Running in Pink

New year - New... WEBSITE!

2012-01-03T11:42:00.000-05:00

Listen up readers!! justdon'tquitever.blogspot aka Running In Pink is now

runninginpink.com

Same great content just in a new, spiffier place!!!

I am really excited about the move - can't you tell?!?

xx Sara

I've moved!

2011-12-19T16:13:00.001-05:00

If you want to continue to follow my awesome posts about running, baking and my (not so) crazy adventures - head on over to Runninginpink.com

xx Sara

Kitchen Sink Cookies

2011-12-19T10:30:00.002-05:00

It's holiday time. Which means LOTS of baking.

Things got a little messy with the flour.

I don't know where in the world I would be with out this mixer.

I added pretty much every mix-in I could find in the pantry

And various other candy lying around the house...

The best cookies are formed with a cookie scoop, and a glass of wine never hurts the process.

YUM

Tomorrow I am getting together with a good friend of mine for Christmas cookie making/decorating, general Christmas festivities and lots of wine. It's going to be amazing. Trying to maximize our time, I made the sugar cookie dough ahead of time last night so it's really to roll out and bake. White going through the cabinets to gather ingredients I noticed the abundance of baking supplies and knew I had to make a batch of something to bake up right then and there. Besides I had all this butter already softened!

So I threw together the Nestle Toll-house chocolate chip cookie recipe, and added:

- handful of chocolate chips

- 3/4 bag of butterscotch chips

- 1 cup (more possible I didn't measure) chopped pecans

- handful of Hersey kisses, chopped

Mix these up really good and then added a drizzle of espresso concentrate. Aka espresso powder mixed into a small amount of water to make a thick syrupy liquid.

I was pretty hesitant about how edible they would be, after all I was just throwing ingredients together. But based on the fact that Ralph ate about six of them I'd say they turned out just fine.

What are you baking this holiday?

xx Sara

Holiday Cheer

2011-12-17T11:00:00.008-05:00

I am such a sucker for the holidays. I love everything about December, from the cheery music, to spending time with my family, and yes even braving the crowded malls in search for the perfect gift for each and everyone on my list. I'm a christmas-a-holic.

Now that we're living together, and you know, getting married and all, it probably makes sense to send out Christmas cards to our friends and family. It's not like we'd have to chase down addresses, we had the list from our invitations ready to go. I thought it would be cute to put a few pictures of us at our recent races and I whipped up this little beauty.

I know, we're cute. And we like running.

I hogged all the present wrapping this year... Ralph didn't seem to mind.

You can't wrap presents with out a cup of hot chocolate, whipped cream on top please!

And it doesn't start to feel like christmas until Ralph and I whip up a batch of red and green butter cookies. (apparently they are also called "spritz cookies")

Are you ready for the Holidays?

xx Sara

2011 Running Round Up

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

If I hadn't given myself a lot of time to reflect before writing this post I would probably say this was a really disappointing year in terms of running. If I judged my running only by my times I would say that I was a complete failure. Luckily I judge myself by much more than that, it just took a while for me to see it.

After last Sunday's less than stellar race performance I was really let down by the fact that another year had gone by without a PR. I realize that you aren't going to PR at every race, and than in the grand scheme of things it shouldn't be (and in reality its not) the only thing I care about. So what else do I care about? What else can I measure my year by if not time?

To answer this question I would have to turn to my year recap from last year. Unfortunately it's not posted on my blog so you'll just have to take my word for it. Once I re-read it, and really looked at where I was last year and where I am now I realized a lot has changed and I really have accomplished a lot. One thing I tell Ralph a lot is "If you ever feel frustrated that you haven't gone far enough, look back at where you came from. You'll realized you're a lot farther along than you thought." Maybe I should start listening to my own advice...

A little bit of my 2010 recap email to my coach:

"When I started this year, my goal was to just get back into shape. I had taken some time off to focus on my relationship and realized it had made me very lazy. I was mostly afraid that if I didn't get motivated I would end up like the before pictures on those dramatic weight loss stories in women's fitness magazines. I also needed to tackle this new found problem with difficultly breathing when I ran. I set my sights on four half marathons through out the year, to give myself reason and motivation to keep running. It was by chance that I stumbled upon Team Challenge while looking for a summer race, and my goals evolved to tackling the ever scary marathon."

And a little bit of his answer back to me:

"But if I had to single out one thing, it is this: I really like the theme of 'making it all fit'. You have a lot going on in your life right now, and fitting in workouts can be a challenge. The lesson here is: don't expect your life to suddenly get less complicated any time soon. If anything, it will continue to get more complicated (but for all the right reasons!). Thus it's a never-ending challenge, and learning how to adapt on the fly is key here."

After I read this I had a little bit of a mini revelation. If I had to say what I was most proud of throughout the year it would be learning to balance everything in my life, between work, my relationship, and running/working out. And when I say learn, I do not mean "I mastered". I mean I worked at it and worked at it and continue to work at finding a way to fit it all in. Sometimes that means that means running one or zero days a week (those are the weeks I am usually REALLY cranky...) but I try to make up for that by eating really well and/or light. Sometimes it means I have to put myself first, leave work at five on the dot and head to the gym. Sometimes it means planning a date night with Ralph that isn't running or going to the gym.

The thing with life is things are constantly coming up, and no matter how much you plan you never know what's going to happen. The most important thing is keep working at it and never give up. So what if you have one bad day, or one bad week? If you let the bad times drag you down you will surely fail. But if you keep getting back up, if you keep pushing back, if you refuse to give in, than you will will always be succeeding.

So maybe this year was not as much of a failure as I had thought. After all I am now a certified coach, I spent an amazing season with Team Challenge meeting wonderful people. I got to help them achieve their own goals as well as spent some time learning about myself. I never gave up trying to fit in running. Sure I skipped out on a lot of workouts but even if I hadn't run in a week, I still kept at it. I still laced up my sneakers and kept on going.

The fact that I have been able to share and teach so much this year really makes me feel like I am doing something good. Sure I may not be out there training 50 miles a week, I may not be PR'ing left and right, but I am running smart, training right, and sharing as much with others as I can. More people around me are seeking out my advice, and it's only a matter of time before I am working with paid private clients.

You're going to have to wait until next month to see what my 2012 goals are!

How would you rate your 2011 running season? Did you have to deal with any set backs, was it full of achievements, a little bit of both?

xx Sara

Kicking and Screaming

2011-12-14T10:00:00.004-05:00

So apparently I am NOT as self motivated as I would have people believe. I mean come on, I'm only human. And I am working on it. But I do not adapt well to change.

It would probably shock some people, to hear about my lazy tendencies. But really it all has to do with timing and routine.

What am I a toddler who missed their nap time?? (well not far from it actually)

I have a routine. and I like it. I eat the same things every day, at the same times, and if I say I am going to the gym at 5 I will go to the gym at 5. If I say I am running 3 miles I (will most often) run those 3 miles. If I say I will do 20 minutes of weights, then I will, but if its not in the plan, not much can get me to change.

Well yesterday I was TOTALLY thrown off my plan.

I ended up having lunch out with some co-workers, and instead of my healthy chicken, potato, veggie combo that I had planned I acted on impulse and had a burger, fries, and the MOST AMAZING chocolate peanut butter shake that left me disgustingly full well into 5pm. I don't like feeling full, most times I only eat enough to be satisfied.

Nothing kills my motivation like a full stomach.

I lolly-gagged through the rest of the work day, really looking forward to getting home and working out. Except Ralph wasn't home when I got home so I had to wait for him, and I didn't change into my workout clothes because I wanted him to see what a cute outfit I had picked out that morning (what? We work out so often after work I feel like all he ever sees me in is yoga pants and a t-shirt). The longer I sat with my feet up soaking up every glorious second of toddlers and tiaras with out being criticized, the more the motivation drained out of my body. By the time Ralph got home I was a bit of a cranky mess. For me, workouts must occur within a certain time frame after 5pm. Too late and I get hungry, or feel like it's too late, or you know, another one of the dozen excuses I could probably come up with.

I almost didn't go to the gym. But he was already changing into gym clothes and I knew I would feel REALLY lazy if he was at the gym and I was home. (although that could be another hour of un-interrupted trashy reality TV time). Plus he wasn't going to take no for an answer. I whined about not wanting to go, and he laughed at me, and then I laughed at me, and then I got up and went.

And ok, fine. I'm glad I went. I'm glad Ralph can see through my immature tendencies and force me to do things against my will.

But I swear, 98% of the time I really am self motivated. Just don't go screwing up my schedule...

xx Sara

Romp Romp Rudolph

2011-12-13T09:00:00.005-05:00

Let's be honest folks, as much as I love running sometimes (...most times) I need an actual something to train for to motivate me to work out. Heading into the holidays I KNEW I would need to keep signing up for races to keep me in shape and not have to pass up any of my favorite christmas goodies. After my FAIL of a 5k race about a month ago, Ralph and I decided to sign up for a Reindeer Romp 5k for our December race. It was long enough after the half marathon that Ralph could race it if he wanted, and I felt like it was enough time to kick my butt into shape and get a better 5k time.

My good friend Katie had told us about the race, when she was asking for my advice about making THIS costume. The fact that she will wear something like this for a race is just one of the many reasons I love her. We ended up getting together last week and I helped her put it together (I love sewing a good lampshade costume!)

Pretty sweet right?

The race was at 3pm in the afternoon, which totally threw me off. Instead of staying in, eating pizza for dinner and getting to bed early like we usually would for a early morning race, we went out to dinner with Ralph's aunt and uncle and stayed up late watching TV. Instead of getting up before the sun, having coffee and toast and heading out to race, we slept in, and lounged around in the morning. I wasn't sure what to eat and when, and I wasn't getting psyched up as I usually get first thing in the morning. I almost forgot about eight different things on our way out the door, and I just plain didn't feel ready. Which was odd considering I had been training fairly well for the past few weeks, even fitting in long runs with Ralph on the weekends. We arrived at the race with plenty of time to warm up and I was finally starting to feel good, although VERY cold. Somehow we thought it would be a good idea to wear shorts. What, it's not always warm when the sun is out?? Oops...

Ralph and I pre-race. Yes we are major dorks and wore matching outfits.

As we stood with all the other runners behind the start line all I could think was "what have I got myself into?" I had headphones in to serve as a distraction and barely heard the gun go off. People started moving, and then we were racing. The course starts off with a little over a quarter mile down hill, which was probably not in my favor. I think it "helped" me get off to a fast start but before I even reached mile one my lungs hurt. The cold air makes my asthma act up almost just as bad as the humidity. I had never raced in such low temps and I was super unsure of how well the day would go. At least I kind of saw this coming. But it doesn't mean I was very happy about it. I was barely able to get a good breath and I had to make a decision. Do I keep pushing until I really can't breathe and risk needing to stop altogether? Or do I slow down, find Ralph and finish the race with him. I knew he was in a good place to PR, but I also knew how tough it would be for him since he wasn't used to running 5k's and feeling how hard he would really have to push to get there.

I didn't want to slow down. But I didn't want to have to drop out. I glanced back a few times to see if I could find Ralph with no luck and made the final call to stop and wait for him to run past me. I felt so stupid standing on the side of the road watching everyone run by. It couldn't have been longer than fifteen seconds but it felt like fifteen minutes watching everyone pass me wondering if they were thinking how pathetic I was for stopping before we had even ran a mile. I tried not to let it bother me, even though in reality no one probably even noticed I was there.

But when I saw Ralph, all the doubt fell away and I was just happy to be running with him. He, like me, had went out a little fast on the down hill and was now doubting his ability to keep pace. I couldn't push myself so I pushed him instead. When he said he didn't think he could do it, I told him he could. When he said he didn't think his legs had anything left I told him, of course they do. I told him put on your headphones, grit your teeth, hold on and keep pushing. The race finished up the same hill we had started down, and I watched him put himself in a zone and just power up that hill away from me. He cut more than a minute and a half off his old 5k PR. I am insanely proud, and I know he is too. Especially since his old PR was from before his knee injury and one thing that had been bugging him since getting back to running is wondering if he would ever get back to the speed he had before. Well he did. And then some.

Katie (in her AMAZING leg-lamp costume) and I post race.

It got REALLY cold really fast and I ended up putting on every article of clothing I had in my car.

I would be lying if I said I was happy with how I ran today. But I wouldn't be lying if I said I regretted running today. If I can't be happy with my own time, at least I can help someone else achieve a great time. Its been a really tough year for me running wise, but that is a whole new post in itself. Our races for 2011 are now over, and we're staring to plan a slew of 5K's for spring and some half marathons for fall. I guess I can't ask for a better race season, even if it wasn't my own. At least I get to wake up every day, and have the option of running.

Bonus: the running store that held packet pick up for the race

gave every participant a free pair of running socks.

Obvi Ralph needed neon yellow running socks.

Did you sign up for any holiday or winter races? How do you prepare for cold weather running?

xx Sara

Healthy Competition

2011-12-12T10:30:00.002-05:00

When I first saw the email pop into my inbox I wasn't sure to feel offended or excited. My co-workers, all deciding they were in need of a heaping helping of workout motivation, had the brilliant idea to do a "biggest loser"contest in the office. But it gets better. Just having a contest was not enough, they had to make it worth more than their own well being (obvi...) and each add $20 to a pool that would go to the winner at the end of six weeks. And they added me to the email. On the one hand I guess it had a lot to do with the fact that I am always at the gym so why wouldn't I want to participate? But on the other hand, I am not looking to loose any weight. Tone up? Sure. Stay in shape through the gluttonous holiday season? You bet! But LOSE weight? Nope.

Why would I pay $20 to a pool that someone else will inevitably get to do something that I am motivated to do on my own every week? I didn't respond, but was oddly surprised by the number of people who were jumping on board. More so I was surprised at the TYPE of people who were jumping on board. Skinny girls, girls that didn't (in my opinion) need to be in a weight loss competition, never mind pay money for it. Of course to each their own and if that's the extra kick-in-the-pants they need than great. You know I am all for anyone working out and getting healthy. (for the record I am NOT into anyone turning to obsessive exercise and crash dieting. no. no. no.)

Coincidentally the very next week Ralph's group of friends also decided to start up a workout contest. But instead of doing a weight loss competition, which (I agree) unfairly skews the results to heavier people who have more weight to loose, they decided to log time doing exercise. You got points for the hours spend in the gym and the most points won. Simple enough. Clearly a system designed by a group of guys looking to get into P90X (90 min a day = more points = winning)

Everyone seemed super into it for the first week, and I hate to say I wondered who would give up after only a few days. But something really cool happened. I noticed my one co-worker L, who had always made mention of the fact that she wanted to get into shape but never took that next step, heading down to our office gym almost every night after work. After talking to her one day at work I realized not only was she doing this totally on her own (aka no one was telling her she had to go) but she was usually at the gym alone most nights (our office gym is fairly small and not too popular). Since I was trying to fit more gym time in my life anyways, I committed to joining her once a week. What I thought was going to be motivating her, turned into her also motivating me. For some reason I can totally convince myself to run ten miles and not stop once, but bring on the weights and abs and I get bored after 5 minutes. In a weird way, having her there made me accountable for my workout. I started showing her different exercises and we ended up doing a good 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weight lifting. It was great! (my abs have not felt this strong in, well, ever...). I doubt that she is doing this only for the competition, but if that was the push she really needed to get working out than I would say its worth it.

