Today I'm recapping my very first half marathon which I completed on Sunday, May 4! It's kind of crazy to look back and think about everything that has transpired since I decided to start running. When I started this blog a year ago  (the anniversary of which I let pass unceremoniously) I had just decided to train for my first 5K in June. 

I confess that I have started and stopped running programs in the past a handful of times. I just never enjoyed it and I couldn't get over the mile hump. I think I may have peaked at running 8 minutes straight once. 

Something has changed in the past year. There has been a tremendously shift in my mentality. Working out went from being a chore to something I actually enjoyed. I started believing I COULD do things instead of I CAN'T. I wanted to challenge myself. Most of all, I learned that I'm capable of far more than I've ever held myself accountable for. I want to thank my aunt, most of all, for teaching me that exercise could be fun. Her boot camp classes started as something I absolutely DREADED to something I looked forward to - without her pushing to be better and without my family joining in, I don't think I'd be where I am today.

Last May, I did something I don't think I've ever done. I ran an entire mile without stopping. I just never thought I could, so I didn't. I was never very athletic - I was the slow kid who would rather be inside reading a good book and couldn't catch a ball to save her life.

I suppose I got bit by the running bug after that mile because after numerous 5Ks, a 10K, and now my first half marathon, there's no sign of stopping! 

Now for the recap!

Cincinnati. My hometown. We are a traditional bunch who value family, community, and good beer. Our city is has a small, hometown feel but we are mighty - just check out the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day! Another thing Cincinnatians love is the Flying Pig Marathon.

It took me a while to realize that other people think the name of our marathon is kind of goofy - it seems normal to me because I'm used to passing pig statues on the sidewalk and have a collection of FPM volunteer t-shirts from my high school days with pigs all over them.  

Back in the day, Cincinnati was nicknamed "Porkopolis" as it featured the country's premier hog packing industry - one could see farmers herding piggies down the town streets. Somehow out of that history, the Flying Pig Marathon was born!  (Of course you have the phrase "when pig fly" to tie everything together). Can you tell I'm a history nerd? Much to my surprise, the marathon is only 16 years old - started in 1999. The half marathon is even younger but it's still a big event here.

On Saturday morning, Nick and I went to the Expo to pick up my bib and t-shirt. There were TONS of goodies and vendors! I ended up getting two new headbands because I can't help but spend money. In addition to a tech t-shirt, you also get a really nice pool bag, a poster, and a virtual goodie bag with coupons and such. 

Another piggie! You can see these all over the city. This one features the Cincinnati Skyline including the "crown" on the new Great American building.

As I said in my last post, after the Expo Nick and I met with our priest and then I went to my bridal shower. We had the best appetizers and dessert at the party - hummus and pita bread, spinach dip, mini sandwiches, etc. - perfect for carb-loading (although I was pretty busy running around so eating wasn't a high priority). That night (after a flat tire incident) we just relaxed and I ate some pizza and drank lots of water! (I think this is why I love running...).  

Lucky for me, my maid of honor decided to stay in town to be there for my half. J and Nick woke up sooooo early on Sunday to take me downtown - we left at 5 am. It was great to have their support :) I hate going to races alone.

You can't see them very well but I'm wearing compression socks which I think helped a lot during and after the race! They kept me from swelling and I didn't even notice I had them on. 

The Race

As you can imagine, I was pretty darn nervous for the race by the time 4 am came around Sunday morning. I did get a pretty good night of sleep - sleep never seems to be a problem these days. The worst part about races to me is waiting in the corral area. Everyone is just standing around waiting for something to happen and it's crowded - my inner introvert starts screaming to get out of there! 

I just wanted the race to start! I was in corral G because I wasn't sure where I would finish when I registered - we waited a while to start because there were so many people! I was thankful that the entire race was pretty thinned out.  There wasn't a lot of congestion and you had the freedom to move. Even the water stops went smoothly. Some of the best race logistics I've ever seen!

When we finally made it to the start line, I started to crank my music and we were off!

At this point, the whole experience is a bit of a blur. It went by really FAST! 

The first 6 miles of the races were very similar to the Thanksgiving Day Race I did this year - three big ole bridges which seem like nothing after mile 6-10 of the Pig. 6 miles went by pretty quickly - I think I took some gel around 4.5 miles because I was anticipating the horror that was coming up. 

Miles 6-10 took us up a big ramp and up into the Eden Park/Mt. Adams area of Cincinnati (did I mention Cincy is also called the City of Seven Hills?). Let's just say it wasn't flat. I decided to walk steep uphills because I knew my pace would suffer and I would be less efficient. Walking is ok! 

