TotR: Goal Updates

Oh yes, hi little blog, I am still alive!  It's been quite a time this year.  Lots has happened.  I'll share more about this in another post.  I promise I'll try to blog more frequently! Someone should text me daily reminders that I have a blog ;)

April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Patty from My No Guilt Life, and Erika from MCM Mama Runs host Tuesdays on the Run.  This week's topic is Goal Check In's from "New Year's Resolutions" made in January.  Since we're halfway through the year this is a great time to do so.  Except...I realized I'd never posted a list of goals in January.

Therefore, I'm going to made Mid-Year's Resolutions instead of New Year's.

1. Lose weight.  Yes, this is always a big one.  Yes, I've been losing weight.  But I've also been putting it back on.  So I guess this goal is really lose weight and keep it off.  I'm not sure exactly where I am now.  Probably somewhere between 155 and 160.  I'd like to be around 140 by the end of the year.

2. Exercise regularly.  Ideally, I'd like to work out 6 days a week in various forms, but that's probably not likely.  So for now, we'll say an average of running, yoga, and weight training at least once a week.  Hopefully with a goal lower than what I actually want, I can attain it.

3. Look into getting certified. I really want to become certified as a personal trainer and/or nutritionist.  I never looked into this before due to my ex telling me no one would want an overweight trainer or nutritionist...Now I want to actually look into it, get info on programs, and start saving money to do it.

4. Get a new PR running. I'd be happy with any PR, but preferably something in a 5k or longer.  

5. Read at least three books that aren't related to school.  I generally let school consume me, and only read related to that.  When I'm not in school, I'm generally just on the internet.  I need to start being productive and using my free time more wisely.

Any tips on achieving these goals?  Do you ever make mid-year goals?

Lauren

Valentine's Day Celebration - 10k and a fancy dinner

I know, I know, bad blogger going 2 weeks without posting.  But I have 2 or 3 posts that I should get up today/tomorrow to make up for it!  First was from yesterday, Saturday.  On Friday we didn't celebrate Valentine's day, we just went to my parents' house for dinner.  Saturday brought the inaugural Savannah Hot Cocoa Half and 10k.  My boyfriend and I were both doing the 10k, and we had both gotten SavedbytheDeal deals for half off (at different times).

The weather going into it was decent - it was 50's and sunny but the WIND was absolutely killer!  It didn't make it cold, really, it was just so darn strong, and most of the race it seemed we were fighting against it.  Sometimes I couldn't even hear him because the wind was rushing by my ears so much.

The race itself was in a community about 15 minutes away from us.  It's not a gated community, but very nice.  Gorgeous houses - I love to go "house shopping" whenever we have races through neighborhoods.  It was an out and back course with the 10k turning around at 3.1, and the half continuing on to 6.5 before turning around.  Probably the only issue I have with the race itself was the water stops.  I didn't end up stopping at all - I was on a mission to PR which I'll talk about later - but they were inconveniently placed.  The course went out and about a third of a mile in you go through a little gazebo type thing, where a water stop was.  Then you go around a lake (pictured below), and back through the gazebo, just around mile 1.  In my opinion, this is far too early for a water stop.  If there was one at the turn around point, I probably would have used it, but we just hit the gazebo again around mile 5 when we went back through.  That, for me, is too late in the race.  I will say that the water station was very well stocked - fruit, water, Gatorade, and of course chocolate!  They had Snickers, Reese's, and a couple other kinds I didn't see.  I just wish they were placed a little better.

My boyfriend ran this race with me.  He knew he couldn't PR, since he just did at Tybee with a time of around 1:10 and change, and didn't want to race for time if he couldn't PR, so he stayed back with slow little me!  I, on the other hand, DID PR!  I was so so so excited!  I finished in 1:22:52, which is a PR of 3 minutes and 17 seconds.  I honestly feel like if the wind was nonexistent I could have broken 1:20, but I was so excited to PR, and by that much!  I did my 1:1 walk:run intervals, skipped the first walk like I always do, and skipped I believe a total of 3 run intervals, which is much less than I normally do.  

At the finish line there was hot chocolate, Girl Scout cookies, and chocolate fondue with many dippers - strawberries, grapes, marshmallows, pretzels, and more things I'm sure I'm forgetting.  They also had Hershey's Kisses, homemade cookies, and a few other little things.  I just had a cookie and a Kiss; I pushed hard during the race and my body wasn't quite ready for food yet.  We got our medals and mugs, and walked around for a few minutes after to cool down, then met a friend at Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

Another comment about the race - there was really no course support.  The volunteers at the water station were absolutely amazing, cheering for every runner.  They had a few volunteers here and there to keep you on course, and at the 10k turn around (I'm sure the half turn around as well), and they were cheering.  A few people were outside of their houses watching, but not really cheering.  It didn't really bother me, but I did notice the lack of it, but completely understood with it being a neighborhood race.  I knew one lady who was running the race, Tara.  She's such a wonderful person that I met through running, through rarely see and barely know, but when she passed me on her way back in while we were still going out, she cheered for us and yelled our names, which was sweet!  We also met a couple (and their cute little baby) who did Tower of Terror and are doing Glass Slipper Challenge next weekend!  Overall, it was a great race that I look forward to running again.

After having breakfast/lunch and getting all cleaned up, we hung around the apartment for a while, then got ready for our fancy dinner.  We went to the Melting Pot, as we always do for fancy occasions, and it was fabulous as always.  They even brought us a champagne toast at dessert, which was so sweet!  I won't go into too many details, but if you've never heard of it it's an absolutely amazing fondue place!

I can't stay fancy & classy for long!

Overall, it was a great Valentine's Day a day late.

What did you do to celebrate?
Lauren

Help the HooHahs 5k

Yesterday I ran in the Help the HooHahs 5k at the Trade and Convention Center. I think this is amazing cause, all for GYN cancer awareness. They started up this race because it's kind of a taboo subject for many, and they want to spread awareness. I believe the race director lost her mother to a GYN cancer, and got a bit emotional during medals because the top female ran with a pair of angel wings and gave them to the director. It was really sweet. 

I felt really good at the race! It was so cool outside which is very unusual for this time of year. 

I wanted to get a new PR, under 41:22. In the back of my head I wanted to get under 40, but didn't really think it was possible. I went out to fast, as always. When I hit .45 miles I was at 5 minutes. I don't run 10-11 minute miles! I run 13-14! I definitely slowed down so I didn't burn out and finished the first mile in 12:23. 

The next mile had a water stop and my only pet peeve. They advertised it as a flat course but it wasn't. It definitely wasn't any bad hills, I just wasn't mentally prepared. They may not look like much but for Savannah they're big! The other problem is that it was on the race track, and there were a few sections that were banked and my knee was yelling at me. 

You can kind of see in the second picture where we go around and back down the hill, so that was nice. Mile 2 was 13:46. After that it was pretty flat, a little more banking but I got through that mile in 12:46. All this is flying for me! 

And the total...39:52!! I was unbelievably excited about this! The course had actually stopped at 3.08 so I ran in the parking lot. I had to have my best 5k on my Garmin too! I might be slightly obsessive. 

This was also a good chance to try out my tutu for Tower of Terror. It's actually a bit too big so I'll have to make it smaller and try it again. Hopefully the neighborhood doesn't think I'm too crazy!

I also got a new SparkleSkirt courtesy of my wonderful boyfriend! 

Did you race or get any new gear this weekend?

Lauren