Atlantic City half marathon recap: Born to Run!

Hello out there.

Sorry this blog has been so neglected lately. As mentioned in my last, 'oh crap' post things have been hectic, I've been massively overloaded and finding time to just sit and blog is a luxury that I just couldn't get to.

Ah.

But with all that said -- I'm finding the time now to tell you all about last week's half marathon in Atlantic City.

I went into this one much more calm than usual. I knew I could make the distance even though I haven't run quite as much as I wanted to. I also assumed that I wouldn't be as fast as my last half because I was in the midst of full-marathon training during my last half and by the time of that half, I was racking up 15 and 16 mile long runs…

I was approaching this one as a long run + fun because it was an actual race.  Last fall I ran a half in 3hrs. During marathon training I did it in 2:24 or something. I was hoping for around 2:45.

Because it was AC and the pressure was off, I went down with my husband (first time in more than four years both of us had been away from our 4 year old son!) We had a lovely dinner and cocktails. We walked around all day and I wasn't as 'day-before' strict with food and stuff that I usually am. I was just enjoying the ride.

Because the race started at 8AM and our hotel was just a few blocks away, it was a nice, non-anxious morning. I woke up, got dressed and strolled to Starbucks (which was still closed!) but opened very shortly at 7AM.

The old guys of AC were very nice. Three different older gentlemen complimented me for running that day, told me I looked gorgeous and one said, "Wow you really look like a runner." I laughed and pointed to my bib saying, "well this might help."

After loading up on Starbuck's "perfect oatmeal" and a large coffee, I headed to the start line located on the boardwalk in front of Bally's.

I began to eye the bibs of the full marathoners and felt immediate twinges of jealousy that I wasn't wearing the red 26.2'ers bibs. But my own yellow 13.1 had to do.

So 8AM came and went. Hello? Why isn't anyone running? Not sure why but we didn't get underway until a few minutes after. It wasn't as many racers as the Long Branch one or the RNR ones so there were no waves. I lined myself behind the 5 hr. marathon pacer person and got to running.

I felt good and happy and strong. I was just running. I wasn't paying attention to time and enjoyed the cool weather and ocean views.  It was very windy and that was a slight issue. There were moments where the gusts of wind threatened to knock me off my feet! Sand stung my eyes and when we were running head into it, it felt as though we were running in place. I let go of doing it in 2:45 and just resigned to do the best I could.

Of-course I had the obligatory potty break right before the 6 mile mark and that knocked a few minutes off.

Running, running, feeling good.

The last few miles 8-13 I started to lose the jealousy for the full marathoners and feel a little jealousy of the 10k'ers :) It felt long enough and the last 3 miles (back on the board walk) just felt like forever.

And funny thing, it was the Atlantic City boardwalk. There was no roped off areas for runners and the rest of AC just operated 'business as usual' so as were running and sucking down Gu - there were people wandering out of casinos, buying their boardwalk junk food and smoking their cigarettes. It was a fun but bizarre racing experience.

As I was in my last mile, I heard a bunch of sirens and hoopla behind me and turned to see the guy who was to win the marathon whiz by! Crazy to me how fast that dude ran and exciting.

As I came down the shoot, I heard my husband call my name - he started running down the side with me and screaming, "finish strong! you look great!" That was great. He's usually not at my races because he's watching our child and there was something so fun and exciting about that. I loved it.

I finished and looked down at my Nike+ 2:26 (I did pause it for potty break) What!? That's a way better time than I expected! I think the AC official time was 2:29 half and 1:11 10K (with the potty break before both.) YAY!  That's pretty good, especially with so much wind and head wind. I was pretty darn happy.

only in AC: the medal is actually a bottle opener - that explains the velcro ribbon!

So I got handed my victory beer, toasted my good fortune and have a fourth half marathon under my belt. (5th race if you count my full mary.) Now to start thinking about the next one…

XO
Jen

Oh Crap - it's been too long

Sorry peeps - I've fallen off the face of the earth… I've been swamped. Taken on a full-time freelance gig and between that, running, taken care of a four year old, building the Media Meld empire and my NJ.COM blog… well….