At the same time, I noticed that Ralph was more motivated to get to the gym, or if he was running out side to stop by the gym and do some weights or work on core exercises. Is it purely so he can win the contest with his friends? No. Is it a huge help to have the bragging rights that you've worked out the most that week? Sure.

I find it funny that my first reaction to all this was so negative. Maybe because I don't (ok I sometimes do, but I TRY REALLY HARD not to) judge my health and happiness by my weight. Or maybe because I am so self motivated to stay healthy (aka I am PARANOID of getting lazy and fat) so I don't relate well to this kind of contest. Add to the fact that in the running world everyone is so different with speeds and times I try to not compare myself others and what they are capable of and just focus on myself. But maybe a little healthy competition isn't really all that bad if it gives people motivation. I just hope they can make it last.

What is your take on the office weight loss initiative? Is it a good thing that can only help people get healthy and give everyone a dose of motivation? Or is it harming our self image to imply that EVERYONE needs to loose weight?

xx Sara

Santa baby

2011-12-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Santa,

This pink loving runner girl has been really REALLY good this year. I paid off my credit card (again), have been SUPER on top of budgeting for the wedding, have been making leaps and bounds with how flexible I am and totally working to "just let things go" instead of letting them get me all upset. To top it off I've done some kick butt coaching. And I've had my eye on a few things lately, that you know, if you just wanted to drop them by my house, well I would't complain.

Because obvi I need more workout gear, and more pink in my life. Lululemon Astro Wunder Under Crop (WITH HOT PINK WAISTBAND!!!!

And obvi I need (yet another) pink jacket....

Lululemon Stride Jacket (in Paris Pink)

Personal Training Manual. And all other relevant study materials. Yep I want to become ACE certified by the end of next year... Just another thing to add to the resume of things-that-have-nothing-to-do-with-my-current-career.

Confession: I only wear ONE type of running sock. And they of course have pink on them (because let's be serious I really ONLY want the pink ones...). And of course you can never have too many pairs of socks. Even for Christmas.

I just think these look so darn awesome. (Pink Compression Socks)

What's on your running wish list this holiday?

xx Sara

For the love of Pinterest

2011-12-07T09:03:00.004-05:00

For some reason, there are certain modes of social media that I just can't deal with right now. AKA Facebook. Yet oddly enough I have no problem blogging or tweeting away.

So when friends of mine started talking about pinterest I was intrigued for about 2.5 seconds (I big pink puffy heart love photo inspiration) until I realized you had to link it to facebook of twitter. I'm weird when it comes to the internet. I like my privacy (yes I realize - I blog about my life what kind of privacy do I expect...) and I'm picky when it comes to what to share on the internet.

Anyways - long story short I thought I would be ok not joining this pinterest community. And then I started to realized how awesome/amazing/fun/inspirational it was. So I went back. And now I am OBSESSED. Oops.

Here are some of my fav pins when I did a search on running:

source

Are you on/obsessed with Pinterest? Where do you get your running motivation/inspiration? (mine used to come from running magazines).

xx Sara

Question: How do you know when it's meant to be?

2011-12-01T11:00:00.002-05:00

Answer: when you don't have to ask that question.

It sounds silly. It sounds like something that's not even worth saying because it should be so obvious. But then why do people every day ask that question.

"How do I know?"

This has come into play in my life a lot lately. Everything we have planned for the wedding is based on my feeling of "just knowing". If you have any doubts about

But what does this have to do with running?

Lately I have been coaching my friend Jason, as well as Ralph, and they both did AMAZING with their first goal race. I honestly couldn't be more proud of both of them and love building plans for their future race and running goals. This will be a whole new chapter in my coaching life. Instead of getting them to complete a distance we will be working towards improving performance at that given distance. They both want to improve their half marathon times as well as add some PR's to shorter races. I've gotten a few email requests for runners looking for a coach and I have begun to work on growing this into an actual business instead of just helping friends.

What I've come to realize is on those race weekends, when I am submerged into racing life, visiting expos, talking about training and race goals and paces I am SO HAPPY in a way I can't really describe. Talking about running, sharing my knowledge with other people, watching them succeed, that really makes feel like I am doing something that matters. I don't have to ask myself "does this make me happy" because it just feels right. And the more I do it, the more my confidence grows and the more I enjoy doing what I am doing. The more I know that I am meant to do this. It's not even a question.

Now that the wedding is almost four *GASP* months away I am also trying to get myself into the gym to do more "total body" type workouts. Lifting weights for my arms/shoulders/back, and working my core. Every now and then I have a coworker or two who will end up in the gym with me and ask for advice. What exercises should they do and how many etc. Can I show them what to do. Now I always start with the disclaimer of "I am NOT a personal trainer. I may look fit and love to workout but I learn a lot of what I do from magazines and the internet". But I don't mind giving out a few pointers, or at least my opinion on things. And I love that time as much as I love coaching.

I just love sharing my knowledge with others. I take for granted sometimes that my parents brought me up in a active and healthy lifestyle. Not everyone gets that, or has the right information or resources to make healthy changes. I love helping people see results. Or giving people tools to use in their own workouts.

I'm starting to realize I never had to ask myself "Should I pursue personal training?" "Should I make larger steps towards what I want to spend the rest of my life doing" I knew all along that this was the right fit for me, it just feels right.

Have you ever wanted to make a big change in your life and wondered if it was the right step to take? Or did you just know it was right because there was never any question?

xx Sara

My fiance is a 1/2 marathoner

2011-11-21T17:59:00.003-05:00

Isn't he the cutest?

xx Sara

Practice Run

2011-10-22T11:56:00.007-04:00

It was dark. and cold. and really really really early. Ralph and I dragged ourselves out of bed, and began to get ready, going through the motions in a silent dance of sorts. It was too early for conversation, but we knew the routine. Pour coffee, make English muffins, get dressed in running gear, get shot blocks and Gatorade. In and out of the kitchen, in and out of the bedroom, each of us having our own order of doing things. I prefer to get breakfast first, and then get dressed. Ralph is the opposite. We take turns standing over the sink and eating so all the crumbs and drips of honey don't get on the floor, but we are too tired to use plates.

All our gear and ready to go!

Dressed, fed and ready to go, I pull out or bag of winter gear and we both select a set of gloves. It's not "ice on your windshield" cold, but it was "see your breath in front of your face" cold. We head for the car where I immediately crank up the heat. Obviously the coffee has not worked its magic, I do not feel chipper, or awake, but rather grumpy and sleepy. I know it will all be over in a few hours. I know I will feel such a sense of pride when it is done. I just hate this part. This part where you have time to change your mind. Where you can decide to just go back to bed. Thankfully I know Ralph is counting on me and I cannot, I will not, let him down.

warm hands and fingers are essential!

ready to kick some 13 mile butt!

My favorite thing about training for the Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon in all the years I have run them, is the race course is literally in our backyard (now that we have moved its a little more of a trip) how can you not train on the course? As a beginner runner, knowing every turn, every hill, every curve of the road really let me let go and enjoy the run more than if I was always wondering "what's up next?". So I promised Ralph one of the things we'd get to do this training cycle was run the course. And it couldn't have been perfectly timed with his first 13 mile run.

So here we were, at 6:45am on a Saturday, headed down to the art museum to run 13 miles around the city of Philadelphia. It was a quick drive with no traffic, and early enough to get a great parking spot. Now or never.

We had covered 12 miles two weeks before, I knew Ralph was going to do great on this run, but I forget how intimidating a new distance can be. Even just a mile longer, it is unknown territory. And the first time you do it, it can be the hardest thing ever. We started down the parkway, and headed east towards the river. Sidewalks were empty and there were barely any cars on the road but the sun had made its grand entrance and it wasn't long before we were both nice and warm.

Amazing view of the Ben Franklin Bridge around mile 2.5

I talked a lot. I usually talked a lot. But was we ran along Columbus, the sun rising over the Delaware river to our right, I noticed Ralph was very quiet. I finally get him to admit he is psyching himself out, and is nervous. "It's just so far" he says to me, meaning I've been describing the course and its all so spread out he can't imagine covering all this ground and being in one piece in the end.

We run from one end of the city to the other, and back again. Before we both realize we are at mile 7, making our way up our first hill. The course takes us through our old college campus and we spend the next mile reminiscing about all the things that have changed since we graduated. It was pretty smooth sailing for a while. But then we got to...

... the second hill. Now since I've ran the course before I obviously knew there were two hills. But I smartly kept this little bit of information to myself. Ralph was sure to find out about it once he got there so why worry him? That hill I think was the hardest part of the run. It's curvy and long and just about kicks your butt. At the top we slowed down a bit to recover.

The last three miles of the course are on West River Drive, and take you straight back to the art museum. It can be pretty boring, there isn't much to look at other than the side of the highway and the river. It all starts to blend together, and it was at this point that Ralph was really ready to be done. But he kept going. Kept pushing. And even when he said "no faster than this" and "I hope I can finish it" I made him talk about things to take his mind off of running, like the new fish tank he is setting up in our living room. Once his mind was distracted he picked up the speed and it was tough to reel him back in.

And then it was over. Just under three hours, not even 11am yet, and we had finished running 13 miles. I don't think Ralph ever imagined the day he would set out to do something like that. I for one was amazed, proud, and also pretty tired. I hadn't run since last weekends 5k.

13 mile finisher!!! SO PROUD of this guy!

Our plans to run errands in the city changed to getting breakfast from Wawa and heading home ASAP for an ice bath. It's funny how quickly you can turn someone on to ice bathing once they experience how much it helps recovery. And once you've done one, you'll end every run begging to sit in a bathtub of freezing water.

Around mile 11, Ralph said to me he wanted to focus on shorter distances after this half, that he didn't like all this time on his feet. And for a moment I remembered what it was like training for my first half marathon. The first time I ran 13 miles was SO HARD. I felt like I might not finish. I wanted to stop more than anything. Now I can almost breeze through it even after skipping 5 days of running. I told him I don't care what he does, because I honestly don't, I just want him to be happy. But I promised it gets easier. Just like he can now go out and run 3 miles like it's no big deal, there was a day when that was REALLY hard. It's all relative.

What's your longest training distance? Can you still remember what it felt like the first time you ever ran it?

xx Sara

The makings of a marathoner (and a 1/2 marathoner)

2011-10-17T12:30:00.004-04:00

Don't quote me on the exact words, but I believe the conversation started something like this:

Sara: Jason, how'd you like to be my first trainee - you can be my guinea pig to see if I'm any good at this coaching thing. What do you say?

Jason: Sounds great!!

A month before getting certified as a running coach, I knew I needed a project to test my skills. Never one to charge someone for something before I'd perfected the craft, I would need an eager running looking for help in achieving their goals. Lucky for me I knew a few, and was able to convince my friend Jason to let me coach him to the finish line of his first marathon and to meet his later goal of finishing the goofy challenge (running the Disney half marathon on Saturday, and the Disney full marathon on Sunday).

And then a few months ago I started training Ralph for the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November. I stared a weekly ritual of sitting down with my coaching manual, reading, thinking, planning, making notes in my notebook and sending out weekly training plans. The more plans I made, the easier it felt, and the more I thought about things, the more I enjoyed really planning out the schedule, adding up the numbers, making everything work in j

ust the right way.

Over the past seven or eight months I have learned A LOT.

Ralph - First race since being injured last fall

Jason and his first EVER full marathon race bib at the expo

I have had to learn to explain myself, explain my reasons, motivate, inspire, encourage, become flexible in my approach, figure out what to do when others don't want to listen to what you have to say, and change the way you say things to better help others understand and hear what you are saying. My goals are not always others goals. I don't always agree with others goals and the struggle for me is to give the best advice I can even if its something I don't agree with.

But this is something I'd like to do for the rest of my life, and something I'd like to keep working at and keep making better. There were plenty of days where I just felt like nothing I said was getting through, and there were plenty of days where I was incredibly proud of the progress these athletes were making. When someone runs a given distance for a first time, it brings me back to my first years of running and how every week was a new achievement, a new something to be proud of. Finishing the race distance for the first time was always so emotional, all the days and weeks and months of training leading up to one day that you hope all goes to plan. I love being able to help runners see a new way of training, or when they hit a pace they didn't think they could achieve. I love when I figure out a way of explaining things so it hits home and I love when people are proud of their accomplishments, because at the end of the day I make up the plan but they do all the work themselves.

Despite all the ups and downs, I was an incredibly proud coach on Saturday watching Ralph give a great performance at his first race since injury, and watching Jason finish his first marathon. It's one thing to train and depend on yourself for the results. It's something else entirely to give someone all the right tools and hope they listen and use them to succeed.

Proud marathon finished and proud coach!

Have you ever given someone advise that they were slow to accept or follow? How did you change their minds? How do you inspire/motivate others when they are struggling.

xx Sara

Race Report - Hartford 5K

2011-10-16T19:57:00.006-04:00

Ralph and I post race

This year was supposed to be the year I was going to switch gears and run some shorter races. Focus on some 5K's and really see what I could do.

And then there was a wedding to plan.

And then there was the race I signed up for but never went to.

And then there was work.

And then there was all the traveling for work.

But somewhere a few months ago, I suggested to Ralph that we run a 5K during Hartford marathon weekend, and we could be around to watch my friend Jason who I'd been coaching for the marathon. It seemed like the perfect plan, and I would have plenty of time to train and run a race I could really be proud of. But even with another race on the horizon I couldn't get myself in gear to train for it. I was running along with Ralph as he trained for his half marathon, but I didn't feel all that fast. I was starting to become pretty disappointed in myself.

As we picked up our race numbers, and meandered through the expo, I was more excited for Jason's first marathon, and Ralph's first race after his injury, than the fact that I was actually running something for myself the next day. I didn't really take the race as seriously as I have in the past, I ate chinese food for dinner, and even had a few glasses of wine because it just felt good to relax.

5:30 am came fast, and in the dark morning hours I dressed in my regular race attire, and packed my race gear bag. It seemed so strange to be packing gear for such a short race. I was packing real snacks, and not worrying about having enough shot blocks or Gatorade, it was strange.

