What I have been up to

Yes, I am alive. Sorry that I haven't blogged, but life has gotten in the way. I've written posts in my head, but with running, work being crazy busy, football coming back, and much more, I just haven't put fingertips to keys. So what have I been up to since I last blogged?

• I ran a half marathon! I participated in the Rock 'N' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon, like I have the last 2 years. I don't feel like it was that special of a race, so I didn't write a race report. It would have gone, "I ran, then kept running, almost puked, but didn't, and then I finished with a slight PR." Yes, I PRed the race with a time of 1:43:32, but it wasn't that eventful of a race, hence no RR. 

Yeah, I don't take the best post-race photos

• I signed up for my next 100 miler. *gulp* My favorite ultra runner, Jesse, and I have been talking about doing a 100 together. I saw that sign-ups for the Umstead 100 miler in Raleigh, NC were coming up and it is supposed to be a not so terribly tough race (for a 100 miler, that is). I will struggle since there are hills and this will be cake for Jesse, so knowing him, he'll probably win the whole dang thing. It's not until April 6th-7th of next year, but I am really excited since a handful of other ultra friends will be there, too.
• I have been steadily training for the Marine Corps and Philadelphia marathons. Marine Corps is about 4.5 weeks away and Philly is about 7.5. Not going to lie, I am really ready to taper. I will only have done a 12 week training program prior to MCM, but I am ready to take a slight break. Trouble with that is I really need to train for previously mentioned 100 miler this winter, but I'm hoping maybe I can take it easy for a week or two after Philly, then focus on training.

• I finished up RunToTheFinish's EatClean30 challenge. I stuck to it pretty well, although I did keep up the occasional drinking and some froyo. Whoops! I loved it and while I haven't kept it up like I was during the challenge, but I have been more thoughtful with my snacking and my eating. 
• I have been soooo happy that football is back! My beloved Washington Redskins have looked a lot better than in previous years, but sadly are still 1-2. My friends and I go to the same bar every week and it's so fun. Fans of nearly every team are there, so it's awesome to root on my own team with other fans of the Skins. 

So that sums it up! I'm hoping to post more regularly, especially with marathon training wrapping up and races coming up! Hope you all have been well! 

Indulgent Celebratory Week

Hello hello hello! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was special and awesome, but highly indulgent. Let's start with the good, though, mk?

Last week's marathon training went well! I got in a nice HIIT workout on Tuesday, 8 on Wednesday, 7.88 on Thursday, 6 on Friday, and 15 on Saturday. I felt great throughout all of the miles and although I was short of my mileage goal by 2 miles, I am okay with it.

The second time we ever hung out. Can't believe this is 5+ years ago!
Also, that's totally a temporary tattoo lol. 

Why was I short by 2 miles? Well, this weekend was special because we celebrated two things: John turning 25 and our 5 year anniversary. What did this mean? This meant lots of celebrating and indulging. We had friends over Saturday night to celebrate the birthday boy. We ended up doing a Pub Golf game, which required a few too many drinks, which then led to late night pizza and a wicked hangover the Sunday AM. Then, per John's request, his birthday dinner was BBQ ribs, mac & cheese, baked beans, asparagus, and a Lemon Meringue Pie. Um, there's one thing on that list that's healthy and we had the least of that item.

Us at a PSP formal a few years back 

What does that mean for the EatClean30 challenge? Well, it just means I didn't have a 100% success rate, but that wasn't expected. I felt mentally and physically gross for having eaten that way, which I guess is a good sign that eating that way doesn't feel good. I did a good job yesterday of eating pretty cleanly and just have to remember that eating better makes me feel better and fuels my running better. Lesson learned!

My Pub Golf team...not all of us survived

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Anyone do anything fun or special? 

Eat Clean Update and Marathon Training

I'm alive, I promise. The last week or so at work has been really busy and stressful, so I haven't really felt like coming home to get back in front of a computer again (okay, I lie; I come home and surf Pinterest all night, but that requires no brain activity where writing a blog post does).

