I RAN A HALF MARATHON!!!!!

...about 3 1/2 weeks ago.  Update:  it's been about 6 months now...oops!

This post is better late than never though.

Race morning, March 7th, in Orlando, was cold.  Cold isn't the right word to describe it actually.  It was freezing, frigid and borderline miserable.  I woke up at 3 am after a relatively restless night, got ready, and headed to the lobby of the hotel at 3:45 with hundreds of others.  We got to Epcot at early and eventually were taken on a mile walk (which wasn't counted in the 13.1, by the way, which, if you ask me, is totally unfair! haha) to the start line.  I loved seeing everyone dressed up and starting to shed warmer layers.  I don't know why they did it so early, considering how cold it was, but regardless...race time finally approached and I was just a ball of jittery nerves and excitement.  Everytime a different corral started, there were fireworks and music and it was just an unreal experience.  And then it was my turn...

Mile 1 passed by in a flash.  So quick, I was shocked.  It only took me about 13 minutes!  Miles 2 & 3 were also pretty easy.  I was feeling good and having fun.  My 5k split time was 42 minutes and at that point I felt so powerful and like I could run forever (or at least for 10 more miles).  I found a group that I was pacing myself with and just kept on truckin'.  Things that were crazy/amazing to me:  1)LOVED LOVED LOVED the characters on the side of the road to take pictures with.  I never stopped, but I still loved it.  2) People had the cutest sayings on shirts/costumes.  Some of the most creative things ever!  3)  SO MANY AMAZING WOMEN! 

Mile 4 wasn't bad.  Mile 5 sucked.  I don't know why.  Actually, I think I do--during Mile 5 we had to go up and down this annoying ditch by the Contemporary Resort.  If I never see that underpass again, I'll be okay.  Miles 6, 7, 8 and 9 were in Magic Kingdom and were just fun.  Running through the castle was awesome, and I again was feeling amazing about the run.  My 10K split time was 1:27, which is about the same as 5K, and I was running a consistent 13-14 minute mile.  During mile 9, I started to realize that, oh my gosh, I really was going to finish this thing.  It choked me up a little and I had to take some deep breaths and remember to focus! 

Miles 10 and 11 were pretty boring and contained an on-ramp for the road.  These two definitely felt the longest.  Mile 12 was also extremely long, and again because I knew how close I was, I was feeling a lot of things.  Emotional, excited, tired.  I honestly felt like if I stopped, my feet wouldn't know what to do next.  when I saw the sign for the last mile, as I ran into Epcot, I actually teared up a little! I didn't expect that!  This last mile, inside of Epcot took it all out of me.  It felt fast and actually shorter than the others, but I was just exhausted!  When I passed the Mile 13 sign and headed toward the finish line, past the--get this--gospel choir!--and crossed the finish line with a time of 3:12:04!!!!

I cried, okay bawled, when I crossed, saw my mom and Michelle.  Amazing.  Got my medal and RAN MY FIRST HALF-MARATHON!!!!!

Round 2 in 2011??  We'll seeee!

"Nothing says love like firepower."

There's a reason for this entry's title, I promise...

But to start out, this week has been pretty great!  Quick recap:

Monday:  Test at 8:20 pm, so I was in the library ALL day--boo.  But, I did run 2 miles at the gym when I got home from my test, which is always nice.

Tuesday:  No gym today.  However, we had our last social as Delta Gamma seniors tonight, which I just couldn't pass up.  It was so much fun!

Wednesday:  I really need to start writing things down better.  I went to the gym, but I don't think I was there long, maybe a mile or two...the gym at my apartment is often crowded and hard to get a treadmill.  Also, my knees have been hurting a bit, which contributed to the lack of a memorable gym experience, I'm sure.

Thursday:  FOUR MILES!  oh yeaaaa!  Ran 2.5, walked 1.5, SO EXCITED.  However, I got some horrible blisters in some odd places on my foot (right where my arch starts/ends on both feet) so I think it's time to look into new sneakers.

Friday:  FOUR MILES!!  two days in a row!  Ran 2, walked 2 in the morning.  Blisters hurt--Ouch.  Gross weather out.  Cold and rainy--I don't mind either so much (cold less than rain) but the two together is just not right.