By the time we arrived, parked the car, removed our bikes (and parked mine - more to come on the reason for that later), and checked our gear bags, there was only enough time to do one of two things, warm-up, or use the bathroom. I know a million people out there are thinking "obviously use the bathroom" but no - I insisted we needed to warm up. I said farewell to Jason and his girlfriend and Ralph and I headed out for a 1 mile easy jog. With about five minutes until start we headed behind the line and I was regretting that not going to the bathroom thing. I enviously eyed up the people darting in and out of the port-a-potties all the while reminding myself one of my biggest nightmares is being IN THE PORT-A-POTTY when the race starts.

And then we were off.

I had no planned pace, I had no Garmin (I had lent it to Ralph), my plan was to run a pace that was somewhat challenging but manageable and see how it went. I had pretty low expectations, and if nothing else maybe I'd do bad enough to guilt myself into some real training. I swiftly began passing people, lost in thought, but looking back I couldn't tell you what I was thinking about. I was watching kids keep up with their parents, I was watching spectators cheer on the runners, I was concentrating on my pace making sure I wasn't pushing too hard. As fast as it had started, we were already passing mile 1. I glanced down at my watch to check on my pace, thinking it would be somewhere around 9 or 10. What I saw instead was 8:20. I was literally in shock but I kept going.

The second mile was spend wondering where this speed was coming from and trying to hold on to it. I hadn't run in maybe eight days. I had done virtually no speed work. And yet all the same I was pulling of mile splits that were close to what I had done when I was in the best shape of my life. As we approached mile 2 I wondered if I could hold on to this.

As I pushed through the third and final mile I started to feel that familiar nauseous feeling deep in my core and knew I had to back off just a little. As we rounded the last corner I saw that same uphill climb that led to the arch and had an instant flashback to my finish at the Hartford Marathon in 2008. As much as I wanted to push it, I couldn't do it. I let my pace in that final mile slow down to around 9:20. Despite holding back at the end I was surprisingly impressed with my finish. My final time was only about 1 minute slower than my PR from over three years ago.

A month ago I was looking over past race times and feeling a little bit sad. Almost all my PR's were over three years old. I had some great performances and since then have not had the time to dedicate to training. I was starting to wonder if my best times were behind me. Which is awfully depressing considering I am only 25, but something that maybe I just had to come to terms with. Until yesterday. Yesterday restored all the faith in myself that I thought I had lost. It made me want to run again, to race again, and I was finally for the first time in a long time, proud of myself instead of spending so long being proud of others.

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised during a race? Pulled off a performance you were not planning on?

How did it go?

Official Stats:

Time: 26:45

Overal Place: 311/1447

Sex Place: 100/885

Age Group Place 19/153

xx Sara

Fall Indulgence

2011-10-11T10:23:00.002-04:00

I know you wouldn't know it from last weekends amazingly warm temps - but it's fall! I think I love fall a little something extra because it's when Ralph and I started dating and we bonded over our love for everything pumpkin, from pancakes, to scones, to coffee, to beer, and chili.

Lately I have been spending a little more time on myself, and makes a world of difference in how I feel about myself every day.

Hair cuts (and head massages mmm...).

Recently Ralph and I found ourselves a new salon, and a shared hair stylist. Which I think is kind of adorable. My parents both get their hair cut by the same hairdresser in town, its like having a friend you never hang out with together. I used to neglect ever cutting or styling my hair. SuperCuts every six months or so, which only took fifteen minutes max for them to wet my hair and cut it, that was the extent of my hair care routine. But I have to say I love our new stylist. I have come to terms that it is worth the extra money to get a little bit pampered (head massage - instant stress reliever, hair cut, blow dry and styled) and having a great hair cut, as superficial as it sounds, makes me feel just a little bit more pulled together in the morning.

Pumpkin... EVERYTHING

I love nothing more in fall than everything pumpkin flavored. Right now our office has AMAZING green mountain Pumpkin spice K-cups. I look forward to pouring it over ice every morning. Last week I whipped up an amazing batch of pumpkin scones that could rival Starbucks any day. I eased the pain of the Phillies loss with the cool taste of Sam Adams pumpkin beer. It's the right combo of spicy and sweet, and something that's around for such a limited amount of time how can I say no??

Sweaters and Boots (and new running clothes too)

I like to tell Ralph that "fall and I just don't get along" when it comes to getting dressed. It's not too hot, not too cold, I never feel like I have the right clothes, or clothes that make me happy, or make outfits. So this weekend I went on a shopping trip with a friend of mine and decided I could no longer keep putting off buying clothes while continuing to hate everything in my clothes. I made a few wise purchases, and then decided to CLEAN OUT my closet of all things I just plain don't ever wear. It felt refreshing to get rid of things I looked at morning after morning and just didn't want to put on. Even though I cleaned out a lot, I feel like I have more, because I like everything in my closet. Next I want to re-discover my own personal style. What do I like to wear (regardless of where I work).

Running for myself again

I love training runners, I especially LOVE training Ralph. But somewhere in the chaos of the summer I forgot what it was like to run for myself. To set my own goals, to go on my own runs and clear my head. Funny how I used to run alone on Saturdays and see all the couples running together and wish I could have that. Now I have that and I feel like I forgot to take a minute to myself. I tend to do that a lot, get wrapped up in what I think other want and I forget about myself. So starting this week I have resolved to run alone at least one if not two nights a week. Ralph and I will still do long runs together, and some medium runs (medium for him, short for me) through out the week. I think it will prove to be the right balance of together and separate, and give me time to think about what I want out of running.

What are your little (or big) fall indulgences?

xx Sara

2011-10-06T14:38:00.003-04:00

I feel like I have been in a wedding induced coma for the past nine months.

Oh wait, I kind of have.

It started small, a few magazines here and there, an appointment on a Saturday and maybe talking about stationary and decorations one or two nights over dinner. I was ahead of the curve, things were going great (they still are) and I was checking things off the list left and right. Venue - check. Dress - check. Photographer, DJ, florist, bridesmaids dresses, invitations, - check, check, check, check, check and CHECK! I was going full steam ahead and loving every second of it. I became obsessed with wedding blogs. I became obsessed with designing stationary, place cards, centerpieces, you name it I was sketching and planning it. I mean, come on, I did go to design school, I have a lot of pent up creative energy and what better output than a HUGE party to celebrate a new life with my favorite person ever?

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I decided, for a bunch of personal reasons, I needed to remove myself from Facebook. with that, somehow I ended up spending less time on twitter. I stopped reading running blogs and I was barely even running myself. My work life was getting crazy busy and I felt like I didn't have the time to write about anything worthwhile. And if I did think of something great to say, I just didn't feel like carving out a chunk of my day to write it. It was like I was becoming a bridezilla (in the nicest sense of the word) I was just all-consumed with the wedding. Now don't get me wrong - I understand it is "only one day" and it is really all about our life together and our marriage - I am totally on board with that. In fact I am SOFREAKINGEXCITED to get married because I love this man so much. But this weekend, as we crossed the last few major things off our list I started to realize I could finally have my life back for a few months.

My life. What was my life. What did I do in all this time before wedding craziness struck? I ran. A lot. And I loved it. And I wrote about it and talked about it and lived for it. I want that back!!!

I've had a lot of time to myself to think this week, and with that I've realized I want to re-embrace the runner in me. I want to resurrect my dreams from earlier this year of finally being in shape to run a 5k I can be proud of.

Have you ever had a life changing event or just the stress of daily life kick you off your path? How do you get back up and keep going - and why the heck does it take so long to realize I've been off track?

xx Sara

Blazing a new trail

2011-10-05T10:43:00.002-04:00

About four months ago, Ralph and I moved into our first apartment together.

About two months ago, he deiced he wanted to run his first half marathon and asked me to train him. Of course I was elated.

However as he gets more into running, I have noticed my own running mo-jo hasn't been hanging around too much. There are plenty of days where I just don't feel like lacing up my sneakers, and plenty of days where Ralph has actually just left me home and gone running with out me. While it is awesome to know he is motivated enough to run on his own, it is depressing to think I am loosing my drive. Right now the only thing pushing me to run is my fear of getting fat before the wedding - NOT an option!

So I've started to think - and what I've come up with is I feel stuck where we live. It is not a super safe neighborhood to be running through, especially this time of year when it gets dark pretty fast. There are no sidewalks outside of our complex, or trails like Kelly Drive to run to. At my old apartment, in fact at both of our old apartments it was as easy as lace up your sneakers and go. There was no driving to someplace, or driving home. Now if we want to walk out the door and "just go" it means running around the apartment complex. And I'll be totally honest. IT SUCKS. It's small, and there are lots of turns. I feel like I am always turning. Or stuck on a hamster wheel. It is not inspiring, it's not pretty to look at it, it doesn't let me clear my mind. And Ralph is there with me and we are always talking. (and sometimes arguing)

I miss the freedom I used to have to just go out and clear my mind. To think about things, even wedding things, or work things, or relationship things and just think and run, run and think. I love that Ralph and I have something to bond over, I love that he finally understands my love for running and I am SO AMAZINGLY PROUD of him for what he has accomplished so far. I just miss the way it used to be. And I never thought in a million years that would happen.

Has your life ever changed in a way that affected your running? was it a good change? Did you ever find yourself getting back on track?

Although yesterday I had quite an amazing run. There is a trail by our apartment that is long and flat and amazing, it just doesn't go through the best neighborhoods, so we avoid it. But Ralph is away on business this week so I decided the hell with it. I put on my (brand new!!) sneakers, threw on my BRIGHT orange running jacket (seriously best purchase I could have ever made) and headed out the door. At first it was strange to be running alone and outside the complex. But then I hit this great groove and just went with it. I didn't want to turn around and go home (except for the fact that things were starting to look pretty sketch). I will even admit I maybe starting singing to myself out there - don't judge it's like the "talk test" except I had no one to talk to so I just start signing a little bit...

While running together has proved to be a great routine and a good time to spend together to talk - I think maybe we should try running apart one day a week, maybe two. Just see how it goes.

xx Sara

workplace snacking guilt and reversing some bad habits.

2011-09-28T11:33:00.002-04:00

I know I have taken an extended break on this blogging thing. In fact I have taken a break from a lot of social media as a whole, and truth be told it's been great. It feels fresh. Life has been crazy, planning a wedding has kept me constantly running around doing things. But this little thing has been nagging at me and I just had to get it out.

Working in an office of all women, someone is always on a diet, breaking their diet, promising to start a diet tomorrow, or talking about the latest fad in diet pills and miracle weight loss tips. It's mind boggling. There is also always someone bringing in the batch of brownies they made last night, or the cupcakes leftover from their daughters birthday party. I happen to have the misfortune of working dead smack in the middle of the snack zone, right next to the table where everyone likes to place their sweet treats.

With a little over six months left to the wedding, I am finally starting to take my healthy eating seriously. I have always had issues with wanting to not worry about what I eat, but at the same time wishing I could slim down in certain areas *just a titch*. The problem I've always had is never really having a goal of when or probably the motivation to really put in the work.

When I was training for races, it was all about running and nothing else. And I was so hungry I couldn't tell myself no. Winter set it, the running stopped, life got busy, work took over my life and I still couldn't tell myself no. I wanted that ice cream after dinner. I wanted that cupcake with my lunch. I wanted that cookie, or donuts, or whatever that my co-workers had brought in that was staring me in the face.

Did I gain weight? the scale would tell you no. I probably lost weight because I was loosing muscle. But I started feeling uncomfortable in my clothes. It started as just sometimes, when shopping and trying things on. I would leave the store depressed over one body part or another. Then a few times while getting dressed for work. I just didn't feel in shape, and I knew if I didn't start to make a change now, I would end up slowly progressing down this road of gaining a pound or two, here and there until I was one the "before" versions of the before and after segments of health magazines.

Now the thing that gets me in all of this, is if I so even much as mention anything closely related to the fact that I am "watching what I eat" (because I refuse to refer to it as a diet) at work, I get dirty looks from my co-workers. Yes I understand, I am not overweight, or fat by any means. I have a healthy BMI, I exercise regularly, and from the waist up I am mostly happy with the way I look. (it's always those damn hips and thighs isn't it ladies!). That being said, if I notice that I am starting to engage in some unhealthy habits why do I feel attacked when I try to correct my behavior. It's no secret that as you get older your metabolism slows down, so why would I continue to act in ways that will only hurt me later on in life? Why is it only socially acceptable for overweight people to be on a diet or try to loose weight? I'm not judging you for your habits, (ok maybe sometimes I do, but it's a bad BAD habit I am trying REALLY hard to break) all I ask is for you to not judge me for mine. If I am the only one who doesn't want to order pizza for lunch, just let me. Don't make comments about how I'll "just run it off later". That just shows how ignorant you really are. If I don't eat one of the brownies you slaved over to make from scratch last night, don't try to force it on me by saying I am already skinny enough.

I don't tell you NOT to eat a brownie because you probably don't need the extra calories. That would be rude.

InJustice

2011-04-05T20:48:00.002-04:00

(source)

When I was a little girl, I was that classic "but it's not fair!", child. I would cry and pout and stomp my little feet as if it had any effect on the fairness of the world. It was always something small, probably not getting to go to the candy store or going out to play or staying up late. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that things don't always work out the way they should.

My dad would always say "Life isn't fair" or he would start to sing that classic line "You can't always get what you waaaant..." which for some reason only made me more angry.

Over the years I have gotten better about accepting somethings for what they are, fair or not. But somewhere deep in my core is the part of me that always wants to fight for what is right. Maybe it's because I work hard, I am determined and dedicated and I believe that with hard work should come deserved results. I believe that blood sweat and tears (or some combination of the three) should result in some form of reward even if it's only a "way to go" or "you did really well". Just something.

But the truth is, my dad was right. Yes. I just said my dad was right. I hope he's not listening... Life is not fair, or just, and sometimes it plain just doesn't make any sense. Bad things happen to good people, people are mean to people who work hard, and people who work hard may never see the results they aim for. And there is nothing anyone can do to change the way things work.

How's that for a cold hard reality check? And what does this have to do with running? I guess it's just something that's been on my mind a lot lately. It's something I've had to deal with since being diagnosed with asthma. I could ask myself a million times why it happend to me, or say it's not fair that I train so hard and that asthma will always hold me back. But the truth is that it could also be a lot worse. In the grand scheme of things I would say I have it pretty easy.

So I guess all I'm saying, while getting some much pent-up feelings off my chest is there is always a bright side. Even when things seem unfair, they could always be worse.

So yes maybe you trained perfectly for that 10 miler but the weather was cold and windy or too hot and humid and things didn't go to plan. Not fair right? At least you were able to run. You worked really hard for a promotion you never got? At least you have a job.