In my last post, I talked about how I was doing RunToTheFinish's "Eat Clean 30" Challenge. In essence, through the challenge, I'm trying to eat less processed foods, choose healthier options for snacking, and create healthy eating habits that will last longer than the challenge. How have I done? I would say surprisingly well, actually. While I have had a few alcoholic drinks during the challenge (usually a no-no in clean eating) and I have had a few things that may not be considered clean, I've kept to the challenge about 90-95% of the time. The biggest change is instead of eating the 100 calorie packs or candies at work, I'm choosing nuts, fruit, or mini-meals for snacks. I've actually found that my meals, which I aim to have full of fiber, fat, and protein, are keeping me fuller for longer, therefore I'm not snacking as much. I also am doing a better job of listening to my body to see if I'm actually hungry or just bored. Loving this challenge so far!

Homemade salad for lunches during the challenge 

I also am in the midst of marathon training. I will definitely be doing the Philadelphia Marathon, which is just 14 weeks away, and am registered for the Marine Corps Marathon (also have a wedding that weekend, so John and I have to figure out what we're doing). Last week was a great week for training. My Tuesday mornings have turned into short, quick, bodyweight workouts (pushups, squats, planks, etc.) and I run Wednesdays-Sundays. I got in a lot of good and speedy runs this past week, including a 13.1 mile long run with the first 7.25 at sub-goal marathon pace. I know I'm not as fast as I was this time last year, but I also didn't run 100 miler last year. I'm at peace with my pace, but know that I can do a lot of improving in the next couple of months. Overall, I'm just really excited for marathon training and my races this fall!

And just because it's awesome, here's a picture of a tomato we got last week in our CSA share. It's a monster!

Have a great week, everyone!

New running partner, marathon training, and eating clean

How is it Wednesday already?! This week has flown by, but I'm not really complaining.

The past week or so has really gotten back into my normal swing of things in terms of exercise! I went to all of the Back on My Feet (BoMF) runs that I normally go to and actually have a new person to run with: John! For the nearly 5 years that we've dated, he has always said that running has been something he wouldn't want to do because "it's boring." I never pushed him on it because I love running and sometimes struggle to push myself to run, so it wouldn't make sense to push it with him.

One of the only times we've run together in the past

A few weeks ago, he said he might want to come with me to my runs with BoMF because he felt he needed a routine to actually exercise. I was so giddy and excited, but again, didn't get my hopes up too much since I knew he could easily change his mind. For the past two weeks, though, he's come to the runs and actually gotten me to come to days I normally skip. I feel like I might be jinxing it putting it up on here, but I've really loved running with him, especially since he's gotten to know my BoMF friends. I hope this can keep up because so far, I've been loving running with him!

I also have started to consider my fall marathon training plan. I am running the Marine Corps Marathon and Philadelphia Marathon, so I need to start training soon! I know I'm not as fast as I normally am around this time of year due to my 100 miler, but I think I can improve my pace soon. I am going to be using the Pfitzinger 12 week/55 miles per week plan. I'm worried about the speed work, but I am eager to race and more importantly, figure out what costumes to run them in!

From RTTF's blog

In terms of eating for this month, I'm participating in RunToTheFinish's 30 Day Eat Clean Challenge. What will that mean for me? I'll do my best to:

• Avoid processed foods/sugary treats - Better stated CHOOSE whole foods
• Consume healthy fats - avocados, fish, nuts, oils
• Drink water, water, water
• Choose organic or humanely raised animal products as much as possible
• Slow down and savor - Food is to be enjoyed!

I am really excited for this! I think I eat too many processed foods and tons of white starches that I don't need. I also rush through my meals a lot because I'm starving for my meals a lot of the time. What I like the most about it is that this isn't a crash or fad diet; it's how I feel I should be eating all of the time. I feel following the challenge will give me more strength to say 'no' to unhealthy snacks. I'll keep you all updated with how it goes throughout the month!

Firefly Music Festival + Playlist

Hello lovely blog readers. Did you all have a great weekend? I surely did! I spent this weekend with John, my brother, my mom, my cousin, and her friend at the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, DE. We are a music family (mom works in the music industry to boot), so this festival became our family's summer vacation. What a "vacation" it was, although I usually am not so wiped after a normal vacation. Pardon the slight departure from usual food and fitness talk, but there will be a fun playlist at the end that would be great for working out to; consider it payment for listening to me talk about my weekend.

John and me on Day 1

John and I headed to Dover Friday afternoon to take in the first day of musicians. Of the musicians that we saw that day, we most loved Blind Pilot, Matt Costa, OK GO, and John Legend. Sadly, when Jack White came on to headline Friday night, they messed up the sound, so we left early to save energy for the next few days.

The Flaming Lips put on a really fun show!