The upside to the hellish hills was the spectacular beauty of the park and surrounding areas. The Pig is known for having amazing volunteers and entertainment - all along the course there were people cheering you on with HILARIOUS signs and encouragement. I found myself getting a little emotional throughout the race - it's nice to see so many people encouraging others. 

And the outfits. So funny! Many people dress up as piggies, there are tutus (which I'm sad I did not have), and much, much more! Many people run in memory of losses loved ones and raise money for charity as well.

At mile 9, volunteers gave out free gels so I took another gel with water. Which reminds me - the water stops were on point! There was water and gatorade at nearly every mile! After about mile 2 I would grab some water and walk a few seconds to drink. Luckily, the weather was perfect - it started in the 50s and stayed pretty cloudy the entire time so I was never dehydrated or sweating more than I could reasonably replace with fluids.

After mile 10, the hills pretty much stopped and it was downhill from then on.  Mile 11 was a steep downgrade which actually hurt my knees wayyyyy more than running uphill. I was NOT a fan of that mile - I think it definitely played into my ankle soreness and knee discomfort that I'm experiencing right now. BOO downhills.  I thought for sure that would be my favorite part but we literally covered the same elevation in one mile as we did in the previous 3 miles. 

Thanks to walking the uphills and mini rests in the water stops, I still had plenty of energy for the final two miles.  The final mile was my least favorite because I knew the finish line was coming up but I wasn't sure how far it was ahead (at this point my Nike Plus app was being a ninny and told me I had already finished 13.1 miles - YOU LIE!). I wanted to kick up my pace but I also didn't want to burn out too soon either.  

Nearing the finish line, I saw spectators handing out little cups of beer (just like at the water stops) which made me laugh. I was so close to grabbing one! Kept trucking along and then I saw my fiancé with his parents and my maid of honor. I booked it for the finish line and before I knew it, I was DONE!

I finished shy of my 2:30 unofficial goal at 2:24:11 but I was still really excited and proud! 

As soon as I stopped running, I knew I had to keep moving. We could NOT stand around. I needed to walk and then stretch. I started to notice the aching in my legs and shoulders but I didn't feel bad - I actually felt pretty great! Maybe I held back a little bit because of the hills. Really, I just wanted to finish! Now that I know I can do this, I can start working on speed.  

I spent the rest of the day pretending I wasn't tired. It was Nick's birthday so his family had people over for brunch.  Nick's mom also supplied me with the recovery goods: classic Lay's and chocolate milk that was better than Kroger brand - AMAZING.

Overall, I loved my half experience - I'm glad I chose to do it in my hometown! Many of my classmates ran the Indianapolis Mini on Saturday so I missed out doing that with everyone but it was worth it! I'll definitely be back next year.

So what's next?

Most of my soreness has worn off and I'm ready to get back into the gym and back to training. My left ankle is being a little stubborn - it still feels a bit unstable but it tends to flare up randomly anyway. my knees are hanging in there - still popping and cracking like always.  

Since I'm already conditioned and trained for a half, I decided why not just do one more?  I will be running the Indianapolis Women's Half Marathon in a month  - June 7th which is also a week before the wedding.  Am I crazy? Maybe a little.

After my second half, I'm going to take a little break from running to focus on leaning out and lifting - I'll just be running for maintenance.  I'm considering trying Crossfit this summer once Nick and I move to our new apartment. There is a great summer special for students at a local box so now's as good a time as any! I've been wanting to try it for a long time.

In August, I will start training again for my next half - probably at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. I'll find a few 5K/10Ks as training races and take it from there. 

Is a marathon on my bucket list? Yes. I don't think I want to commit to that until I have a few more halfs under my belt, though. I want to get stronger and faster before I even think about dropping the money and time required into training. Clearly my thinking has come a LONG way because I never ever would've admitted that before now. 

The goal now is to continue to lose weight, get lean, get faster, and get stronger! My nutrition is continuing to improve, I'm cutting out the artificial sweeteners and sneaking vegetables into everything I possibly can!  Just making the small changes. I'm not going to lie, I still make mistakes and eat things I shouldn't. Sometimes I convince myself it's ok to buy a bag of potato chips (a major trigger food for me) or eat some pizza. Everyday I'm getting a little better, though, at making smarter choices and controlling my disordered eating (i.e. emotional bingeing and late night snacking). 