So what is it you think is never fair, or never goes your way? Come'on everyone needs a good "no-fair" vent.

xx Sara

All dressed up and nowhere to run

2011-04-04T21:45:00.002-04:00

That's not entirely true. I have a few races coming up, The Blue Cross Broad Street 10 miler being one of them, the other being a half marathon with Team Challenge in June. But the first is more of a tradition and the second is as a coach. I really have nothing on my plate to actually "train for", but you know what? I couldn't be happier.

It took a while to kick start myself back into a running schedule, knowing I wasn't aiming for anything in particular other than staying in shape and keeping up with the fabulous Team Challengers every weekend. It's been tons easier to stick to the schedule with Ralph being out of PT and starting to run again (very very easy!) we're back to our regular schedule where certain nights we stay apart and go to our own respective gyms (I cannot WAIT until we live together *finally*).

Miracle of all miracles, mother nature finally brought spring to Philadelphia and sometime this morning it struck me that I can actually, dare I say it, run OUTSIDE after work. I was almost giddy getting ready. Shorts? what are those? T-shirts? what?

I decided to head out to Valley Forge and do one loop around the park. No set pace, although I did plan on using my lovely Garmin, just out for a nice run in the nice weather. It was probably one of the best runs I have had in a long time. The sun was setting, people were out walking, running, chatting and just enjoying nature. I even left my headphones in the car and focused on my thoughts.

As I passed over the rolling hills, watching the sun set, I was completely at peace with everything. I can't remember the last time I went running just because I wanted to, and not because I had a race to train for. In the past, when I became burnt out from running I gave it up all together. I had no motivation to keep going. It had become such a burden on my life I wanted to do other things instead. Now I feel like I have finally reached a place in my life where I don't have to have a race to keep me motivated. I don't have to worry about PRs and split times or speed work (unless I want to) or tapering. And I love it.

I got lost in the run, lost in my mind thinking about life, and the wedding and work and everything. Before I knew it I was almost done with the loop.

Running for fun, used to be something I said a lot when I was first starting out. I think some of that may have gotten forgotten amongst the finish times and competitiveness. My need to prove to everyone how fast I could be, and even prove it to myself took over. Today I got a little of it back. And I have to say I really missed it.

Even better than running with no plan? Breakfast for dinner!! When it's just me in my apartment I usually opt for breakfast-dinner, because it's quick, filling and delicious. Also because I never have time in the morning to make eggs.

Vanilla Chobani & honey w/ Nature's Valley maple brown sugar granola bar crumbled on top = AMAZING

Poached eggs and toast. Nomtastic.

(Chocolate milk not pictured - b/c I drank it too fast)

Have you ever taken a break from training and just enjoyed the run? Or do you need a race or a reason to train? Do you ever have yogurt for dessert as a stand in for ice cream? (ok I know I'm a little strange for that one...)

xx Sara

Wedding Weight

2011-03-30T22:00:00.000-04:00

A world where I have to count and keep track of all the calories I eat and burn in a day is a world I could never be happy in. That being said, my life needs a serious change.

There is something about the word "wedding" that gets us girls to trade our daily dessert for extra diet water and sugar free everything? Maybe it's the fact that we have to prance around for an entire day in a super tight ball gown, or maybe it's the pictures we will have to look back on for the rest of our lives. Or maybe it's that we're so busy actually planning we forget to slow down and have normal lives where we, you know, work out and eat right? I never thought I'd be that person, but suddenly I am wondering what happened to the fit active girl who was around just a few months ago. I think I slowly let planning creep into my life and take over my gym time.

Thankfully for the time being I have a lot of things crossed off our wedding to-do list, and it feels great. With engagement pictures coming up on month from today I can't help but realize I need to maybe tone up a bit in some of my not so favorite places (yes butt and thighs, hips too, I am talking about you!).

But I refuse to "diet". In my mind is a really ugly word that makes me think of deprivation, limits, and unhappiness. I don't respond well to food diaries, or calorie counting. I have tired the Loose It app for my ipad so many times now, only to last a week because I cannot face watching the amount of food I eat add up. And you know what, I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Some people just can't do it.

What I do know, is what does work for me, and that's listening to my body. Intuitive eating I guess? Eating less dessert, eating more fruits through out the day, drinking more water, smaller portions, all those good things. That is the only diet I have been known to be good at following. And if I want chocolate, I have chocolate. Just not a pound of it. I would much rather learn when my body is satisfied with food than have a calculator tell me I have eaten too many calories.

What is your healthy eating plan? Are you a calorie counter or an intuitive eater?

xx Sara

Good Old Shoe(s)

2011-03-29T17:00:00.000-04:00

First of all, I love the movie Wag the Dog. And when I started writing this post I thought of THIS. It has NOTHING at all to do with what I'm writing about. Except old shoes.

Saturday I made a tiny little (read: HUGE) runners mistake. Something no one should ever do. Trust me. It may sound harmless, it's not.

I *gasp* ran in OLD shoes.

(source)

It's true.

It wasn't on purpose. Last week was a whirlwind of stress. My car died on Wednesday night on the way home from work. Thursday was spent making phone calls. Friday was spent looking at cars. It didn't occur to me until Friday night that I had left all my running clothes, including my sneakers, at the gym at work. Boo.

But I had to be at Team Challenge practice bright and early Saturday morning ready to run, so I grabbed the newest old pair of sneakers from my closet and went for it. We ended up doing just over 6 miles through Valley Forge. The weather was cold but sunny and great for a nice long run. Afterwards I felt great! We went home and got ready for a family event, and afterwards headed back out to troll the dealerships for my new car. Which by the way I am in love with.

Kissing my old (non-running) car good-bye

Hello New CAR!<3

Ok. But really. Back to the shoes. I was looking forward to the whole, sleeping in on Sunday thing, and I must admit it was wonderful. Until I tried to get out of bed and make coffee, and could barely walk. My outer thighs were SO SORE. Curse you IT bands!

It was then that I realized I never should have worn those old shoes. There was a reason I needed new ones. I basically waked around like a cripple for two days, I even tried rolling my legs out with a coffee cup. That should probably tell me I need a foam roller. Yes I attempted a run last night, and I felt ok (in the new shoes) but it wasn't until I (very painfully) massaged my quads last night that I finally started to feel better. I learned my lesson, old shoes are old for a reason, they are pretty much good for collecting dust, donating at race expos, and gardening. But in all honesty I'm not much of a gardener.

Have you ever made some running mistake you know you shouldn't? Worn old shoes? Ate something new the day before a race?

xx Sara

FiveK Fail

2011-03-20T20:35:00.002-04:00

Don't you hate when you throw your goals and ambitions up for the public to read and then they become a giant sad face failure?

Not even the guilt of having to write this post could get me out of bed this morning for my race. Nor could the guilt of having spent money on the registration fee, or the guilt of dragging Ralph down to the city to pick up my race packet. I guess just like everyone has their first DNF, you have to have a first DNSU (Did Not Show Up).

What happened to me? I wasn't nervous. I wasn't scared. I just. Didn't. Want. To go.

Way to lead by example Sara. But really? I had taken a week off of running a few weeks back b/c of a cough. A cough I thought was getting better so I started running again. And then It didn't go away. I guess I thought my body deserved a little rest, and maybe if it got the rest it wanted my cough would go away and I could run guilt free.

Basically I woke up at 6am, looked at my phone, shut off my alarm and went back to sleep. It is not my proudest moment. Especially with all the carbs I have been eating. A small part of my feels a little bit guilty. But a large part of me feels really happy to have enjoyed a leisurely Sunday, making pancakes and drinking coffee with my Fiance.

There will be other races. There will be other runs.

Have you ever opted not to even show up to a race? How did you feel afterwards??

xx Sara

Distance to speed

2011-03-19T13:00:00.003-04:00

Signing up for a 5k seemed like a really good idea three months ago. A great mini goal to keep me running, and a MUCH shorter distance than my usual races. For weeks it loomed in the distance as something I really didn't have to think about. And of course my plans to train were side tracked with planning the biggest and best party of my life (duh, my wedding!)

No big deal, it's only a 5k. Or so I kept telling myself. The last time I ran a 5k was with Ralph, we ran 10mm and I wanted to throw up at the end. It was also like 90 degrees that morning. But despite all the painful memories I have of 5k's my mind could only recall the amazing speed workouts I had last fall while training for Philly. Cruising along, pushing hard with no other thoughts in my mind but coasting along as fast as I could. It was an amazing feeling.

So I went back to my regularly scheduled running program. This wasn't hard to do with Team Challenge forcing me out of bed on Saturday mornings for my long run. I managed to get to the gym a few nights a week and put in some miles on the treadmill. I was sweating, and feeling great. And then the other night, mid run, it hit me. I missed the feeling of running fast. I was about 1.5 miles in and decided this would probably be my last chance to throw in some speed before Sunday's race. If you could call it a race - it's more like a run that I get to wear a number and get an official time for. Races are for people that are ready. Me not so much.

Up went my speed, faster went my legs, and almost instantaneously I flashed back to all the 5k's I have ever ran. Pure. Torture. What had I gotten myself into? But as the interval ended, so did all my doubts. With shorter distance comes the push for faster speed. This is such unknown territory for me, but something I am also so excited to explore. How fast can I really go? What am I capable of? It's the complete opposite of the marathon where you rely on your endurance to keep you on your feet for hours at at time. I was entering a whole new world of running and runners, making the transition from distance to speed.

So I made a decision, the goal for tomorrow's race will be to pick a comfortably hard yet sustainable pace and just go for it. I want a nice good warm-up before hand because that's when I run my best. Who knows what my time will be, but whatever it is it is. This year, and maybe more is going to be about experimenting with different workouts, different distances, exploring the world of racing and seeing where the road takes me.

Have you ever switched up your distances? Gone from long to short, from marathon to ultra, or from 5k to longer? How do you adapt to the change?

xx Sara

Just don't quit?

2011-03-17T11:11:00.002-04:00

"Just Don't Quit. Ever"

Words of advise from my former friend/coach when training for my first marathon. I get it. I really do. Just keep pushing even when you want to stop and curl up in a ball and cry. Keep going even though your legs feel like lead. For so long I lived by these words, and they inspired me to push through a lot of things. So when I started my blog it only made sense that this would be my mantra. It was so simple.

But things change, and I grew up a little. I realized you don't always have to push. It's ok to take a break sometimes and it's not called quitting. It's called life. Balance. Happiness.

Today when I opened up my blog I was hit with the feeling that I needed a change.

Let's be serious - I'm just a happy girl running in pink and loving every minute of life. I may never come close to qualifying for Boston. And I don't really care anymore. I have an amazing fiance who has adapted to my crazy running life and I have started coaching and find that to be the most rewarding experience.

New outlook = New blog title

ENJOY!

xx Sara

Practice makes perfect

2011-02-26T12:05:00.010-05:00

I feel like an episode of the twilight zone. Its saturday morning, past noon, and I am in my pj's drinking coffee and... blogging?? What? Who is this girl and what happened to crazy wedding planning Sara?

Oh she's here. In fact right now she's playing around with her super fun new Martha Stewart paper punch and designing stationary.

I big pink puffy heart crafting. And weddings.

But you're here for the running related stuff huh...

Today was Team Challenge practice week #2 - New Jersey version. Aka we have a lot of participants from south jersey so we have split up practices in two spots to give more people the opportunity to get the "group training experience" I think I woke up about ten times in the middle of the night terrified I had over slept. I don't know why I do that, but I do. When my alarm finally woke up I double checked my emails and started reciting the names of the people to expect at practice. I am horrible with names. I shouldn't even be talking about it. But I am awesome with repetition, and if I repeat it enough times I am golden.

I like to be super on time! (or I am still learning how to use my new Garmin...)

My pretty sweet new coach shirt.

Good Morning!!!!

So here's the thing. I don't want to say anything negative about New Jersey, but with out fail, every time I go there I get some kind of lost. And then I get angry and frustrated. Lose lose. Thankfully the park we were meeting at is RIGHT by Ralph's office so he gave me great directions and I was there super early. And then I parked in the wrong parking lot. Excellent. This gave me plenty of time to practice with the Garmin and after a few minutes I got the hang of it. I jogged around the park until I met up with our wonderful mentor who helps out with practice. One by one our participants trickled in and then it was time to start practice. Meeting in such a small group was a change from last week but it gave it a much more laid back feeling which was great. I felt like I was just meeting up with friends for a run instead of leading this huge group workout. We were able to split up into two groups and head out.

AAAAAAND I got my Garmin to work! So when someone asks "what's our pace?" or "how far did we just run" I could answer with confidence instead of saying "oh about a mile". It really makes such a difference!

After our run - me with some of our fabulous NOVA teammates!

Bottom line, practice was great, the people are awesome and I am having a BLAST! Getting up early on Saturday mornings is totally worth it, and when practice is over I feel like I have really accomplished something for the day. I am loving meeting all the new people, hearing their stories, and helping them train.

Now if only the weather would warm up a bit...

xx Sara

Brace yourself

2011-02-15T09:52:00.002-05:00

Ralph is the proud new owner of one lovely new fashion accessory - a fitted knee brace to keep his knee cap in place! Yay! I'm happy, because he is on his way to getting better, but he is not happy because it is bulky and uncomfortable.

I was helping Ralph train for an 8-k when he started complaining of knee pain after one of his longer runs. First things first - stop running! But after it didn't go away in a week I started getting nervous. And he got discouraged. Multiple doctor's visits, an X-ray and an MRI later, he finally had a diagnosis that his knee cap was sliding out of place every time he bent his knee (ouch!). Thankfully he is taking the less intrusive route and getting the brace to stabilize it day to day, and going to physical therapy to strengthen all his muscles and hopefully is able to run again come spring, or maybe summer.

I don't know what's harder, being injured and not being able to run, or watching someone close to you be injured and not be able to run. I miss our runs along the tow path (thankfully it's cold so those aren't really an option anyways) and how we could easily chat about our day as we ran along. I am so proud of everything he has accomplished and I am just hoping for a speedy recovery so we can start running together again. With me taking some time off from marathons I think this year will be really great for running smaller races together.

As for me I have been so busy with wedding planning and Team Challenge coaching (and hating mother nature for winter - except when I am snowboarding) that I have been pushing my personal running aside. Saturday I was able to get outside for three great miles through the snow ice and what have you. It was cold but I FINALLY got to use my Garmin for the first time. I'm not even sure if I used it right, but I'm just excited I got to take it out of the box. Yesterday being valentines day was a huge wrench in my workout schedule. I didn't want to come home sweaty for our nice romantic dinner so I skipped the gym altogether and forced myself out of bed at 6am today to head to the gym before work.

It.

Was.

FAN-tastic.

I felt like amazing afterwards. Except for the waking up early part. But otherwise I feel like I am finally getting back on track. YAY!

xx Sara

Full Plate

2011-02-08T13:57:00.004-05:00

I would have to say I excel at taking on too many things at once. Kate Middleton has quit her full time job to spend all her time planning her wedding. Me? Hey why don't I take on a whole side job while also planning a wedding. Why not?