Saturday was the day I think I enjoyed the most. First of all, my lovely friend Maddie (who I visited and raced with in February) came down with friends. I hadn't seen her since visiting her in LA, so it was so great to see her and see some fun music with her. The favorites for Saturday were Ra Ra Riot, Cults, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, Young the Giant, Lupe Fiasco, and The Killers. Lupe Fiasco puts on such an amazing show because he is a rapper/R&B singer with the attitude and swagger of a rock star. It was great.

Backstage for Allen Stone's set

Sunday, tired, but ready for more music, we saw some more great music. Favorites included Reptar, Cold War Kids, Fitz and the Tantrums, family-friend Allen Stone (his first festival! So cool to have witnessed that), Death Cab for Cutie, The Flaming Lips, Girl Talk, and the Black Keys. We were exhausted by the end and with the 1.5 hour drive back to Philly, we left the Black Keys early (really didn't want to...they sounded so great!).

Not great picture of Ben Gibbard from Death Cab. *swoon*

Overall, this was a really fun weekend and I totally got my fill of great music. The best act of the weekend had to be The Killers; they had the whole crowd going crazy and sounded fantastic. I'm a really lucky gal to have been able to seen so many talented musicians!

I am wearing insane glasses and John is squinting. Too funny not to share. 

Now to that playlist I promised. I compiled a list of fun and upbeat songs that could be just for fun to listen to, but also works as a workout playlist. I saw all of the bands this weekend on the list except for Yeasayer (seen them already, so I can vouch for the fun live show they put on). Here's the list of songs on the playlist:

1. My Body - Young the Giant 
2. Spaceman - The Killers 
3. Out of My Head - Lupe Fiasco feat. Trey Songz
4. Howlin' For You - The Black Keys
5. I'm Shakin' - Jack White 
6. Sleep - Allen Stone 
7. Stuck in my Id - Reptar 
8. Green Light - John Legend feat. Andre 3000 
9. Play Your Part (pt 1.) - Girl Talk
10. Boy - Ra Ra Riot 
11. MoneyGrabber - Fitz and the Tantrums 
12. A Million Ways - OK GO 
13. Ambling Alp - Yeasayer
14. We Used to Vacation - Cold War Kids
15. Abducted - Cults

You can listen to the playlist here through Spotify. Let me know what you think of it! I've been listening to it the past couple of hours while I've been putting it together and I have been digging it. 

Have a great week, folks! 

Well Hello Again

Right, I have a blog. I know I have been ignoring you, lovely blog, but I've been quite busy since my 100 miler.

A week after my 100, I had surgery to fix my severely deviated septum. No, that's not code for a nose job, but I did learn that one can fix a deviated septum sans nose job; don't let those celebrities fool you. I'm still currently recovering as my breathing isn't back to normal yet, but I haven't had as many headaches as I used to (reason for surgery). And no, I didn't take pictures of what I looked like directly post-surgery because my nose was super swollen and I looked like a Troll doll. 

A week after the surgery, I went up to Rhode Island with John for a wedding celebration for my best friend, Caitlin, and her husband, Barry. They were wed in Boston in February, but his family held a fun get together at their summer home. I had a lot of fun (although did not enjoy the 7 hours driving there and back...so lucky that John did 95% of it!). I was worried I wouldn't be able to go due to my surgery, but I just kept taking my pain meds and I was able to attend.

John and me

Me with the lovely bride <3

Last weekend, I helped out some friends and ran a leg of their relay in 20in24. The last two years, I've run the 24 hour race, but with my 100 only 3 weeks before it, I knew it wouldn't be in the cards for me this year. It was nice to run the loop on a friend's team and I also loved being a volunteer. I wrangled John into volunteering with me (actually, it was his idea and I made sure we stuck to it!) and we had a fun time helping it. I know how much goes into such a huge event and it felt nice to give back a bit, especially since it is the biggest race for Back on My Feet.

This weekend, we are headed to Dover, DE for the Firefly Music Festival. I am really excited to see so many amazing bands and to be hanging out with friends, John, and family. Hope everyone else has had a great couple of weeks!

Great New York 100 Miler RR

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this race report. I'm still kind of in awe of this weekend and how it went. Although I was the one doing the running, the whole time, it felt so surreal that I still have to pinch myself that it happened. Warning: this race report is essentially a novel. Don't say you weren't warned.