So that's where I'm at. I'm really optimistic about my plans for the rest of the year. Completing this half marathon was a really proud moment for me - I wonder what else I could achieve if I just try?

Thanks for reading, everyone!

I meant to write this post a few days ago because I wanted to recap how running has been going lately! I've been getting my miles in and I'm slowly starting to feel more confident about my mini coming up. I do wish I had waited to sign up for the Indianapolis Mini because it seems like a quarter of my classmates are running it but instead I went for the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati - can you say hills on hills on hills? 

I've been training in Indianapolis which means most of my training has been flat - at least in respect to Cincy - the City of Seven Hills! It will definitely be a challenge but I'm going to do it!

I'm also toying with signing up for the Indianapolis Women's Half on June 6th - about a month after the Flying Pig and a week before the wedding. I read somewhere that if you are training for a mini or a marathon, you might as well sign up for another one since you'll already be conditioned for it. I'm going to see how my first one goes and then sign up if I'm still alive (I will be).

Honestly, it isn't the distance that is scary anymore. It's the part when I STOP running and my body figures out what I just put it through. Last week I did 8.25 miles which wasn't horrible. As soon as I started walking though, I started to get a little nauseous and my legs were very unhappy. I proceeded to take a warm bath and eat a snack which made me feel TONS better. I wasn't nearly as sore as I thought I would be the next day thanks to some foam rollin'  

Snack time!

If there's one tip I can provide as a newbie to running: make sure you are cross training!  Just do something other than running. Strength training and interval training has made all the difference for me - both physically and mentally. I feel more empowered when I challenge my body in ways other than running.  

Running is definitely hard and makes me feel accomplished but there is something about lifting weights that really kicks it up a notch for me.  Maybe it's because I'm starting to shed the self-conscious attitude at the gym - I hate knowing that people can watch me!  I wish I could workout in my own private gym. Hey Heather, care LESS. 

Nice BR shot.

On to the recap!  

Last Saturday morning, I ran the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure 5K with my med school team members! Thanks to some very generous family members, I was able to exceed my fundraising goal of $250 which was very exciting! 

I love charity races and this one was particularly special because there were so many cancer survivors participating and many family members dedicating their walk/run to affected friends/family! 

As far as the run part went, it felt quick! I remember running my first 5K last June and having to stop to walk because I burned myself out too quickly. I'm getting much better at pacing myself and ignoring the other people around me.  Just run. 

I was thankful that the course did have a few hills - I need the practice! As I neared the finish line, I was surprised that I wanted to keep running - the course just felt too short. What a stark contrast to where I was last year when 3 miles seemed impossible... 

My unofficial time - 33:15. I think it was more like 34:00 because I started my app late. We underestimated the time it would take to get to the start line from where we decided to meet so I ended up sprinting to the start and weaving in between all the walkers - this event was MASSIVE! I really want to buy a GPS watch to I'll have something more reliable to train with! 

The best part about the race? CHOCOLATE MILK at the end! I'm obsessed with Kroger chocolate milk but since I don't usually eat dairy these days, I never buy it. I was one happy camper!

After the race, Nick and I headed to Bloomington to enjoy the beautiful spring weather and check out the Bloomington Craft Beer Festival - craft beer from all over the state of Indiana. (including my new favorite - Three Floyd's that my dear friend and MOH introduced me to in Munster, IN).  

The event was being held in an old mill close to the Indiana quarries (Indiana is well-known for their limestone quarries). I love industrial spaces like this so it was super cool just to be there and walk around! 

We also made a quick visit to our favorite Bloomington spot - Nick's!

Empty tasting glass! (Nick hates that face).

I thought those letters were the coolest and then I found out they used to be on the old Bloomington Hospital before it was bought by IU Health and the name was changed! 

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you already know how nostalgic/ warm & fuzzy I get about Indiana, Bloomington, and my college years. I swear there is something special about B-Town. I love it! I get so happy going to visit - especially during the spring and fall. I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking about it!  

And that's that! A quick visit and it was back to the books. I managed to get a workout in before we left the next morning so I think I balanced the trip out nicely.  

What's next on the running agenda? Two more long runs - 10 miles & 11 miles (plus my shorter training runs). And another 5K.

My school is sponsoring this 5K next weekend which several of us will be running! Then it's taper week and the big half marathon!  I can't believe it is so close!

Have a great weekend and Happy Easter!

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Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-host!

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction

If you're new to the link-up, please leave a comment & say hi!