So if I am not writing in painstaking detail about every run and every workout - it is because I probably am busy getting confused what day of the week. Oh yeah, an

d also probably because I have not been working out that much.

Dear Mother Nature,

Enough of this winter business. I am cold.

xx Sara

What is this side job I have taken on? Assistant Coach for Team Challenge! I know only a crazy person would say yes to all this extra work at the EXACT same time they get engaged, but that just proves I'm crazy (In case there was any doubt). I couldn't help it. I love running, and I love being involved with Team Challenge. I have gone from participant, to mentor, and now I am moving on up the ladder. I am so excited to be able to work with first time runners or people taking on the 13.1 for the first time, and I am also excited to see what new things experienced runners will be able to teach me.

First time half marathon finishers!!

Oh yea, and on top of all THAT I am taking my RRCA coaching certification in April. It is going to be one CRAZY year, that's for sure.

cute - but we are NOT getting married in front of a giant boat painting.

xx Sara

Two wonderful Christmas presents and some new years resolutions.

2011-01-14T10:26:00.004-05:00

What's that you say? It's well past Christmas and a little late to just now start writing about new years resolutions? Oh well. I'm a happy girl so I don't really care that I am a little behind with a few things.

First of all, I received two amazing presents for Christmas. The best of all, was a fiance! That's right, he put a ring on it! I knew from the beginning, any boy that travels five and a half hours to spend the day with your extended family while you run a marathon, watches you throw up at the end and then hugs you, and to top it off, pulls you out of an ice bath and wraps you in a towel, he was a keeper. I was just waiting for him to be ready to take that next step. I couldn't be any happier if I tried.

Ralph and I at my friend's wedding back in October

The second best, was this little beauty.

A garmin and a fiance? I am one lucky girl!

Since Las Vegas (yes I know I have yet to even think about re-capping the amazingness that was the Rock and Roll Las Vegas Half) I planned to take off a week, which turned into two, which melted into Christmas chaos. Three days before Christmas, while exchanging presents in front of my brightly lit, but oh so fake Christmas tree, Ralph proposed. Christmas chaos turned into the glow of engagement chaos and running was quickly put on the back burner. If not for the weekly running schedule sent to me faithfully every Sunday night to remind me to get my butt in gear I would probably still be sitting on the couch every night, drinking champagne and eating chocolates. No really.

It took a while but I can finally say I am back into the swing of things and even signed up for my first race of the year last night! It's going to be a busy year, that's for sure. But one thing remains true, I will continue to work to fit everything in my schedule. And I will not become a bridezilla. Ok two things.

xx Sara

Arts and crafts for runners

2010-10-27T09:00:00.002-04:00

Boyfriend has been bugging me, probably since THIS post, about putting my medals somewhere they can be better displayed instead of on a giant hook next to my desk. I really like them there because I can look at them as I write, but he has a point, and for a while I have been just waiting for some genius idea to smack me in the face. And then it did.

Ok so I had some inspiration from Danica when she posted about her new room - but I had a little something bigger in mind. When I moved into my apartment after college, I had this screen print project I was in love with (although yes it is a little disturbing - but it was one of my favorite projects). It is a series of images of a young girl hugging her knees, printed on flattened fast food containers. From left to right the girl gets thinner and thinner as the ink gets lighter and lighter finally disappearing into nothing. It said a lot about my relationship with food at the time (something I have long grown out of) and the expectations of society especially in my field of fashion. But I digress. The awesome thing about this was the frame I had custom ordered to fit it all in. It is ridiculously long and skinny which is perfect to showcase all my medals in!

My original artwork in the custom made frame (yes some of the pieces should be straight but some started falling down)

So on Saturday afternoon, after my long run and after cleaning my apartment I decided I had some time I might as well tackle this project before it got away from me. I did this knowing that once I sealed everything up in the frame, the likely hood that I would take it apart to add more medals was zero. In another few years I guess I'll just have to start another frame.

There was no real plan. I opened up my box of race stuff and scattered my bibs all over until they looked good. The funny thing about my race bibs is almost all of them still have the pins on them. I never re-use pins. I can't say this is wasteful because I use so many safety pins every day at work they will probably end up making their way to the office one of these days. But I had to sit there tediously removing all the safety pins from every single bib! I forget how many races I've run in the past few years, from 5ks to 5milers, to 10 milers and beyond.

Medals scattered about

laying everything out - finally getting confident this is going to work!

Finished result!

My favorite part of this project was it really gave me the inspiration and motivation I needed for my last few weeks of training. Taking out my box of runing mementos and looking at all my medals I relived a lot of race moments and remembered all the pride and accomplishment I felt after crossing (almost) every finish line. It was exactly what I needed and now I am totally ready for the next four weeks, race day, and beyond. Bring it on Philly!

xx Sara

Running into trouble

2010-10-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

The idea that we are safe one hundred percent of the time is a false sense of security we give ourselves so we don't have to feel vulnerable. In today's world, women are stronger, more capable and more independent than ever, and we don't want to think there is anything that can take us down. Even if we are runners. Even if we want to run alone. And even if our solo runs have to happen at night after dark.

I will be the first to admit I am stubborn, and having been transplanted to Philadelphia from small town Massachusetts for college I got really good at being independent. Almost too good it would seem. I was good at never needing a boy around to take care of me and even after two years of dating Boyfriend I forget that he worries about me so much being alone on the road getting my miles in. If not for him I would not be carrying my phone in a SPI belt that night and for that (and many other reasons) I am so grateful that he watches out for me.

It was a crisp and chilly Tuesday night, Boyfriend and I were out running together which was unusual but in a good way. I love when we get to run together and my training doesn't feel like something that keeps us apart but rather something that keeps us together. But Boyfriend had 3 miles on the calendar (per his wonderful coach - me!) and I had eight so at 1.5 out he turned around to head home and I kept going, ready to get into the meat and potatoes of the workout. Last weeks tempo miles were consistent but too fast, this week I wanted them to be perfect.

Everything about the workout was going perfect. I was dressed just warm enough to be comfortable but not too much to be hot. My pace felt right on, and after every quarter mile I would look down at my watch and see perfect numbers. I was right on pace, and couldn't be happier. And then I heard the voice behind me, "Hey Ma'am".

I looked back to see a man on a bike pedaling towards me. I was more annoyed than surprised, I had encountered this guy on this same trail before, but I had sped up enough and there were enough other people around for him to get distracted and leave me alone. From what I observed he seemed to be a bit mentally slow, and went up to various women asking their names. I guess it was nothing but harmless if he leaves you alone, but when you're running and he gets up close to you, it gets a little scary.

Ten fold when it's dark, and you are alone. I know I shouldn't have been out there alone (anyone want to be my running buddy for the next four weeks). But I was out there alone, and I was having an amazing run until this guy got right up next to me and asked for my name. This is going to sound crazy but my first thought was actually "this guy is going to totally screw up my pace!!" I wasn't answering him, I pretended I was too out of breath to answer his questions, but he wouldn't let up. I told him I couldn't talk right now and he asked if he could follow me. No you cannot follow me, and I slowed down hoping he would just pedal away. But he didn't, so I sped up, I told him to go away, and he said he wasn't following me. I tried to stay calm, I really did, but at this point I didn't know what to do. He wasn't going away, and he stayed so close I was afraid he would run into me.

I was only three miles out, one mile left to go before I turned around but two extra miles wasn't worth dealing with this. I figured if I just turned around he would keep going and I would be fine. So I made a quick switch of direction and headed home. For a second he kept on course and I almost breathed a sigh of relief. Almost. Because then he turned around and got close to me again. All calmness and rationality in my brain left me and at that moment all I could think about doing was yelling. So I yelled "stop it, STOP IT" and at a last minute thought I pulled out my phone desperate to do anything to feel safe. And it worked. He turned around and headed away but the damage was done. I was completely freaked out.

Its funny how in a matter of seconds you can go from feeling invincible to feeling helpless and you can never go back. I know that this guy never did anything to really threaten me, but knowing I had no control over the situation and I didn't know what his next move would be left me shaken. I was comforted by the fact that two others out that night heard me, a runner and a biker, and stopped me to make sure I was ok. And on the way home I saw a cop and stopped to report the whole thing to him. We live in a scary world where you want to believe everything is going to be ok, but at the same time you want to do everything to protect yourself. You don't want to have to be paranoid, but you want to be prepared.

This is a large part of what kept me from running last week. I was just plain not ready to run at night, and was hating that my only other choice was the treadmill. I wish it didn't have to be this way, that we always have to watch our backs and be afraid of the dark. But it is, and we do. Be careful out there, wear light colored clothes at night, reflective gear if you have it. No headphones either and carry your phone with you. Right now I'm looking into carrying pepper spray with me - but I think it scares me just a little to know I may have to use it. Who knows what will happen in the next few weeks as I finish up my training for Philly. Maybe in part I am glad this whole thing happened so I can wise up and watch out for myself. Often times it takes something happening before people will change their stubborn ways. I just hope that by sharing this at least one person reads won't have to wit until something happens to change.

xx Sara

Fall off the horse, get right back on and keep riding

2010-10-24T16:00:00.003-04:00

Ever notice how there are times in your life when the words flow freely from your finger tips, thinking faster than you can type, wanting to record every second in the perfect words? And then there are times when nothing comes at all. You sit and stare and words float around in your brain but cannot choreograph themselves into anything you think is worth reading. Or suddenly you find yourself consumed by the busyness of life and don't want to waste a single second of living recounting every detail. But then again maybe you don't want to share with others that things are not going well. You already think you have let down the people closest to you, do you really want to tell the rest of the world you skipping almost three workouts in a row?

I guess my life lately has taken me on a combination of the last three. Busy + not knowing what to say + being in a running funk has me left with a big blank spot in my blog for the past two weeks.

I didn't want to write about how I was frustrated with running, or how I felt like it was sucking up all my time. I didn't want to write about my encounter with a crazy guy on a bike on one of my runs. I didn't want to write about how I hate the cold, I hate the dark, and I hate the treadmill. Even though my asthma is about ten times worse in the summer, I love that the daylight lasts so much longer and I look forward to my mid distance week day runs instead of dreading them. I didn't want to write about how I was so consumed my social events, weddings, bachelorette parties, trips to Manhattan that I almost completely skipped my long run last weekend.

But it wasn't long before I realized I was in a funk, and the only way out was to tell Jack about it. Not because I wanted someone to rant to - but because I knew it would make me own up to my slacking and figure out a way to make things worse. I was terrified that Jack would be mad, that I wasn't doing everything I was supposed to, but I wrote the email anyways. And of course my fears were irrational, and he told me not to worry missing a few workouts wouldn't kill me.

My major goal for this marathon is not a time goal. It is not to qualify for anything, it is not even to PR. I want to enjoy my training, and that means sometimes putting my friends or my work first, and putting running on the back burner for a day or two. Although I love to add up the numbers of my mileage and the times of my splits, I want to live that well balanced life in which my friends, my relationship, my work and my running. So I skipped a few workouts last week. But I went to Team Challenge Practice Saturday morning for a nice 8.5 miles, and then another 8.5 miles afterwards brining me to 17 miles total and I was feeling great the whole time. I was even feeling great afterwards as I spend the afternoon dancing around to some excellent old school boy bands while cleaning my apartment.

The Philadelphia Marathon is in exactly four weeks. In fact four weeks from now I will be recovering (hopefully well) on the couch with Boyfriend snuggled under a blanket or maybe even sleeping. I know how much I want to run this race, I know how much I want to run a GOOD race. Four weeks. It's going to take some planning and sometimes some sacrifice but I know I can make it all work out.

Four weeks.

xx Sara

Just Run

2010-10-11T11:38:00.003-04:00

Monthly Mileage - October

2010-10-01T20:00:00.001-04:00

In September I was ecstatic to find I had crossed the 100 mile mark for monthly mileage in August. Today I was excited for one of two things. My free 40 hours of Pandora reset. . . AND counting up my monthly mileage for September!

drum roll please . . . . . . 133!

Holy my goodness.

Today I kicked the month off with a nice five mile run at lunch. It almost didn't happen but I am pretty determined to stick to my schedule. It helped that my boss wasn't in today.

xx Sara

Worst. Run. Ever.

2010-09-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

It started out ok. Even though I had to pee since the second I left the office, and refused to stop at one of the port-a-potties along the trail (G-ross). Even though I was a little bit tired from having run four days in a row, and was into my fifth. Even though I was doing my first ladder workout. Even though I was wearing my watch which always made me run a little faster. I was just SO EXCITED to be out of the gym, off the treadmill and outside running.

I'm usually not that prissy when it comes to running. I get dirty, I sometimes spit, I don't mind running through puddles or running in the rain. Except I hate bugs. All summer there have been a large number of tiny little bugs swarming in some of my favorite running locals. Especially in the early evening time that I run, and maybe the fact that I am always running next to water. They are so tiny and almost invisible unless you are looking in the right light, but usually even that isn't a problem as long as you remember not to run with your mouth open (ew).

Yesterday's run, however, was nothing short of a disaster. What started out as good, started feeling awkward and icky after about a mile when I realized the bugs, instead of being in concentrated clusters along the road, were EVERYWHERE. I could feel them hitting my face, even when I kept my head down and looking at the ground. I began breathing with heavy exhales to avoid swallowing any in my path (this proved somewhat ineffective) and it was only a matter of time before one flew directly into my right eye causing me to stop completely, step off the path and blink until it was gone. When I stopped I realized that there were bugs stuck to the front of my shirt, my hands, and legs and I was beginning to get so frustrated I wanted to turn around and give up. I wanted to admit defeat and go home.

I was so close to quitting, but I made myself push on. "Just keep going," I told myself. Even if you don't end up doing the ladder workout, just get in the miles. Just shut up and do it so you can go home and feel proud of yourself. So I did. I kept going, shaking off my shirt and wiping off my face every now and then. I even managed to get through one ladder, my turn around point, and was halfway through my second ladder when another bug ended up in my eye. This time it was my left eye, and it hurt. Being that I was on the side of the road with no mirror I wasn't really sure how to get it out, but eventually I got it to feel better and I kept going.

Finally, as the sun went down, the bugs disappeared. I was able to complete the workout as planned, and was really proud of myself for not giving up when I was incredibly frustrated. I knew that pushing through something terrible will make parts of the marathon feel easier. And even though that run was incredibly disgusting, frustrating, and a little bit challenging at times, it STILL beat having to run eight miles in the gym.

This is what I felt like last night. Minus all the facial hair. And the really cool goggles.

xx Sara

What's in a name, a title, a number?