Send help. And wine.

Ya know. It's been a tough few weeks but I've been running pretty consistently and I feel good.

Been gearing up to run another half this weekend in AC and I'm excited!

I also got a few "Chi Running" books and have been reading them. Fascinating stuff. There's this whole other method of running that is supposed to help you run faster, further and with less risk of injury. I have an extra copy of the book so as soon as I read my copy, fully 'get it' and can really implement the technique, I'll be doing another book giveaway.

Hope you all have been well. I'll try to 'keep in touch' more often and will report back after AC!

XO
Jen

From Slump to Streak - and the winner of the giveaway is announced!

Abbey L - thanks for the follow!

Welcome to all the new blog followers! We've broken 100 followers now and that makes me feel very warm and fuzzy… :)

I am feeling pretty good lately.

I think I'm really on to something with this "no mile left behind" thing.  First off, it's gotten me running (today will be my 15th day in a row that I've run!)

Before you worry about me 'over-doing' it - many of the runs have been slower or for 'only' a mile or so. I'm not killing myself with speed or distance on days where I would normally rest. The daily run is more for mood boosting, to burn a few calories and to keep my momentum up for the days where I need to run longer or faster. It's working!

When I started the 'no mile left behind' thing (basically a promise to myself to never 'poo-poo' a run again no matter how big or small. If I only have five minutes of time or motivation - I take the five minutes and run) I had no idea how many people would think this was a good idea.

It's been mentioned in blogs: Racing It Off and Cook Train Race Eat and I was even asked to guest blog about it for Words To Run By.  I'm considering making this thing a movement, of, well, movement!

Yesterday the "no mile left behind" thing really paid off. I was to run 4 miles according to my training plan and I didn't want to do ANYTHING. I was busy developing out a project for work, getting my crap together from after the storm and (admittedly) wasting a little time on Facebook. Finally I reminded myself that if 4 miles seemed too much to ask for  - just go for a mile (it's only around 10 minutes). Then I got out there and decided to go 2. Then decided to go 3. Well hell. I might as well just do the f'in 4!

I accomplished my original 4 by promising myself that I only had to do 1.  That's what it's all about. It was a slower pace than usual but that's OK too. No one ever said I had to PR my training runs. Most importantly I did it and I think that without pushing myself out the door with the thought of only doing one - I would've done none. And then I would've felt crappy.

The bottom line is you can't run 4 or 13 or 26.2 if you're not willing to run 1 and the first mile is what takes you to the rest of them whether it's now or later.

In other news - I finally took the plunge, plunked down the money and signed up for the Atlantic City half marathon on Oct. 16 - I'm very excited.

And in bigger news - the winner of the Pam Reed "THE EXTRA MILE" book giveaway is:

cue confetti and balloon drop:

RUNNING ON WORDS! - drop me a line and I'll mail you your prize! Congrats - it's a great read, you will love it!

my birthday boy

And finally Happy 4th Birthday to my son Benjamin. You were a big part of my initial motivation to get moving and get healthy and I love you.

XO
Jen

The Extra Mile: Giveaway

I am back baby!

Operation no mile left behind (I just decided to declare it an "operation" by the way) is paying off. I've run for one week straight! Monday - Monday and that's good news for me! Part of the reason I was able to run everyday is because the "do a lot of miles" pressure was off and i just ran when i could or felt like it.

Now, admittedly, most of those days were mere 2 miler's - in an effort to just do something. Remember in my last post I decided not to poo-poo or look down at any opportunity to get something in.

Well, because of that stance, I logged the most miles last week that I had in more than a month (20 miles!) and the two milers helped me to feel motivated to do my 'longer' runs of 4 and 6 miles. Not to mention that all those "throw away" miles actually added up to 10 miles - exactly half of what my week totaled out to be - truly proving (at least to me) that those baby runs are valuable.

Most importantly with my no mile left behind 'tude, it's gotten me motivated to run again. The pressure is off. If I'm busy and can't get in 3 or more - I'll take 1.5 or 2 and not feel guilty about it and I love that I'm loving running again.

