Life Update!

My current life:

• I started work exchanging at a wonderful hot yoga studio in Glenside, PA that opened up right by my house. I'm there about three times a week, and I practice Monday nights, Wednesday mornings, and Saturday mornings. I must say, a more regular and intense practice has really helped. I'm calmer, more accepting, and just more in-tune with myself and body. 

Just hanging out in pincha mayurasana. I can't stay up very long, though!

• I am training for four runs:
• The Frostbite Five Miler -- Saturday, February 22.
• Only five miles, but I'm doing it to stay on track for the half marathon.
• The Philly Love Run Half Marathon -- Sunday, March 30. 
• I'm actually shitting my pants over this. I don't even want to think about it. It's not actually happening. I think I had an aneurism and signed up. 
•  The Hot Chocolate 15k -- Saturday, April 6
• I will probably be dead for this race because it's less than a week after the half. I will probably not do anything between the two except rest, rest, and rest.
• Broad Street Run (hopefully!) -- Sunday, May 4.
• A lot calmer about this since I've done it. BRING IT!

My thoughts on all this!

I'm lying if I said I was totally calm like, yo just running some races, bro...but I'm not. It's a bigger deal than that. I'm extremely worried about the half marathon, and even more worried about the Hot Chocolate run. However, I know these pre-pre-pre-race jitters will only make me faster and more prepared in the long run. It means I care, right?

I'm just going to keep running, foam rolling, cross training, and practicing yoga to keep myself and my body in balance. It will all be fine in the end!

It has been a while! Broad Street Run Recap :)

Before:

• Woke up, ate breakfast (oatmeal, banana, had some hot tea, drank a ton of water-- could've done without a hot tea).
• For whatever reason, I get so anxious before races. Doesn't matter if it's a 5k or not, I will have to poop excessively before a race. My body totally cleans itself out. (I think it goes back to my PTSD as a child doing track and field races in elementary school. I'm shuddering just thinking about it.)
• Went to my friend Hanna's house, where my sister, Hanna, Hanna's mom, and a friend from the YMCA, Monty all left from. Oh, and I pooped there, too.
• Got to the starting line with plenty of time to spare, we even saw a local news woman, Cecily Tynan, warming up with her husband before the race. We all had to shout her name, of course! She was so friendly.
• And then I had to pee. Like, really pee, but there was no way I was going to make it to a port-a-potty. They were swamped with people.

Before: What I had "on me" during the race. iPod shuffle & headphones (LOVE THIS THING),
GuChomps Watermelon electrolyte gels,  and my number 31247!  

During

• At the starting line, I was all hyped up and raring to go (I guess). Of course, with 40,000 runners it's hard to go fast so soon! They started off playing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" over the speakers at the starting line. So sweet!
• There were so many security officers since it was just after the Boston Marathon and all. From helicopters flying overhead, to countless SWAT team officers lining the course, I felt totally safe. So many runners supported the marathon from wearing shirts, to donning red socks, and there were stickers that said "To Boston Love Philly" on them. It was hard to keep it far from my mind.
• It was a blur. I know I'm writing some of this way after the race, but it was a blur. You get in a zone, and I must've really gotten in the zone, because to this day I remember the endorphin buzz and the excitement, and I sigh thinking, "That was so much fun, the 10 miles really flew by!" Sigh. 
• When you run a race like Broad Street, there are just so many people that you are forced to move. You HAVE to move, or else you're getting trampled. Once you get to mile 8, the crowd thins out drastically, both on the sidelines and in the course. You become a much more lonely ranger of sorts, so once I got to South Philly, (which is a fairly unknown territory for me) it was all a mental game.
• I had my GuChomps during the race, and I walked through almost every water station because I was not about to slip on those damn plastic cups. 
• Seeing the finish line was a total dream come true! I can still remember my pace picked up and I just couldn't wait to get there. 

After

• Knowing I had to ride the subway back up to North Philly was kind of exciting (free subway, yay)! I got to sit down the whole time, which I immediately regretted. I stood up and everything hurt (this is where I start to think, hmm should've trained harder). 
• I was so proud of myself. My legs carried me, and I felt so unstoppable. 
• I went home, and I was spent. I spent the day eating, sleeping and I didn't stretch or foam roll, and MAN I WAS SO SORE. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT. I'm going to take much better care of myself next time. It was horrible. At one point, I wanted to flat-out fall down the steps because it was easier than walking. 
• I kind of felt like I underwent a major medical procedure with the whole "recovery" thing. However, within 3 days, I was fine!

After: Got my medal and finished in 1:42:47! 

Verdict: totally worth every step!

The Broad Street Training Recap!

Just wanted to post an update on the Broad Street Run!

I had this terrible chest/head cold nightmare about six weeks before the race. This illness, of course morphed into a lovely sinus infection and I was under the weather for about two weeks.

YES. Two weeks.

I'm not a risk-it-for-the-biscuit kind of girl, especially when it comes to respiratory health. I had pneumonia when I was in high school, so I take it easy when I'm sick. I couldn't run outside with allergies and all the meds I was on (going to the bathroom every half hour and all that jazz). My training and physical health really suffered. I hit a speed bump, but saying I hit a speed mountain is much more accurate.

The fact that I was able to run this race is amazing. I literally went on 4 or 5 runs to train in the time span of 3 weeks.