2010-09-28T17:00:00.001-04:00

I don't often spill much of my personal life onto these pages, often times because there is too much running related to talk about, but I also am of the belief that personal life is personal for a reason. I still have trouble accepting the direction that our society is going with all this over sharing (this coming from a self admitting twitter addict...) and the fact that so many people have access to so much information on the internet.

But the other day (ok yesterday to be exact) something happened at work that made me draw a parallel to the lessons I have been learning as a runner. I always love those moments when life and running come together and you realize you learn the same lessons throughout life that apply to multiple situations and help you become a better person.

Now I love my job, and when I say that I mean I love what I do every day. I may not always like certain aspects of what it means to be in the fashion industry, or being part of a corporate environment, but I like being a technical designer. I love working out patterns, and learning about the fit of garments. It's actually fascinating to know so many intricacies about something most people don't even know exist or take for granted. I cannot imagine myself doing anything else (unless that something else was coaching running, or working as a personal trainer. . . anyone want to hire me?). But I also know that your success in your career does't just depend on how hard you work or driven or dedicated you are, it depends on how much the people above you want to see you grow. Why someone would hold you down is beyond me, but I know it happens. And unfortunately I had to go through a year of my career where I more or less felt like I was left to fend for myself with no direction (and this is my opinion).

A year later, many departmental shifts and some staffing changes later, I am finally learning and enjoying my job more than ever instead of wanting to pull my hair out by the fist full before 10am. And just like you can train for months for a PR and miss my mere seconds, I have been working very hard for the past year to move forward, only to fall short of my goal.

I went through the typical emotions, anger, resentment, dissapointment etc. until I started to wonder what was more important to me, a title that said I was smart, or knowing that I have learned an immense amount in the past year and that I have a very technical job and I should be proud of my growth. Why does a title mater so much? So that everyone else knows I am smart, something I already know? And then it hit me, this was the EXACT debate I have with myself after ever race that doesn't result in a PR. Every race where I have to go into work the next day and when people ask me how I did, I try my best to explain that it was a well run race but I did not run my best time. But I know better than that. I know that through every race I have run this year my skills as a runner are getting stronger. I am learning even pacing, better training, better recovery, and with that will eventually come better times. Life requires a lot of patience, something I do not have a whole lot of, and along the way it should be your experiences that mark your growth and success, not the titles you have. I may not have the "right" job title, but I love my job. I may not have the "best" race PR, but I love racing. And on top of all that I have figured out how to have a really great relationship with Boyfriend, and make sure each area of my life gets the attention it deserves. Maybe if I only had one thing in life to focus on, I could be perfect at that one thing, but wouldn't that be just a little bit boring, not to mention lonely?

It would seem that we are a society obsessed with labels. So the question is what do YOU value more, the skills you have, or the titles and times associated with them?

xx Sara

Sweet Sixteen

2010-09-27T14:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday was a big day, filled with cupcake baking, running errands, and a date night among other things. But first I had to conquer sixteen miles. Lately though, I have been feeling like my life is beings stretched thin in all directions, and a long run was just one more thing I felt like I didn't have enough time for. I ended up working late on Friday, and had to skip my run that day altogether. By the time I left the office I was just totally drained. I decided a large bowl of coffee ice cream would be the perfect way to decompress. For one reason or another I ended up staying up way later than I had planned so when my alarm went off at 6am I was not in a good mood.

I did not have my usual Shot Blocks (Instead I had Gu Chomps from the Philly RnR race expo) and I had a minimal amount of Gatorade left in my apartment, and I was plain old just not looking forward to my run. Despite all those reasons, I left my house ahead of schedule, hoping I could fit in some extra miles before Team Challenge practice. Practice was being held at Mondauk Commons, which is a one mile loop trail with soccer and baseball fields in the center. I wasn't sure how I felt about running sixteen one mile laps, so I packed my Ipod along for the ride (and thank goodness I did).

Luckily as I arrived at the park, so did one of our wonderful coaches Dana, and we were able to fit in five miles (not sure why I was running at such a fast pace). The whole time I was feeling great until we stopped and I was hit with an intense wave of nausea - most likely because it was H-O-T and sticky out and I needed fluids ASAP. I downed my Gatorade and felt much better, ready to start round two. After a quick stretching clinic all the Team Challenge participants headed off for an hour workout around the park. My group completed five miles, which brought me to a total of ten. Not bad, if I could just get through six more laps I would be golden! And it was only 10 am.

I desperately needed my Ipod for those last six laps though. The first one was a bit slow, my legs were a bit sore from having stopped and rested, but after that I was warmed up and in a nice groove. The music kept me moving, and I kept drinking as much fluid as I could, did I mention it was HOT? I kept counting down the laps, four more, three more, two more, last one, only half a mile, home stretch, and before I knew it I was done! Not only that but I totally picked up the pace for that last half mile. When it was over, I felt that familiar feeling of disbelief. it's not that I am not confident in my abilities to run long distance, it's just the amount of miles is so great I always surprise myself when I complete a long run.

After a run like that, I would have loved nothing more than to go home and soak in an ice bath with some coffee, but that wasn't the plan. It was a long day of baking cupcakes, a few glasses of wine, and a dinner date with Boyfriend for some CPK (I had a BLT pizza - YUM!)

Quite frankly I am really proud of where I am in my training. Right now the only thing that stands between me and the marathon is eight weeks of training. No other races, no other goals, just training for the big show at this point. I have made it very far with out getting myself hurt, although last week was a bit of a disaster with work taking up so much of my time, but every now and again running is going to have to take a backseat as I learn to balance everything out.

The only thing I struggle with at high mileage is my diet. Up to 20-25 miles a week I can usually keep myself balanced out, I eat really well only treating myself to sweets or junk food every now and again. My usual rule with eating is eat what I want when I want it (within moderation) and drink a lot of water (it helps you feel fuller and hydration is good for you!). But once I hit upwards of 30 miles a week all I want to eat is ice cream and cupcakes. it doesn't help that I am on a big baking kick lately either. Do you experience intense food cravings when you get into higher mileage? How do you keep from going crazy and eating everything in sight? (As in Sunday morning, I woke up and ate two slices of pizza, a cupcake, a glass of chocolate milk, and an egg sandwich for breakfast) Help!!

xx Sara

Your best race isn't always your fastest

2010-09-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

I am still adjusting to waking up in the dark. But on this morning I am up before my alarm goes off, almost hopping out of bed before I realize it is only 5am and I need my sleep. It is Sunday. Race day. So I drift back into dreamland for a while longer, until my alarm shakes me from the quiet and I know I must start getting ready.

Pre-race ritual is usually sunblock all over, then body glide, then getting dressed. I start to make breakfast, and pour myself a glass of half water half Gatorade and at the same time I prep my water bottle for the race. Everything is laid out neatly on my living room table, my bib pinned to my shirt, extra clothes already packed, it's almost too easy. I am excited about this race, even though it is dark, and I am tired and want to crawl back into bed, I have a really good feeling. This really good feeling may be because I have Katie Perry's "Teenage Dream" playing in my ears and I am fashioning my hair into a perky ponytail onto which I will attach my lucky team challenge bow. But it does't matter why I am feeling good, just that I am. Before I know it Boyfriend is outside and ready to go. I throw on a jacket, grab my bag and we are on our way.

I should have known when I walked out the front door and did not feel a chill of fall air that it would be a warmer day than planned, but under my jacket was my Team Challenge singlet, the perfect race top. Parking was a disaster. I chose to park in the Powelton village area, because it's just a short walk across the Spring Garden Bridge to the art museum (which is a really good warm up) and because I used to live in that area in college and I like the familiarity of it all. It took about fifteen minutes to find a spot, after lots of cursing, and and U-turns. Thankfully I had left plenty of time for this.

Poor Boyfriend was not feeling well, and could not sense my urgency of getting to the race area so I could use the bathroom. If there is anything I am afraid of, it is being in the bathroom when the race starts. The bigger the race the more afraid I am. Yes I realize afterwards there is a whole lot of standing around and waiting but I would rather have the bathroom thing out of the way. We found the finish line, picked a meeting place (for after the race), and by some sort of dumb luck found a group of port-a-potties that did not have an insanely long line. Hey I'm not complaining one little bit.

This is when I started to feel nervous. I don't know why, maybe it was that I hadn't spend the day before resting, or that I had gone on a 3 mile walk the day before, or maybe I realized this was a true test of my fitness thus far, and I didn't want to disappointed myself. I had my plan in my head, drink and food in my hand, and I went over the course with Boyfriend. I told him where the race went, how long it would take me to get to each point, and when I expected to cross the finish. I advised him to go down to the start and watch for me to cross the start line so he would know when to expect me to finish. As it turns out that wasn't very helpful.

The corals were crowded and full of conversation. I chose to stay quiet and simply observe everything going on around me. All the first timers, the decorated shirts, discussions about playlists and choice of media player and headphones. Fuel belts, headbands, I watched others stretch and discuss strategy. It is probably one of my favorite things about races, being surrounded by so many others that understand your passion or love for the sport. Of course there are plenty of newbies and people that don't get like you do, but the chances that the ones who understand are right there with you are higher than ever. Slowly but surely we made our way to the start (coral 11) and the race was beginning. This was my race, I owned it, I was in charge of it.

Mile 1 is always the hardest to keep pace. There is always so much excitement, the spectators are out in full force cheering, hollering, ringing cow bells and waving signs. It feels great and you just want to rocket through feeling like a rock star. But I hold myself back because I know this race is a test, this race is a practice for Philly and I want it to be right. I soak up the scenery, the people around me, the music, but a part of me is alone in my head, concentrating on what I need to do. Thankfully it worked, and at mile 1 I am happy with my split time, right on target and I feel great. Mile 2-3 felt great as well but pacing wise, that is where things started getting screwy. I never saw the mile 3 marker, so I didn't check my pace until I got to the 5k marker, which threw me off a bit (the downfalls of not having a Garmin, but I hear they were all screwy in the city anyways). So when I hit mile 4 my pace was also thrown off. I started relying on my breathing to gauge my pace instead of my time. If I was out of breath I was too fast and needed to slow down. Between 4 and 5 I saw Boyfriend on the sidelines (who was finally able to get some coffee) and then caught up with a co-worker who was running the race as well. I stuck with her for about two miles (missed a marked in there somewhere) until I realized I was going a bit fast, but at this point the race was more than half over and the idea of slowing down wasn't sitting well with me.

This was the part of the race where the course gets boring, and it is easy to slow down, but my body refused. All I could remember was the last four miles of the PDR in 2007 and running as everyone around me passed me, my legs just not containing enough energy to keep up the pace from earlier in the race. I kept telling myself "not this time, don't let yourself slack, just keep pushing". As a practice race for Philly I should have slowed down. But there was a part of me, a selfish irresponsible part of me that really wanted to see what I was made of, that really wanted to see how hard I could push myself. I held the pace. Before I knew it we were at Falls bridge, the rest was just a home stretch, and that's when the sun came out. I was still feeling somewhere between good and great, literally singing to myself every now and again to make sure I wasn't pushing it too hard. I can't explain what happened to me in those last few miles, where my energy came from or why, but I pushed forwards in a way I never have before. In the last few miles of that race I tapped into an energy that had laid inside me dormant, just waiting for me to learn to race properly. Start out easy, give it everything you have at the end.

Oh and what an end it was. The sun in your eyes, the crowd cheering louder and louder as you approach the finish, that 13 mile marker looking like heaven to my tired eyes. A mere 0.1 mile stood between me and glory. And as I looked at my watch and realized I was going to have my best half marathon race of the year I was in such disbelief. That race, was amazing.

2:02:47 is my official chip time. And while this is not a PR (1:57:01) I am more proud of this race, than my PR race. When I got my PR I was sloppy and inexperienced. I went out far too fast and paid for in on the second half. I didn't drink or fuel at all during the race, and when I crossed the finish line I wanted to die. Literally die because the second half was so miserable. I think it shows I have come a long way. I am proud and excited in so many ways I cannot even explain. Because I know once I perfect my racing skills of even pacing and even effort, faster times will come as well. I am now more excited than ever to keep training for Philly, knowing that I am only going to get stronger with the right training. I'm ready to fall in love with the marathon again.

What do you value more? Running a smart race, or running a PR no matter how miserable it was to get?

xx Sara

Let's Rock & Roll

2010-09-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

Two days stand between me and one of my favorite races, Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half Marathon (previously known as the Philadelphia Distance Run. One of the main reasons I would say I am so fond of this race, is it is the course where I have my half marathon PR. The time of year is a perfect mix of summer and fall. It will also be my third half marathon of the year, and I still have two races left to go after this one. Crazy? Maybe a little bit.

Although I have only run this race once before, I also coupled it with the Philadelphia Marathon. It has never been my "main event" race, so it has never made me nervous. Maybe that is why I did so well. The night before I hung out with friends, I ate pizza, and stayed up a little late (for a pre-race night). When I was running I just had fun. Hopefully Sunday brings all those same things. I am also super psyched that I know so many people running! It is a little strange knowing that this race was originally going to be my "main event" race, but plans changed when I signed up for the Philly full instead of the half. Part of me feels weird knowing that of all the races I'm running this year non of them really reflects my best effort in terms of speed. Which isn't a big deal because I know with every race I become better at other skills than just running fast. It's almost as if i am delving beneath the surface of the race and learning to become a better runner.

Since this race is essentially a dress rehearsal for the big 26.2 in November there are a few things I am working on

- even pacing -

- carrying a water bottle and hydrating through out the race (this should be interesting as race pace will be faster than training pace -

- carrying shot blocks and eating one every few miles instead of three at mile six, or nothing at all -

- Shooting for a pace/finish time that would be similar effort to the marathon -

Oh yea and I hope the T-shirt is cool looking. Lord knows I need another T-shirt like I need a hole in my head (as my mother would say).

xx Sara

Mantras Chants and Cheers

2010-09-14T22:00:00.001-04:00

True story - I was a high school cheerleader

It only took a few steps into my run last night before I realized I had made a tragic wardrobe mistake. No I didn't forget to put on any items of clothing as I have done before, I was wearing the right socks, shoes, shorts, sports bra, and then I looked down at my shirt. I was wearing my younger sister's Spartan Basketball T, and although it is pretty common for me to wear my sister's T's, this was one that I liked to save for non-working out. Instead of turning around to change, or getting all bent out of shape at the thought of permanent sweat smell, I was instantly reminded of a cheer.

"We are the Spartans

The mighty mighty Spartans

Everywhere we go

People want to know

Who we are

So we tell them

We are the Spartans

The mighty mighty Spartans. . . "

And it goes on for something like three repeats. Yes I was a Spartan, a Red and White and Grey Spartan. Not of the SNL version, but when I was in college, someone actually mistook my high school cheer sweatshirt for an SNL.