Where to start? So much for that post last week...it looks as if my exam schedule is working out to at least one exam every two weeks for the rest of the semester which is bad and good. Good because it means I have less material on each exam (lol riiiight... 30 lectures or so) but bad because the "rebound week" after an exam means catching up on the 6-8 lectures from the week before that weren't on the exam (usually our exam material stops the Wednesday before an exam). Suffice it to say, this semester is turning out to be even crazier than last. Part of the difficulty is that we no longer have Anatomy lab - a) it was nice to get out of the lecture hall and move around for a few hours & b) anatomy lab would be REALLY helpful for our neuroscience course. Oh well, I must press on.

This for hours & hours...

Now for the good news! I lost 5 lbs since last week which brings the grand total to -25.4 lbs lost! I'm pretty ecstatic. I'm soooo close to a new "decade" which I will share with you all hopefully next week. I hate saying the number but I think it will propel me to the goal.

I've been eating pretty darn well - Nick was here this weekend so we did go out of sushi but I'm limited myself to two drinks. We did get pizza the next day (so I cheated on gluten & dairy & cleanness) but I made sure to supplement with an extra tough workout! 

One delicious dinner this week - red beans & spicy chicken sausage on corn tortillas, edamame, and lots of tomatoes! And hot sauce!

I've also been kicking up my running/workouts again as half marathon training has officially begun! I have my first club run tonight at 6pm since last week was canceled due to weather. I'm scared of how cold it's going to be! Hopefully I won't freeze to death.

 For dinner, I had rice noodles with tons of veggies (peppers, spinach, broccoli, onion) with baby shrimp & hot sauce, of course!

Had a little treat - I love these dark chocolate almonds from Trader Joe's! Last night I just did intervals on the treadmill to work on my speed & endurance.

School has really been a rollercoaster lately. There are days when I feel great - I have lots of energy, I feel like I'm understanding the material, and it all seems managable. Then the very next day I feel way behind, I feel like I'm never going to understand everything, and I have no clue how I'm ever going to treat a patient. I just feel sorta of lost. 

...but I know what love is. I love Forrest Gump!

Wedding stuff is getting down to the details - which I dread. We have all the major players in place but now I need to focus on the little things like developing a day-of schedule, picking centerpieces, figuring out who will be doing what, and finding transportation. I HATE details & I hate that I can't devote the time I would like to the wedding. I feel insanely behind on everything. I'm just hoping it will all come together - many of the med students I've talked to have said that you can't focus on the details or you'll drive yourself crazy. I'm trying to take their advice to heart but I feel like that is a HUGE part of this process.

I need your blog topic ideas! What do you want to hear about next? 

What are your goals for next month?

Happy (late) Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you all had a terrific holiday with family and friends! 

I survived my two exams today! Now five more to go in 3 weeks and I'll finally be freeeeeee! 

I made a quick trip home Wednesday afternoon, studied until dinner time, and had dinner with my family. On Thanksgiving morning, I had my big race! That's right - 6 WHOLE MILES! (6.2, to be exact!)

When I woke up for the race, it was COLD. Like 19 degrees cold. I layered up accordingly and then my aunt drove me downtown to meet up with some other people we knew who would be running. 

Eventually I made it to the start line and I was ready to get this thing over with! I love training for races and I love signing up for them but I'm never very excited once I get there (really, just waking up early is rough!) 

Ready to go!

The race began with a healthy hill followed by a pretty flat stretch. Speaking of hills - that is the BIGGEST difference between Indianapolis and Cincinnati - it's so hilly in Cincy! I definitely wasn't prepared for the amount of hills and bridges that I encountered. In the future, when I start doing my training runs again I'm going to seek out some less flat courses around here...

As far as how the race went, I knew I would be able to finish because of my run last week (at least mentally) but I wasn't anticipating all those darn hills! I started to struggle probably around mile 4.5-5. I started to get those thoughts about walking. (But I didn't give in!) Surprisingly, my foot didn't hurt me much at all the entire time. I had a twinge or two of pain here and there but I was fine throughout the race.

One BIG problem I noticed is that my GPS on my phone is WAYYYY off. I used the RunKeeper app for this race and at the end it said I had run 7.18 miles (at a 9:38 minute/mile pace). Imagine my surprise when I thought I had almost reached my goal and still had another mile to go! GRRRR...anyone know how to fix this or calibrate the GPS? 