I am right back on track with the half marathon schedule that I'm following to get into half shape for a half I'm planning to do in October. I have two I am eyeing - Either the Atlantic City, NJ half or the Los Angeles RNR half.  I travel to LA often but money is tight so between flight and race fees, it might not work out. I'm going to try to decide by next week (before Sept 1 when both race fees increase.)

AH! YAY!

So with all of this talk of taking miles when you can, not leaving them behind and going an extra mile when possible, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for a giveaway!

I've been reading this book called The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultrarunning by Pam Reed. WOW - talk about taking miles! This woman WON Badwater TWICE - her second win, she even beat out Dean Karnazes by a mere 24 minutes. She's competed in some of the biggest, toughest and some might argue craziest long races out there. 

If you would like to win a copy of the book all you need to do is be a follower of this blog and leave a comment. 

Get an extra entry if you post on your blog/facebook page/twitter account and tell me about it. 

Give away will continue until Tuesday August 30 and the winner will be announced sometime shortly after that.

Hope you find plenty of opportunities to get an extra mile in this week!!

XO

Jen

PS: If you want to try to win something really cool check out Words to Run By - Sara's giving away a pair of CEP compression socks and shorts!

No mile left behind

Part of the reason why I got fat in the first place is because I like to eat large amounts of yummy foods and sit on my ass I am an "all or nothing" type thinker. Luckily, I've really been able to work on this.

For example, in the old days if I was in the mood for a burger, it wouldn't occur to me that I could order a burger and get a side salad and diet coke. No. All or nothing baby! Bacon cheeseburger deluxe with fries and MAYO and a milk shake please… That was my M.O.  Now I roll differently.

As I've discussed, this summer has been a little challenging when it's come to running. It's starting to pick up and I'm getting back in the swing but either way, I've decided something.

I will honor every mile I walk/skip/run. No mile will be left unappreciated.

I used to think if I only had 10-20 minutes, why bother? Other people have said the same thing to me, "Eh I can't see the point in only running for 15 or 20 minutes so I skipped it."

This is the wrong attitude and I will never skip a 10 - 15 - 20 minute opportunity to run again. If I have those minutes and can take them, I will take them. My power walk / light jog of 20 mins today yielded 1.5 miles.  I wasn't going to do anything today since yesterday I ran four and tomorrow I'm scheduled for 6 (and I'm resting an achey hip) but I decided to reach for the treadmill instead of food to beat a little case of the blahs...

In any case, 1.5 miles just once a week for a year adds up to just about 3 full marathons! The big picture is remarkable. Think about what an accomplishment it is to run just one marathon… Sure 3 spread out over the course of the year doesn't pack quite the same punch but why should we still act like running more than 75 miles isn't a big deal? What if you double that? Take those 2 days a week you weren't going to run at all and do 1.5 instead… Well now you're looking at an extra 150 miles in your year and 12 miles in your month… Why leave those miles behind when you can grab them!

Aside from a good little boost of energy, depression fighting endorphins, and a few calories burned - it's just good for you.  It also keeps you running and mentally in the game.

So that's my big revelation of the day and I thought I'd share.

No more all or nothing thinking when it comes to running for me. I am obviously going to aim higher than a 1.5 miles or 20 minutes of exercise for the regular but I'll also no longer snub or discount the shorter workouts either. They all make a difference.

Every mile counts, every step forward is another step in the right direction of whatever your journey is.

XO
Jen

New sneakers :)

Thanks for all the support and kind words from the last blogs of woe. I definitely appreciate it and it totally helped!

So today I got new sneakers and new socks for a new day. (And a new year - celebrated my 39th birthday (with my twin sister) this past Friday.) My hubby got me a gift card to Roadrunner Sports - so off I went.

Jen and Cher

my very own bday cake!

And Cheryl got her own too - Thanks Lisa!

I am happy to say that I am getting the running groove back. Even if I haven't run as much as I would like to the last few days, at least the "want" is there and that's nearly half the battle.