Get to the point girl! Ok so as I am running, I am chanting this Spartan cheer in my head. I loose track of the scenery around me, I don't focus on my pace, or my steps, and before I know it I have ran two miles. Every now and then I will get distracted by a thought of something to plan, like what to make for dinner. But like a tag-a-long little sister it is always trailing behind me ready to pounce "Everywhere we go, people want to know, who we are, so we tell them. . . "

Then I start to realize, most people have running mantras, and I have cheers and chants. Saying things like "stay strong" or "keep moving forward" don't help me as much as they bore me. Do they help you? Do you use them? Instead of saying something that reminds me of what I'm doing, I need something to take my mind OFF of running. So I chant, I sing, I make up stories. Anything to distract my mind from the rest of the miles left to go.

And so the run went on into the night, the air getting cool and dark "everywhere we go. . . " thinking about what I needed to get done at work the next day, what needed to be sent out and what could wait until later "people want to know. . . " wondering what I had to make for dinner when I got home. Was there anything to cook? Was there anything in the freezer? Was there any wine? Should I even have more wine? Maybe I'll just have cupcakes for dinner. No that would defeat the purpose of being out here on this run burning all these calories. "who we are. So we tell them. . . " Also things I have to do when I get home, write emails, write some fundraising letters. Since I have a night to myself (not staying with Boyfriend) I can probably accomplish a lot of things! Oh maybe I'll even blog when I get home, that would be great, because otherwise I can't do it at work tomorrow "we are the Spartans the mighty mighty Spartans."

And before I realize it, I am rounding the corner to my apartment. Another run conquered.

xx Sara

Fun Fact - I am obsessed with cupcakes

2010-09-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

Strawberry banana nomnomnom

One of our fun "getting to know the team ice breakers" at the first few team challenge practices is saying your name and a fun fact about yourself. So of course I have to confess my obsession with cupcakes. Baking decorating and eating.

And of course it relates back to running - I run to eat.

When did I start baking like Betty? In college, whenever it was rainy or gloomy or cold, all I wanted to do was bake. Usually cookies, sometimes brownies, and on occasion cupcakes. I loved mixing and tasting and then sharing a batch of freshly baked goodies with all my classmates. After all we spend so many hours a day together sewing masterpieces we became more like family.

After college money got tight and I took a baking hiatus. It just didn't make sense to spend so much money on so many calories, or food I was giving away to everyone else. I managed to buckle down, pay off a lot of debt, and get myself in a better place. And then I decided to make cupcakes for Boyfriend's birthday in July. His favorite being red velvet. At first I was scared at such a serious recipe, the first time I made cupcakes from scratch they turned out dense and the frosting was overly sweet. I carefully measured, sifted, whipped, stirred and frosted. And they were AMAZING. Every day I had one cupcake for lunch and it literally was the highlight of my entire day. They were THAT good.

Chocolate peanut butter - amazingly rich and delicious

Pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting and trying my hand out at some rosettes.

And now I am just obsessed. So far I am just floating in the realm of looking up and trying different recopies online. Combining different cake and icing flavors so suit my different cravings. I watch Cupcake Wars on the Food Network to get inspired for fun new creations (and of course Boyfriend teases me because I cannot stand the host of the show but I watch anyways). Really i cannot think of two things that go better together than running and baking. Burn calories, replace calories. Pretty perfect if you ask me.

Are you hungry yet?

xx Sara

Fresh as Fall

2010-09-10T16:00:00.000-04:00

The past two days I may have been in a slump. I may have felt like there just weren't enough hours today. And this morning when I woke up at 6am and it was still dark I realized why. It's that time of year again. Fall. Don't get me wrong, I love fall. I can find something beautiful and amazing about every season, and fall in particular I can find many somethings. Running amongst the rainbow of changing foliage, the cool temperatures for long runs, apple cider (cold and hot), cider donuts, the need for chic running jackets (Like THIS ONE), my lungs love the crisp fresh air and of course it is the height of marathon season.

At the moment I am bogged down my work, boyfriend, friends, Team Challenge (Please donate today!), and just trying to have a life. The days are getting shorter, and fitting everything in just seems like a chore some days. I have to keep reminding myself of all the good things that come with the season change. Yes the fall may be more challenging but it brings a fresh change and perhaps I will start breathing better. After my little bitty set back from the past two days, I was very excited to wake up early today and hit the treadmill before work. A little Jackson 5, N'sync and four miles later I felt like myself again. I'm glad I let my body take the break it was asking for. I don't want to get in the habit of skipping runs, but I am happy to know I can survive if it happens every now and again. And I am really happy that I have lots of people around me who support me and push me forward when I am falling back.

Are you in love with fall and all things pumpkin flavor as much as I am? This weekend I am testing out a new pumpkin cupcake recipe, after my 15 mile long run of course!

xx Sara

Playing hookey

2010-09-09T21:30:00.000-04:00

You know those days where nothing is going right? Everything seems to be wrong and all your mistakes come tumbling down into your lap. Yesterday was one of those days. And I literally couldn't wait to leave the office and head home for a 7 mile run. The weather was gorgeous, not to hot, not to cold. A Goldilocks just right late summer evening. I was stressed to the max. I knew running would clear my head and serve as the perfect outlet for my frustrations.

But when I walked in the door to my apartment I decided to take five minutes to sit down and decompress. Five minutes was all it took to turn me off completely from the idea of running. At first I tried to guilt trip myself. I thought about pushing it off until tomorrow. In the end I gave up and went to make dinner. The rest of my night, although relaxing still felt lacking. I knew the real reason I wanted to skip my run. Time. There just wasn't enough of it in the day. I wanted to cook dinner, I wanted to go to bed before 11pm. Running is just taking up too much time. But I still want it. What a dilemma.

Today, although I had all the optimism in the world nothing was going my way. I promised myself I would make up for yesterdays missed miles, but before I knew it, it was after 6pm and I was still at the office. Boyfriend and I had dinner plans, I had things to prepare before visiting a friend of mine after work tomorrow. Yet again, not enough time. No running.

Partly, I was disappointed that I had scared my "perfect record". I had run every workout that was given to me since the very beginning of training. I had been so proud of myself, and my dedication. But with this little miss comes the realization that no one is perfect, and I cannot expect to hit the mark every single time. Old Sara would have looked at this as a huge set back. Old Sara would have blamed work for stressing her out and gotten angry that there wasn't enough time in the day. But when I started this journey I promised myself I would change. Even if that means how I react to set backs.

So I am taking this little bump in the road as just that. So I missed a run. I realize it was one of my longer runs of the week, but I am not going to beat myself up for not running a workout I am too burnt out to do. Tomorrow I will run my four miles as planned. Saturday I will run my 15 as planned. And a week from now I will be forgetting this ever happened. Part of this experience is the journey, figuring out how to make running work around my life, my friends, my boyfriend, and work. Every now and again I have to realize that running cannot be number one. Like Jack said to me today "Running, like a good friend, will always be there when you are ready to go back to it"

Do you ever get in a running slump? Loose your passion for the road? Do you let it get to you or brush it off like nothing and move on?

xx Sara

Long weekend get away

2010-09-07T10:30:00.000-04:00

If you're like me, no matter where the destination, if you're packing for vacation the first thing in your bag is sneakers, and running clothes. It's the only constant that I will find time for a long run. Running on vacation gives me a sense of exploration and freedom. A chance to see the destination from a new viewpoint. This weekend was no exception. Saturday I woke to my mother tapping my foot, just itching to get out the door so we could get back and start the party. Together we ran 11 miles, along route 1 in Madison CT, and then I stopped back at the house to fill up my water bottle and ran 3 more miles to bring me to my grand total of 14 for the day. There was no time for my usual post long run routine as the party was just getting started. I quickly showered and began a cooking, drinking, eating and laughing extravaganza that lasted until I passed out around 9:30pm.

I thought that would be my only early morning beach run, until Boyfriend and I decided to stay one more night, which would mean leaving early Monday morning, and running even earlier. When I woke up morning I was greeted by a gorgeous sunrise and FREEZING temperatures. Although my pace was a little bit brisk due to the chill in the air (I could see my breath for most of the run) I ran along quiet back roads listening to nothing more than the sound of my footsteps on the ground and my breathing. It was magical. There were no cars, no city noises, no people talking except for the occasional "hello" to other runners and bikers passing by.

I was sad to leave such a relaxing amazing place but happy for the time I was able to spend there.

If I woke up to this every morning, I think I would be extra inclined to go for more 6am runs.

Imagine drinking your coffee and breakfast, and then stretching pre-run with this view

xx Sara

Team Challenge + VEGAS!

2010-09-02T21:00:00.001-04:00

If I learned anything from my 10+ years as a Girl Scout (thanks Mom) it's help others at all times. That and selling sweet cookies makes one awesome fundraiser. But since the Girl Scouts already have that market cornered, I guess I'm going to have to come up with some fresh new ideas for my second round with Team Challenge.

That's right. The half marathon program I so fondly talked about here and here. The one I decided to join because Boyfriend has Crohn's disease and I can't just sit around the house and do nothing, pretending I can live in my own little bubble where nothing affects me.

What's your selfless act for the year? One of our wonderful team members for this season will proudly stand up and say that joining Team Challenge is her selfless act. She is amazing. You can be amazing too. Join Team Challenge. Or if that is too much of a commitment (and I understand I really do, it requires a lot of dedication and effort) please think about making a (TAX DEDUCTIBLE!) donation. It's quick and painless (unlike the half marathon which is long and sometimes hurts) just visit my fundraising site!!!

xx Sara

100+

2010-09-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to September, one of my favorite running months of the year. I am in love with September weather. Late summer heat is still around, but the nights are breezy and cool, making a post work run the most amazing way to unwind. The leaves are turning, the humidity is retreating, and they air may start to chill just enough to be comfortable. It also means race season is underway.

So yesterday morning, after checking my emails, sipping my fabulous iced coffee, and mentally plotting out my to-do list a fabulous idea came over me. I need to tally up my monthly mileage from August! Now this is not something I usually do, or care about, but I like large even numbers, like 50 and 100, and I like to see how far I've come.

Off the wall comes my trusty training calendar, out of the desk drawer comes the calculator (because it was too early in the morning to do mental math...) and after a couple of clickity clicks the number 115 is staring me in the face. At first I think there must be a mistake. 115 is the highest monthly mileage I have run all year. I sure don't FEEL like I have run 115 miles in the past month. But the numbers are right there staring me in the face. All of a sudden I start to feel really good. I mean I was feeling good before but now I am feeling REALLY good. I can't believe I had managed to accomplish so much in so little time. Especially because when August started I was coming off of two weeks of NO RUNNING whatsoever.

Just further proof that if I take things slow, follow my training schedule, I am on the road for a really good race come November.

xx Sara

Rainy day disasters and sunny disposition

2010-08-24T12:00:00.001-04:00

I had seven miles on my calendar yesterday, and mother nature had rain on hers. I don't exactly love running in the rain, but I will tolerate it for training. And truth be told there are much worse weather conditions to endure. Cold being one of them. But yesterday was not cold. It was gorgeous. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, topped off with a baseball cap and my trusty Disneyland Half Marathon windbreaker. Yes I realize I may look a little silly wearing a mouse on my jacket. Not exactly the serious runner type, but maybe that's the point, maybe all running should not be taken so seriously.

Seven miles through the rain, sure beat seven miles on the treadmill. It was not my best run, my breath was short and I knew exactly why. I had neglected to pack my Flovent for the weekend and hadn't taken it since Saturday morning. I was really starting to notice what a difference it was making to take it not just once a day but twice. And now I hadn't taken it in two days. Never the less I managed to make it the whole way. I marveled at the beauty of the misty evening, wondering if the sidewalks would be mine alone or if other runners would be braving the weather. Much to my surprise there were more than I could keep count of.

I could't believe that I was running seven miles on a Monday. Four weeks ago seven miles was not even my mileage for the WEEK let alone for a day. I was so pleased with myself after completing that run. I know a lot of people who would have skipped running, or cut the mileage in half and spent an hour on the dreadmill. But that thought never even crossed my mind. I knew that no matter how much it rained I would go out there and put in the miles. Sometimes that is even more an accomplishment than a time or a distance. Just having the determination to go out and train no matter what (ask me again in November if i have this same attitude about the cold...)

So this morning when I woke up for work, I was feeling fresh and positive. I swung my feet out of bed and headed to the kitchen for breakfast and that's when things started going wrong. I spilled things, I dropped things, I tripped over things, and although I managed to get dressed in a decent outfit the kicker was when I spilled a pot of iced coffee ALL OVER my kitchen. At first I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. This day was starting to blow and it wasn't even 8am! But instead I kicked off my heels, rolled up my jeans and turned on some tunes. The sound of music instantly lifted my mood and I began a thorough cleaning.

Was my attitude about running starting to creep into my real life? Was I not crying over spilled coffee because I knew there was nothing I could do but clean it up? Just like if things don't go as planned on race day, or on a long run for that matter that I just have to suck it up and keep going? Before I knew it was I singing along as I mopped up the floor, thinking that on the bright side my kitchen now smells like delicious hazelnut creme instead of dirty dishes and trash.

Lesson learned? So what if it rains or if it's hot or if things spill or if you are late and nothing is going your way. A positive attitude may be the only thing standing between you and happiness.

xx Sara

Running is a Journey. Enjoy every mile.

2010-08-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

One of the reasons I am training for the Philly Marathon, is to conquer my fears. To prove to myself that I can successfully train for and run a marathon, and then pick myself right back up and run another one with our spiraling into dissapointment.

Although it has only been one week since I completed my "running homework" and was forced to face my real fears about this distance, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I run freer now that I have in weeks. Mostly because I have accepted this training as a journey, instead of a destination.

Training, for me, cannot be about just getting to race day. It's about every day I get to go out there and run. Every day that I have the strength and physical ability to challenge by body, to exercise it and make it stronger. Every run is an opportunity to observe nature, observe people, enjoy life.

Once I started realizing that these weeks and months are not a means to an end, and that I want so much more beyond this one race, I think my whole body just let go. All I can do is my best and then on race day just go with whatever happens. It won't be my last race. Far from it. And as long as I can set my sights on that, and enjoy every run along the way, I can be happy.

xx Sara

Third time's a charm

2010-08-22T12:46:00.002-04:00

Three weeks into marathon training and I'm finally starting to feel like I'm getting somewhere. Two weeks off is a lot and at first I just felt like I was plodding along to nowhere on my runs. But this week was different.

Running five days a week was not hard on my body, but it's been hard on my social life. Who wants to hang out with someone who's all sweaty and gross? Thankfully I have gained one new running friend and it's worked out well that once a week we get to run together so I don't feel so anti social. Physically though, the easy pace combined with slowly building up my mileage and five days of running has been great. I feel like I've gone 0-60 in three weeks.