Saturday:  No gym.  Wanted to give blisters a rest.  Knees too.  I hate that they're hurting, less now though than they had been!  There was a big pet adoption drive, so we went and hung out with some adorable puppies and to lunch.  And then, we went to the Gator Basketball game, we lost unfortunately, but it was still a ton of fun!  That night Lisa and I went to the Valentine's party at Swamp!

Sunday (aka today):  VALENTINE'S DAY!  Sorry, let me rephrase, boyless valentine's day.  My roommates and I had a lovely day!  A friend of ours let us know that a shooting range in Gainesville was having a "ladies shoot free" special today, and we decided that it would be a perfect way to spend the day.  It was AMAZING.  And, this is where the entry quote comes from.  The guy who runs the shooting range and his wife were telling us how he introduced her to shooting and we'd love it and he said that.  So hilarious.  I shot pretty well, precisely , all centered on or right above the bulls-eye!   From there we went to lunch at Swamp and saw the movie Valentine's Day, which was so so so good.  While we were at lunch, the restaurant sponsored a 5k for Haiti, which I would have loved to do if I'd known about it before yesterday.  While I was watching the people go out (and come back) I was thinking about my race coming up (and the fact that there was a marathon and half marathon in Gainesville this morning) and I was getting excited.  Okay, nervous too, but so excited.  And I remembered that I've done a half triathlon before, which is also a huge accomplishment.  I KNOW I can do the half-marathon, and I'm excited to keep training for it.  I've also decided to see if I can run well with listening to episodes of Friends on my iPod.  I always find that when I'm working out and Friends is on, the time just flies, and I know what happens in basically all the episodes, so I'm wondering if listening to them will be effective in getting me through runs.  I think I'm going to have to try that soon...
Tonight (after watching some Olympics, which, by the way, I so wish I could count watching people doing sports as working out) I went to the gym, not sure how long my blisters were going to stay not too painful.  Unfortunately, there was someone on my treadmill (I know it sounds crazy but I like routine) watching a weird movie on TV...not helpinggg!  And, it's always hot in this gym.  I get so hot when I'm working out as it is, I just wish there was some kind of cold air, or any bit of air movement to not stifle me.  Yuck.  I decided to only run a mile, but I did it in 14:30!  Sweet.

That's basically it for this week.  Going to attempt to get to 6 miles by next Sunday (the 21st),  9 the Sunday after (the 28th) and do 13 at least once before the race the next Sunday (I can't believe how soon it is!!

One Month til Race Day!!

I know, I'm slacking on the blog updating...

Well, here's what's been going on.  Seth and Ira were in town for a weekend, and we had a great time!  Seth got to really experience college life, going to a UF swim meet against Auburn and the Gator basketball game against South Carolina, which was probably the most exciting game we could have attended.  We walked probably 3 miles around campus and ate way too unhealthily, but it was a great weekend nonetheless.  

This past week has been a really great week as far as training goes.  I've ran a steady two miles (at 3.8/3.9 mph) 4 or 5 days this week, which is huge for me.  Thursday, I ran the two miles and then took a cardio hip-hop class at the gym, which was crazy intense!  Michelle challenged me to run the two miles and then walk to hit 3.1 miles.  Tonight though, I RAN the 3.1 miles at 3.9/4 mph.  I am extremely proud of myself that I was tired but kept going anyway.  I have one more month to train and all I have to say is bring it on!

the last semester...

So I'm about 2 weeks into my last semester as an undergrad, or maybe ever, depending on what I decide to do next year!  It's a bit...unsettling...to not have any definite plans yet.  But, onward is the only way to go so that's what I'm doing.  My schedule is probably too easy and it definitely gives me too much free time.  I've been training an average amount so far this semester, which, given the amount of free time I have sounds lame, but since it is the beginning of the semester and I'm still figuring out the swing of things, I'm okay with.  I'm trying to find new ways to get my training in though, other than just going to the gym.  For example, when I was in Israel, one of my favorite parts was the hiking.  It was so incredible being outside, getting fresh air, seeing beautiful scenery and still being active!  Unfortunately, there's no where in Florida that can really compare to Masada or any of the other places we hiked there (because really, when's the last time you saw a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert like this: Ein Gedi ??)  So, Dana and I decided that we missed hiking and would find a place to go somewhere in Gainesville.  And we did!  Monday was a day off from school for MLK Day, so we went to the Morningside Nature Preserve east of Gainesville.  It was so beautiful and they have some really great trails, of all different lengths.  The weather was perfect and it was such a nice way to work out!  I will most definitely be going back there!