Had a really good run in Los Angeles last week. I was hesitant and not that interested in running to be honest but Angela dragged me to the beach (thank you!) and I found joy in it. It was one of those runs that just felt good. Every run should be along side the ocean with the temperature hovering around an un-humid 65 degrees or so! Not to mention the power of running with friends - It was great to run with good friends Karen, Ang and Kiana.

After that run, I had some achey hip pain and I can only assume it's because my sneaks are old. They were last replaced in April.

So along with the gift card my hubby gave me I figured it was time for a new set of sneaks. I went with the Brooks Adrenaline and I even treated myself to a pair of fancy socks recommended to me by my friend Nicole.

Speaking of Nicole, what a coincidence that I happen to run into her today at the Road Runners store! I only go there 2-3 times a year and there she was, replacing her shoes too! What a bonus surprise. She even offered up a 20 percent coupon and saved me a few bucks - yippee!!

my fancy new sneaks and socks by Balega

And that's all I got. 

Nothing all that new and exciting. Needless to say I won't be running a full in October, in fact, I plugged in a training program for a half and technically I should have until the middle of November for a half training schedule. I'm pretty sure tho that I can get it together enough to run the AC half on october 16th. So that's the goal for now.

XO

Jen

Cruel Summer

Ugh. As Bananarama once said, It's a cruel, cruel summer...

This journey.

It's had its ups and downs.  It has ebbed and flowed I've reached miles run I've never thought possible and then, out of the blue, here I sit having been hit in the head with the "I don't wanna do nothing," followed by the "you see, you are a failure" punches.

If you know me, you know I've had a lot of issues with negative and limiting thoughts. I have come a long way. Lately, it's been much more challenging.

As if most of you didn't already think I was nuts, here's a sampling of the "inner dialogue" that's been taking place. I present to you:

Thanks Doc.

"The drama of the voices in my head"

Voice One: "You should run at least 6 miles today if you want to keep up your miles and that's being lenient. I'd like to see 8 really but I know you won't do it. So I'm cutting you a break."
Voice Two: "F-you, number one. It's hot, I'm stressed, I'm depressed. What I want to do with the ten seconds of free time I've mustered up is have a few cocktails, eat something awesome and maybe take a nap…"
Voice One: "You're gonna get fat again. You're a fraud. People look to you for inspiration. You are stotan! Get it together. Machines don't fall apart!"
Voice Two: "I can't hear you over the roar of the microwave!" "lalalalalalala-covering my ears" Pass the ketchup number one or get the hell out of my kitchen."
Voice Three: "Just run for 20 minutes… just do something… can't we all just get along? You don't have to run for 26 miles but do something… OK?"
Voice Two: "OK - I'll squeak out 20 minutes. But not a minute more and then I'm gonna order some beef and broccoli for the effort."
Voice One: "20 minutes? You're kidding me, you won't even burn the calories in the broccoli… keep fooling yourself, I give up. Good luck - don't come crying to me when you're shopping in plus sizes again."

So such has been the summer of insanity. Of battling the hot weather and the demons that have seemed to come from the firey hell of heat wave upon heat wave and the crazy people living in my head. Running on the treadmill is boring and running in the heat oppressive but that ain't nothing compared to the lull in motivation I've been experiencing lately.

I've tried to talk about it with friends but it's tough. They see me as someone who was training hard, now "looks great" and needs a bit of a break. I see myself as someone who is letting it all fall apart if I don't take action RIGHT NOW.

The good news (you know I'm always good for the "good news / bad news" analysis) is that I am feeling better as of this very second. I will run today. And it will probably be for more than 20 minutes. I am also feeling "OK" enough to even blog about it and talk to other running friends instead of continuing to bury my head in a carton of pork lo mein. I'm happy that I'm thinking about it and working at it and not giving up on myself. I may have slipped a little with food, I might be up a pound or five… I may not be marathon or even half marathon ready but I'm still 5K or 10K ready, down 90 pounds and have the opportunity to make today the first day of my running / overall life.

I should blog more often. It really is good therapy.

So today is a new day. I can't promise an 8 mile run but I can promise that I'm not gonna give up on myself.

XO
Jen

PS: It might be a summer thing for me -- Looking back to around a year ago, it seems I had similar struggles.