Long story short: I attempted and ran 100.3 miles this past weekend. Even typing that out felt weird, but it actually happened and I am so happy to share my story about the journey to finishing it. 

John and I bused up to NYC Friday midday and met up with my mom/sherpa, who was already in the city. On the bus ride up, I realized that I left my Nathan hydration pack at home, which was NOT going to be good. After grabbing a quick lunch and calling a bunch of running and sporting stores, we headed to Eastern Mountain Sports and found a hydration pack that would be sufficient for race day. So lucky my race was in NYC and not some small town so I could find a hydration pack. I would have been in a serious jam had I not gotten one.

David, myself, John and Bobby at Spumoni Gardens

We then headed to Spumoni Gardens near Coney Island for dinner with two of my pacers, Bobby and David. The pizza and pasta were unbelievable and it was really fun to catch up with those guys before the race. We discussed the plan for the race and mostly did a lot of laughing. Before you know it, we were heading back, I packed everything I needed for the race in the right bags, and went to bed around 10:30 pm.

At 3:50 am, my alarm went off. I stumbled out of bed, groggy and insanely nervous. John, my mom, and I grabbed our stuff and headed to Times Square. It was fairly empty at that time of day, filled only with drunks heading home and the other runners. I checked in, finished my breakfast, mingled a bit with some runners, and nervously awaited the start.

Photo Credt; Trishul Lorne W. Cherns

At around 5:15 am, after a few pictures of all of the racers, we were off! For the first few miles, I ended up with two women, Carol and Becky, and a guy, Marco. We ran through Central Park (really pretty when empty in the AM) and we slowly made our way north up the island. I ended up running a good portion of these miles with Marco, who was great to get to know.

We hit an aid station at mile 9.4 and soon enough, we entered the Brox and made our way to Van Cortlandt Park. I don't run trails much anymore living in Philly, but one of my favorite parts of the course was our trail section in this park. We did a good amount of walking up the hills, but the forests and trails were so beautiful and felt so invigorating to run through. Reminder: run on trails more!!

At mile 25

Eventually, we made it to the next aid station, at mile 20, where John and my mom were. I ate a strawberry glazed donut, gave them both hugs and kisses, and moved to the next section, which was an out and back. The temperature was starting to rise and I was doing my best to stay in the shade when possible and walk up bigger hills when we got to them. We made it back to the same aid station, this time at mile 25. I snagged some Pringles from my lovely crew and again, gave them kisses and hugs before heading off with Marco along the course.

The sun became a lot hotter, but Marco and I kept plugging along. We ran into another runner, Marc, and stuck with him as we made it to the aid station at mile 31 and then crossed the RFK bridge into Queens. We were walking more than I planned on it, but there were more hills than I had anticipated (not bad hills, just not ones that would have been smart to have run up).

I was starting to feel really warm and just was eager to see my mom and John. The next aid station, was along some water, which felt really nice. The aid station, though, ended up being 1+ mile past where the map said it was. I was starting to freak out and just wanted to see my mom and John. When I finally did, it felt great. I ate a bit more food, then kept going. At this point, I wasn't running with anyone else, which got a bit lonely.

Early on in the race. Photo Credit: Donna Saljuga-Tabios

Around mile 45, I really was feeling weak and tired. I caught up with Marco (we kept playing leap frog, passing each other back and forth) and he stressed how important it was for me to eat. I stopped, snacked on some roasted nuts that I had in my bag, and slowly trudged along. I started to realize that I may not be able to make my 24 hour goal for the race, but I just cared about making it to the finish in one piece (and under the time limit!).

I came in at mile 50 at around 11 hours and 56 minutes (making the originally set cut off of 50 miles in 12 hours...mental win for me!). Phil, the RD, warned us that some of the aid stations may not have volunteers as some weren't able to make it, which is what happened at mile 51. I kept running and running, just hoping to see some volunteer so I wouldn't feel so lonely. After I got to mile 54, I realized I must have missed the unmanned aid station. I just kept telling myself to push and push to mile 58, where my mom, John, and my pacer, Steph, would be.

I had to get to the 58 mile aid station by 14 hours and I got there with about 10 minutes so spare. I was BEYOND happy to see my crew, sit down, and eat some food. I hadn't been eating enough throughout the day and I have never tasted a more delicious sandwich than the turkey sandwich my mother made for me. I cleaned up my legs, got dirt and rocks out of my shoes, and headed out on the course with Steph.