The only problem I have with the beginning of the semester, especially the spring, is that people come back with this "I'm going to work out all the time" attitude, which usually fades by February.  In the meantime though, the gyms are crowded all the time, which seriously cramps my gym schedule.  I'm just going to have to work around it...

This weekend my brother Ira and nephew Seth are coming for a visit!  We have a really fun weekend planned, with a UF swim meet, basketball game and a campus tour, in honor of their first visit to Gainesville...I hope the weather cooperates!!

Rewind

Since the last time I wrote, which admittedly was too long ago, I've been around the world and back.  Literally.  And I am sorry for the lack of scintillating information about my life and training stories.  But, with the end of my last fall semester of college, a mini-trip to St. Augustine (ghost tour and all), winter break starting and a 10-day most-amazing-time-of-my-life trip to Israel, you'll have to forgive me!  I won't write about every single detail, or even the big ones here, because that's not what this blog was created for.  But, please ask me if you're interested, because I love nothing more than recounting my adventures!

And now it's 2010.  I started this year in an airport in Israel, and I can't even imagine where it will take me.  My last semester of college has started and I am just trying to wrap my head around that, while still focusing on classes and finding a job.  And training of course!  

EXCITING NEWS!  I officially registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon yesterday morning!  And then had a bit of a panic attack.  I have just 60 days (give or take) to train for a half marathon.  Which I haven't trained for all winter break (with the exception of a few awesome, seriously intense hikes in the Israeli desert).  Oh my gosh.

But I did go to the gym yesterday and did 30 minutes on the elliptical.  And then I went again today and did 30 on the stairmaster and 30 on the elliptical.  I'm planning on running tomorrow morning for probably 30 minutes or so, maybe more depending on the time.  It's not going to be easy, but I will do it.  I am so motivated, not just to do the race, because I'm already registered, but to finish it.  To prove to myself that I can do this. 

I am so excited about this semester.  I have a good feeling! :)

The Biggest Loser

A presentation/a paper and a test today.  One more tomorrow.  One next week.  Exciting!

We had our Holiday Party at DG tonight, which was awesome--yummy turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce, stuffing.  So much goodness from Toojays!  And homemade brownies and cookies...oh my goodness!  

And tonight was the Biggest Loser finale--which I love!!  It's always so super inspiring--not just because of all the weight all of the contestants have lost, but because of how much they're able to accomplish and how much they've learned about themselves in the process.  They all always say that they never thought they could do anything like this, but they did.  That really inspires me to keep training and preparing for the half-marathon.  I never even imagined that I would someday run a half-marathon, and now I'm running one so soon!  Honestly, I don't know that I even ever wanted to run one, but now I do.  And I don't want this to be the one and only one I run.  I want to keep pushing myself to do more and more!

Speaking of which, I think I'm going to do a 5k on campus Saturday morning!

I did go to the gym today, just a quick, 30 minute elliptical workout post-Biggest Loser.  

I've been using Pandora to work out, which is great because I get a really awesome new variety of music, except I can't write things down to remember what songs to make a race playlist from!  I have to get that together!

Bedtime now though, test tomorrow--Night!!

Brick Walls

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."  --Randy Pausch

I'm all about the positivity (and the quotes!) right now.  Except that I've been at the library for 11, that's right, count them, ELEVEN hours today.  I'm starting to hit that brick wall.

I've been trying to split my time between the presentation/paper I have tomorrow, the test I have tomorrow and the test I have Wednesday.  Not working so well.  We've been working on the presentation since 3:30.  Okay, lies.  Presentation is done.  We've been working on the final draft of the paper since about then.  I did get to flex my creative muscle a bit and make a rockin' (if I do say so myself) cover page for our project.  Woo!

I also had a delicious lunch that I've been craving since yesterday (Tijuana Flats power-lite chicken burrito!) and 2 teas (one hot, one iced) from Starbucks--but not both during lunch! :)

I want to go to the gym, but I still have a ton of reading to do, and I don't know if I'm up for the workout I was yesterday.  I'm just tired!  I hoping this is because I haven't eaten in a while (Starbucks at the library ran out of food sandwiches/salads!) and I just need an energy boost.

Anyway, I'm working real hard to get over this brick wall...

By the way, I find it ironic that the chapter I'm trying to read in my advertising book is on CREATIVITY and it's probably among the more boring ones I've had to read.