 Going into the race, I really didn't have a specific timing goal in mind - I just wanted to finish and not walk! I ended up running it in 1:09:07 - 11:09 mi/min which is right on par with my last 5K (11 min mile). Slow and steady, right?  I was pretty sore after the race - mostly my left foot. It never seems to bother me until about 30 minutes after a run. This time it was my ankle that didn't want to bend for about 2-3 days - just very stiff and painful. Not sure what's up but I'm hoping I can rest it for a few days and then start strengthening it again.

Nick & my aunt met me at the finish! 

The rest of turkey day proceeded as usual - Nick and I ate with my family for lunch and then we went to his family Thanksgiving for dinner. I'm glad I ran to make up for having two meals!

 Other than getting to see friends and family, it was nice to take a little break from studying and be a "real" person again. I didn't allow myself to study at all on Thursday...not that it took much to persuade me otherwise. Plus, there really wasn't time. We will soon see whether that was good idea or not in a few days when I get my grades back...

Everyone knows the best part of Thanksgiving are the leftovers!  Stuffing balls are a family favorite!

So what's next?

Now that my first 10K race is over, it begs the question: What next? For starters, it's back to eating clean and really focusing on weight loss after the holidays. Right now I'm just trying to maintain my weight and get through these last few weeks of the semester. After the New Year, I start MINI MARATHON training. I've decided I'm going to join a running group here in Indy so I will have people to train with - specifically the long run portion. Just like with studying, I don't really need someone to "talk" to while I run but it helps to have someone THERE. It can be really lonely and unmotivating to plug along on your own - especially when I starting getting up there in the mileage. 

I have to admit - I'm really scared about this goal! I was scared about the 5K and the 10K but there's something that seems really "elite" and intimidating about running 13 miles. And 26 miles. (although I have a hard time picturing myself EVER running 26.2 miles). At the same time, it just seems really bad-ass! I know I'm not fast or particularly athletic but I feel like I've finally found a sport that I can keep improving in and strengthen myself in many different areas. I've found something that I enjoy and that no one has to push me to do - unlike all the other things I've ever done (softball, soccer, basketball, etc.). I actually want to keep improving and getting better

May 4, 2014 is the next BIG date I'm shooting towards (Nick's birthday and followed soon after by an ever bigger date - June 13, 2014!) A few of my bridesmaids might even run it with me which I'm uber excited about!!!

Stay tuned and don't forget to meet back here on Wednesday for another Weigh In Wednesday (guessing I gained after exam week pizza and Thanksgiving!). 

Hey Popsicles!

Today I'm linking up with Kristine @ Heart Shaped Sweat for her virtual 5K.  She is just plain awesome and so inspiring! Go check her out, along with the other 5K participants!

You can read my blog post about my experience here.  This was my first official 5K. I don't count The Color Run or a local 5K I did in college. I didn't train or run those.  

I ended up with a time of 36:58 which was under my goal of 40:00 minutes. My pace was about 11:56 which included about 35% walking, 65% running - I didn't run the whole thing but that's my next goal.  Hopefully by my next race I can get under 11:30 min and run the whole time.  Small progress!

I was nervous before...so awkward selfie is warranted.

One reason I was able to get in under my original goals was because of my music and adrenaline!  I started out wayyyy too fast and burnt out despite all the advice I read about not doing that... 

Here's the playlist I used!  Some oldies and some goodies since I like a little mix of everything.  Kiss You by One Direction is my power song.  I don't know why...it just makes me run faster!  

There's one song on here that you probably don't recognize.  This Is Indiana.  Shameless plug for my school...how can you watch this and not be an IU fan? 

I decided to make a new goal.  I'm going to run a race once a month for the rest of the year!  Here is my tentative plan.  If you will be running any of these or have other suggestions, let me know!  I'm so excited :)

These dates/races are subject to change. I tried to schedule around my exam schedule but a few of these occur right before or right after an exam so I may have to switch things around. I at least want to get a few more 5Ks in and definitely the Thanksgiving Day Race.  The rest will be extra!

So I guess you can say my first 5K experience was very positive since I want to keep going. Even though I'll probably never be some elite runner, I know I have a new hobby just for me that doesn't involve Netflix or copious amounts of glitter.

I'm only putting this up to prove I was there...I look disgusting. Sweaty gross hurr

I wasn't all that athletic growing up (hand-eye coordination is a foreign concept for me) so running and working out make me feel like an athlete.  I can train for something and actually see progress, even though I'm just in the beginning stages.

Who am I kidding, though?  I just want the T-Shirt...