever so fabulous blt at the ritz.

 

{birthday girls + me}

 

2. lola had her annual vet visit & she hated every second of it. then i continued the torture & made her get a bath at the dog salon. this is a neat place in plaza midwood that has self-serve dog washes & also grooming services. meet tater: a fellow english bully that has pink hair!

 

 

{she also has dog tattoos.. not kidding.}

 

 

{dog wash}

 

 

3. got in two great runs & pulled myself out of bed for 6am yoga this morning & tuesday morning. 

 

 

4. last but not least, i hung these shelves in my room all by myself! i'm probably a little too proud of this, but it feels like a big accomplishment! i spent some time looking around for the right shelves and found these at lowe's for about $13 each. the assembly wasn't too hard, although it did require a phone call to my stepdad, per the ususal. i love them!

 

 

 

i hope you have a great weekend & that you get to drink at least one green beer :) cheers!

january 1-15.

i'm playing blog catch up. one of my goals this year (as was last year) to post 3 times a week. obviously, i've been slacking. so here are some noteworthy things i've been up since january showed up.

• getting back on the running & hot yoga train. needless to say, it's been awhile. thank goodness i have foursquare to remind me how lazy/busy i've been!

• one fun night and one beautiful afternoon at whiskey warehouse. i love that place so much.

• started reading clay travis' "dixieland delight." i'll do a review once i'm done - it is already hilarious.

• we watched the national championship game at jackalope jacks... and the SEC won the 7th straight title. roll tide!

• i saw zero dark thirty. wow.

• we went to the new 80s-90s bar uptown, the roxbury. who doesn't love a bar that plays nsync & hanson?

• after obsessively watching parenthood from episode 1, season 1, i'm finally caught up! what a show. i love joel.

• spending some good, quality, heart to heart time with a few of my oldest friends. it has been good for my soul.

the first 15 days of january have been pretty great. i'm headed to denver this weekend, i can't wait!

healthy living.

i stepped off the cruise ship on january 2nd and decided to change some things. these things can be summed up in 4 points.

1.  stop eating like shit. stop consuming whatever the hell you want, whenever the hell you want.
2. stop drinking so much.
3. start running.
4. be kind to your body and love yourself.

it's been about 5 weeks since then, and for the first time in many years, i've stuck with it. the healthy eating, the running, the not drinking wine every night, the loving myself. 

i got some new kicks a few weeks ago. (see below). i'd had the same running shoes since high school, and since i spent most of my time in cheer shoes, i never saw the need for new ones. after much debate, i went with the purple ones. and oh boy, am i glad that i did. 

so along with the new kicks came an awesome iphone app that syncs with a sensor (that of course i had to buy separately) in my shoes. it tells me how far i've gone, what pace i'm running at, congratulates me when i do something good, and lots of other cool shit. i'm pretty much obsessed and it really has kept me motivated. 

it also syncs up to nike+ which keeps track of every run. so since i got these purple pumps - i've ran 16 times, for a total of 8 hours and 38 minutes and 72 kilometers. i am so proud of myself!

i've also been to hot yoga a few times with  my sisters. i'm certainly not good at it, but i feel great afterwards. i am going to try and start going on days i'm not running each week.

and then comes the eating. it's hard! i try very hard not to eat out. i treat myself to starbucks every morning and i don't skimp. a girl needs her venti, okay?

and then i eat a lot of things that are green. a lot.

{zucchini, squash, onion, asparagus}

{left overs from the above mixed with lettuce, red pepper & more asparagus}

and then of course, i treat myself to my personal drug... tcby's white chocolate mousse.

i feel good. i feel the best i've felt in years. 5 weeks ago i couldn't run for 2 minutes. now i'm running 4 miles in under 40 minutes. i'm still walking some in between but my pace is fast enough to allow me to do so and still do 10 minute miles. i have more energy. i'm putting more effort in to my appearance because i feel pretty again. i feel like i'm becoming the woman i am meant to be.

 i won't fall back into my unhealthy ways. and for the first time ever, i actually believe myself.