Made the 58 mile cut-off in time! So ready for food!

Steph, a friend I've met through City Running Tours, was my pacer from miles 58-71. We ran through some not so pretty places in Queens to begin with, but she kept me going and helped distract me. She even played a memory game with me when I requested so I'd stop thinking about how much more running had to happen. We made a pit-stop in Starbucks for a smoothie (life saver!) and made our way to Far Rockway to meet my next pacer.

At mile 71, we met up with my mom, John, and David, who was my next pacer. I sat, snacked a bit, called another runner friend, who gave me great words of encouragement, then we headed out. Around this point, my stomach started to feel really sick. I was really excited because my Nana grew up in Far Rockaway and my mom spent a lot of her childhood here, but my stomach kept slowing me down and bumming me out. David was so great in being patient with me and he kept me going. We made it through the mile 75 mile aid station and slowly (we were going slowly and it felt EVEN SLOWER) made our way to Coney Island.

Blurry picture, but happy at mile 71 talking with runner friend

At mile 81, we met up with our friend Bobby, who was also waiting with John and my mom. My stomach felt awful and any attempt to use the bathroom to alleviate it didn't help. I was getting a bit more upset, but didn't let it affect my mood. Bobby, David, and I ran along the Coney Island boardwalk and when it ended, David headed back to Manhattan. At this point, my 24 hour time goal wasn't feasible, but after hearing how many people dropped form the race already, I was just determined to be an official finisher!

I really enjoyed my time with Bobby. He and I had fun talking about running, training, religion, our families, and New York. I was eagerly awaiting the sunrise and when it finally came, I was so happy. We made our way to the 90.7 mile aid station and I was so excited we were at the home stretch. If only I knew how tough the next 10 miles would be.

As we left the aid station, I started to do the math and wondered if I would make the time cut-off of 28 hours. I all of a sudden thought of getting to the end after 28 hours and not officially finishing and I started to cry. What if I spent so much time and had other people work so hard to help me for nothing?! Bobby did his best to cheer me up, but I was so upset. I was also so darn sore and in pain, I just felt so down. Where we were running in Brooklyn at this point wasn't really nice looking either.

At the mile 81 aid station

Bobby, holder of the map, wouldn't let me know what mile we were on. He knew we had to run 76 blocks on this not so pretty street, so instead of letting me know that, he kept saying that the 95 mile aid station (where John and my mom were) was "a bit ahead." I was so down and so upset, I just wanted to be done, but more importantly, I wanted to see John and my mom more than anything. I kept asking Bobby to talk to distract me, which he did a great job of doing.

What felt like forever later, I slowly recognized John and my mom in the distance. I immediately broke down in tears. I had wanted to hug and kiss them both so badly that when I saw them, I was so overwhelmed with emotion. I had a McDonald's hash brown (tasted so good!), and Bobby and I headed to Brooklyn Bridge for the last 5 miles.

Finishing!!

I think I had the biggest smile on my face for the last 5 miles because I knew how close I truly was! We ran over the Brooklyn Bridge and I got to see so many beautiful views of NYC. We headed through Chinatown and soon enough, we were 1.5 miles away! Bobby told me we had to end up at 44th and Broadway. Once we turned on to Broadway, I started picking up my legs and counting down the blocks until I was done! Bobby told me by the end, I was running 8 minute/mile pace, which was the fastest I ran during the whole thing!

As I was sprinting in to the finish, I just was so overwhelmed. I saw my mom, John, Phil (the RD), and a competitor who had finished about 5 minutes before me. I immediately broke down in tears, just in awe of what I had accomplished. I waited for the last two official finishers to get to the finish and after thanking Bobby, Steph (who came back to see me finish), and Phil (the RD), we headed home to shower, eat, and eventually train back to Philly.

Finish with my amazing crew. Photo credit: Phil McCarthy 

In the end, I finished 12 out of the 14 finishers (31 people started). Even now, it's hard to think that I am actually a 100 mile finisher. It took a lot of hard work on my part, but I couldn't have done it without my mom, John, my amazing pacers, and the great friends I met along the course. I kept telling myself, "If it was easy, everyone would do it and it wouldn't be as rewarding." That phrase pushed me to the finish and really rang true once I was done. I will hold this weekend in my memory forever and cannot wait to see what ultras I run next.


Edit: Totally forgot to put my finish time, like a dope! I finished in 26 hours, 59 minutes, and 43 seconds!