My runs consisted of this exact "schedule":

• 3.55 mile run on Wednesday, April 17
• 5.21 mile run on Saturday, April 20
• 3.10 mile run on Tuesday, April 23
• 8 mile trail run (not exactly sure of the mileage) on Sunday, April 28

And that was it. 

I trained for a 10 mile race in three weeks with 4-5 runs. I barely did any excess cardio, and I went to yoga 1-2x a week. Would I say this is the way to do it? Absolutely not.

What I did do:

• Foam rolled almost every day.
• Stretched after foam rolling.
• Drank a ton of water.

Foam rolling helped so much with my training. I'm convinced that without it, I wouldn't have been able to complete the run. I was barely sore on the days after I ran. I went from 0-60 in three weeks, and I don't advise that for ANYONE. If you do have a crisis-training situation, make sure you take care of yourself. 

Going to yoga helped me so much. It helped me pause and breathe through any stressors (ahem, schoolwork) and I felt much more in-tune with my body. I could target which hip was more sore, and which calf was tight. Yoga really helped me to restore my physical and mental vitality, and I firmly believe restoration is equally as important, if not more important than training.

Training has taught me to listen to my body above all else. Don't ignore any pains, or sniffles, or twinges. Tune into your body, and target what hurts.

I will post next about my RUN! WOO!

Training + England

This week has been insane so far (I have so much to do before I leave for the great country of England on Friday night).

I did a quick (literally, 27 minute, 3 mile run) on Sunday morning and that's the last bit of activity I performed. I was very sore in my calves afterwards, so I took today off. Back to the grind tomorrow, though! I'd like to squeeze my workout in either before I go to my internship or after I come home from my night class. Hmmm...not sure what it'll be, but I would like for it to be an AM workout. They help me get powered up and focused for my day, plus I love how the workout is already over and done with.

So...I have a new addiction...

The Walking Dead-- AHH. I previously watched the first two episodes of season one and never really watched any more. I decided to sit down and watch some more episodes and now I'm onto Season 2 and I'm HOOKED! I have a feeling this will be a serious help on my long runs, especially if I do them on the treadmill :)

Anyways, Friday I go to the UK and I'm gone for a whole week! I'm so stoked, but of course I'm anxious and nervous. We'll be doing tons of walking (average 5-10 miles a day) so I don't have to worry too much about training ;) I figure it's a vacation!

I will absolutely try to post before then, but if not...I will definitely post after I come back!

BROAD STREET.

That's right, everyone.
I got in (I can only assume it's because of my Blue Cross health insurance, not because of my running abilities).

Nonetheless, I will be running the Broad Street Run 10 Miler on May 5th.

I live just outside of Philadelphia, so I am somewhat familiar with the route. I've been running three miles comfortably for a while, but I fell off the exercise/running wagon a bit from December (post-gobble wobble) - now. Sure, I did some intermittent exercising, yoga classes, but I was not showing my face at the gym 5 days a week.

So, thank you, Broad Street Run Lottery, for selecting me and giving my tush the push it needs.

So, the way I plan to increase my mileage is to start at three miles every 2-3 days. I ran Tuesday night on the treadmill and did three miles no problem (a little slow, but no problem).

My alarm was set for 9am this morning but I managed to wake up on my own and decided I should run before work today!

YEAH.

I'm feeling three miles with a brisk .5 mile cool down. That should do it.

Valentine's Day - Love Yourself

Valentine's Day has never really held much importance to me other than you either hate it or you love it. I personally enjoy the pink, purple and red hearts and I think that the idea of LOVE on Valentine's Day is beautiful. To me, Valentine's is a day of appreciation and kindness-- no hate allowed. Anyone can celebrate! You don't need a Valentine, you just need a positive outlook.

That's why, on Valentine's Day, I take the time to appreciate myself. I focus on the positive things in my life and I try not to dwell on the fact that my boyfriend has never once gotten me flowers EVER in the three Valentine's Days we have been dating and this Valentine's is not going to change this winning streak of his. Not bitter, not bitter at all. 

But really...we all need to hone in on the positive aspects of our health-- so why not love your body on Valentine's Day? 

If you're reading this on a computer screen, you have access to eyesight (and technology). If you're reading this, you are breathing. Your heart works, your lungs work and you are literate. You, my friends, are lucky. Some individuals are currently in a hospital bed, waiting for a heart transplant or some may be hooked up to a ventilator. 

I know I'm focusing on the internal aspects, but really, isn't that what counts? Yes, you still need to love yourself externally, but you need to appreciate that your internal organs are (hopefully) doing what they should be. 

Give your body a dose of appreciation today. Thank your body for what it does for you. In my case, I might just go for a run after work tonight and stretch it out really well! Ah, can't wait!

So, love it up!

The Cold, Day 8: there is hope.

My sniffles have subsided and after a solid two days of draining all the phlegm out of my body, I feel so much better.

I haven't had to take a nasal decongestant in well over 24 hours-- hooray! So this is real progress, everyone. This cold lasted a lot longer than I thought it was going to, but I'm so glad it's finally subsiding.

I just needed a few solid days of rest. I hope to be back to the crazy world of fitness sometime soon, but I'm not pushing it!

Stay healthy and sneeze, sniffle and cough-free!

Katie