I was even exited for this weeks 11 mile long run. I was so un-phased by the distance I even went a little wild and crazy and had Indian food with a glass of wine for dinner. Followed by an english muffin, chocolate chip cookies and a large glass of ice water. A little out of the box from my usual Friday night dinner of pizza and water.

When 6:30 am saturday rolled around I hopped out of bed, collected all my running gear and tiptoed out of the bedroom. Step one: spray myself down with sunscreen. Step two: awkwardly stand around as it dries. I ate a quick breakfast, got dressed and threw on a baseball cap. I always make sure to wear sunscreen but lately I like the added protection of a hat. I grabbed my camera, a bottle of gatorade and threw my phone in my SPI belt and headed out the door.

The morning was gorgeous, cool and quiet. I enjoyed the quiet two mile trek down to Falls Bridge, and then once I had gotten onto Kelly Drive I watched all the other running passing me by in every direction. Young, old, tall, short, men and women all our running. Some with fuel belts, some with water bottles, some slow and some fast. But for a moment we can all share in the same thing. Running.

The father I run, and the closer I get to the museum, the more people crowd the trail. Short distance runners maybe but runners non the less. I stop every now and then to take a quick picture, a sip of gatorade and keep going. I expect that as I head back home I'm going to start feeling tired, but tiredness doesn't come. I don't even stop to walk when I get to the almost three quarter mile long uphill climb at mile ten.

Before I know it, I am done. I have finally completed a long run with out taking walk breaks. I would have been feeling on top of the world but my eyes are burning. I can barely keep them open. It seems that my sweat has dripped sunscreen into my eyes. Thankfully Boyfriend is at the door when I walk in, ready to get me a tall glass of ice water as I rinse my face. So now it would seem I am on the lookout for a new brand of sunscreen, only for my face. Previously I have been using Neutrogena Ultimate Sport 75+ for face. Specifically for my face and it burns my eyes! What kind of crazy is that?

Apart from the eye burning, the rest of my recovery went smoothly. One tall glass of chocolate milk, one toasted english muffin with peanut butter and banana, one quick ice bath, a shower and back to bed. I ended up sleeping from 10am to 3pm, with a short break to wake up and eat again. Some people would say I am sleeping the day away, but I just know I am the type who needs to make up for all these early mornings.

So week three is done. Today is all about resting, and eating, and on Monday week four begins. Here we go!

xx Sara

Are you afraid of the marathon?

2010-08-17T23:24:00.003-04:00

I'm not particularly. But I have been throwing around the word afraid a lot lately. Mainly in reference to a certain 26.2 mile race, the marathon, maybe you've heard of it? I should have been smart and kept my mouth shut, but we all know I'm not very good at that, and if I had I wouldn't have gotten to write this awesome essay for Jack as my "running homework". Basically he caught on to the fact that I was continuously noting how "scared" or "afraid" I was of the marathon and made me face my fears by writing down exactly what my fears were. My guess is it was an attempt to make me face my fears, until I realized I was already facing them.

When I was first given the task, I had a million thoughts running through my head. I wanted to start writing right away. But then I started letting it settle and figured it would be the perfect thing to think about on Saturday's long run. I talked about it with Katie, I talked about it with my mom, I talked about it with Boyfriend, and I thought about it when I ran alone.

I really like running, I can finish a half marathon, it's just that extra 13.1 that has me feeling a little nervous. It has a lot to do with my disappointment in my prior performance. It has a lot to do with my asthma and feeling like I would never be as fast as I used to be. It has a lot to do with me always being hard on myself and always thinking I can do better, push harder, run faster.

And then yesterday, on a solo five miler on the quiet streets of my hometown, it hit me. Yes I was sometimes afraid, yes I realize I have to adjust my goals for this race, and yes I have to deal with my asthma. But I was already two weeks deep in training, I was working with a totally different coach, I had built up a great base running all year long, and the pure and simple fact that I had signed up and committed myself to this race was proof that I wasn't so scared after all.

I need this race to prove to myself that 26.2 is not that scary. It will not chew me up and spit me back out barely alive. I will not need to quit running for months afterwards I will not get burnt out. I will train smart. I will race smart. And when Philadelphia is over I will keep going.

xx Sara

What's so bad about the word 'jog'?

2010-08-09T09:00:00.003-04:00

When Jack emailed me my training schedule for this up coming week, the first thing I noticed was that he had written "easy jog" next to every mileage. This didn't come as much of a surprise since he had been reminding me all last week to take my runs very easy and apart from Monday's four miles, I wasn't exactly listening. It wasn't that I was deliberately disobeying. I was trying to be a rebel. I just couldn't help it. I know what my body can do when pushed, and call me crazy I actually like, from time to time, feeling all out exhausted after a run. But I get it. One week of international travel and one week of sick do not equal a speedy jump back into the fast paced world.

I wasn't surprised but I may have cringed a little bit. I can't help it. I have a strong dislike for the word 'jog'. When running with others I will often use the word 'trot' instead of 'jog', because although they are similar, the first doesn't sound too bad. It burns my mouth to say it, and my ears to hear it. Especially if someone were to call me a 'jogger' instead of a runner. Almost as if they are saying I am not fast enough to fall into the category of runner. But is there really a difference? And should I really be offended?

Jogging is just slow, easy running. So when I went out for my long run Saturday morning, I swallowed my pride, and accepted the fact that if I wanted to train smart and make it to race day in good shape (and let's face it, that is really my ultimate goal here) I needed to get in my miles, no matter what pace I was running. At first there was no one on the street with me and I enjoyed the rest my walk breaks allowed me and how they helped keep my pace on track. But after awhile my route turns onto the west end of Kelly Drive and ever so slowly the path becomes more and more crowded. People start to pass me. But I don't care anymore. It is a gorgeous morning, I am out for my long run, covering the most consecutive miles in over a month. I feel great. No one can get me down. Even after three pairs of old men pass me. Even after ladies in big over sized teeshirts and fanny packs pass me. Even after I have to walk half a mile because it is a half mile uphill and today, I am just not up for it. I was more proud that I had finished the distance, even if it did take me two hours.

Last time I trained for a marathon I went out too early, too hard, and the race fell apart. This time I want different results. I want a race I can be proud of. If that means easy jogging my way through four months of training than so be it. I realize that perhaps the term jogging on its own may sound kind of soft. Somewhat easy and not very much of a challenge. If I said "I jogged down the block" it doesn't have the same ring as "I jogged 8.5 miles this morning".

Maybe the word 'jog' isn't so bad after all. Just like maybe the word 'marathon' or the number '26.2' doesn't totally terrify me and sound impossible.

It just scares me a little bit

xx Sara

It's been a while, but I'm back now.

2010-08-08T09:34:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since I have felt I really had anything worth saying. And in those brief moments where I really wanted to shout "hey world listen to what I have to say" I would write down my thoughts in my notebook and then forget they ever happened.

In short, I spend a week traveling in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, for work. The hours were ridiculously long and tiring. Often spending our mornings and afternoons walking around various factories and our evenings driving back to our hotels, dinners, and then answering emails and writing re-caps back to the office until 1 or 2am. My poor faithful running shoes came with me on that long journey, and patiently sat in my suitcase waiting to be bought out. I told myself I knew it wasn't going to happen, but maybe just once, maybe just a mile? I needed some sort of exercise, I was feeling soft and lazy. My running shoes, sadly, never got used that week.

When I returned to the US, after a weekend of much rest and doing nothing, I was ready to begin officially training for the Philadelphia Marathon. This was it. The Big Time. Monday after work boyfriend and I set out for a nice easy two miles, and for me two more nice easy miles after that. I felt great, like I was back in the game, ready to go, ready to train. Until Tuesday morning I woke up and felt like I got hit by a bus. Attack of the post travel, run down and then got on a plane and had a nice multicultural airborne germ cocktail. Sick? I can't be sick! I'm training! Doesn't my body know this cannot be happening? But it was. And it lasted all week. One week of I can handle, but two? This was insanity. Finally by Sunday night I was feeling better and couldn't wait to get running Monday.

So now I'm back. I even got to do a long run yesterday of 8.5 miles. The hardest part is keeping my pace slow. And the scariest part is I am actually training for a full marathon. The seriousness of that sentence has not even hit me yet. My new schedule has me running five days a week with two off days, which is more than my usually four running days three off. As much as I am scared I am also excited. It has been two years since I have gone down this path, and a part of me thought I was done with the 26.2 forever. But now here I am again. Sure I am only on week in, but it's been a good week.

More to come from now on. Promise.

xx Sara

Like Butter

2010-07-16T10:00:00.004-04:00

Burn, Torch, Melt, Blast. Ever notice how magazines use these enticing verbs to get you to glance beyond their cover? Once inside you are awestruck as the hard bodied models demonstrate all the moves of a total body workout with ease and control, all while looking beautiful. I always see these workouts and think "wow, that looks so easy. I should try that."

But I don't. Because running is top banana in my life. Given the choice between an extra day of working out and having date night with Boyfriend or chilling with friends, I will undoubtedly choose the later.

And then things changed. I started doing this morning workout thing (which by the way has not been successful for an entire week!!! w00t!) and I had all my nights free to do whatever I wanted (within reason of course). I came up with this magical plan to fit in an extra workout day to focus on my total body, abs, arms, everything. I was so excited I wrote it on my training calendar right away. "30-45 minute non-running workout". Now I just had to pick a workout.

I get so many fitness mags that I am constantly reading "Four weeks to your best body", "Loose ten pounds this summer", "Bikini workout" etc. Of course I am making these titles up but you have to admit they don't change much month to month and magazine to magazine. Of course as usual I finish reading and add to the stack on my coffee table, or to the collection on my bookshelf. I rarely ever give them a shot. If anything I will pick a move that looks good and try it before one of my runs. And I wonder why I don't see any results? It's not that I am lazy, I just run so much I forget the rest of my body needs a workout.

After flipping through my recent issues I came across Jackie Warner's Power Circut in Shape. I remember watching her on Bravo's "Work Out" a few years ago and she was one tough chick. So it sounded like a good plan.

Yesterday I showed up at the gym all ready for my workout. I was psyched to not be climbing on the treadmill and to have something other than my legs do the work. I got myself all set up, IPod, weights, mat and started with the first exercise. Easy enough. second exercise was this "seated bicycle" deal. "I can handle this" I say to myself. Wrong. BURN. In a good way of course but wow. I made it through most of the other moves pretty well, and then it came time for the "wingman". This required the lighter weights and I was all kinds of excited. I thought I would nail this one. Wrong again. I got through 5 reps before I wanted to cry. On the second rotation I had to modify it and lower to my knees in order to do 15 reps and even then it was the hardest thing I have done for my upper body in a long time. Magazines are not kidding when they say you will "burn" calories or "torch" fat. That is exactly how I felt. Although I am not so sure about "melt". Melting sound like it would be pretty easy, and easy this workout was not.

Overall the total workout took me about 15 minutes. So I hopped onto the elliptical for 20 minutes, choosing the interval program at level eight. Overall it was a pretty good workout. I am defiantly feeling it's effects in my abs which I love. Something I would love to continue to incorporate into my training schedule.

If anyone wants to share and fantastic and fabulous total body workouts or lifting routines, I would love to hear about them!

xx Sara

Feel it in my Bones

2010-07-15T09:00:00.002-04:00

Actually, I'm feeling it in my hip. My left hip to be exact. Tight would be a good word to describe the way it feels. Tight like my budget which is why I haven't gotten new sneakers yet even though I should have gotten them two weeks ago. If you are freaking out right now, you can relax, because my weekly mileage has been topping out at about 8, and I am not too worried that I can stretch it another week. I know that what I am doing is not the smartest decision in the world. There is a slight off chance that what I am doing could cause me injury and set back and blah blah blah. And with my trip to China coming up next week, and zero chance of being able to run at all while there, I feel like the delay won't be so bad. But I can definitely feel my body telling me "hey if you're going to keep waking me up at 6am every day and throw me around in the gym can you at least get me some comfy new kicks?" touche body. You will have your wish in a few more days.

Despite last weeks morning running failure, I was so drawn to the idea of changing up my routine I have been giving it another go this week. Here are some things that rock about morning runs/workouts.

- I am so energized after my workout I don't need coffee

- I am awake early enough to run up to my desk and converse via email with vendors before they go to sleep

- I have evenings free

- 6am is such a peaceful time to start your day. Everything feels quiet calm

- I don't have to stop eating at 3pm in prep for a run which means treats at all the office parties!

And here are some things that suck

- 3pm caffeine withdraw headaches.

- Going to sleep early

I can't say right now if this will work for me in the long term. I like changing things up a bit, even if it is hard to wake up in the morning. It's completely thrown me for a loop as far as what to do before my run, what to eat, drink etc. Where before I was used to eating all day and then stopping to digest everything before running, now I grab an English muffin and peanut butter and eat half on the drive to the gym (which is also at work). I am really enjoying the fact that once I am at work, there is no stress of rushing to get ready. The second I am done putting on my makeup I can run to the kitchen, grab breakfast and head to my desk. Magical.

My other concern is time when the runs get longer. Right now I wake up at 6am and have everything perfectly timed to fit in anywhere from a 3-5 mile run. Once my mileage gets higher than that, and I predict that will happen quite soon, I may have to revert back to night running so I will not feel such a time constraint in the morning. I can only imagine what time I would have to go to bed to wake up at 5am or 5:30.

There is also the factor of, my eating schedule and the amount I eat. While previously I was stopping eating at 3pm and then not having dinner until 8pm or 9pm, there was a huge chunk of time I was not eating. Now that time is open to graze as I please, so I have to take care not to eat too much or cave to the sweet call of junk food. And let me just say that yesterday I was H-U-N-G-R-Y! I ate almost everything in my lunch before 3pm!

After much contemplation during my morning workout today I have decided to take a trip to the Bryn Mawr Running Co. at lunch and see if I can get myself some new kicks. I am interested to see if I should be sticking with the same brand/model/size etc as I have been doing for the past few years, or if I would be better off with something different. Either way with new shoes on my feet my hips, and the rest of my body, is sure to thank me soon!

xx Sara

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2010-07-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

and going to... CHINA. Oh yea and I'm leaving on Saturday.

The trip is for work, and pretty common in the garment industry. I am excited to be able to experience yet another culture (as I was able to travel to Sri Lanka last November) and happy that we were able to schedule this trip at the VERY beginning of training and not smack in the middle or right at the end. You would think that a week away wouldn't cause too much of a ripple in my schedule, especially considering we stay at pretty modern hotels equipped with gyms and everything. In fact on most vacations my sneakers are the first thing to go into my suitcase, no matter what the weather or the destination I can always count on running.

But think about it this way. We will leave on a Saturday morning and after the long flight and time difference it will be Sunday afternoon. Goodbye weekend. Then once you get in all you want to do is shower and sleep. The next day, after a quick breakfast you are whisked away to work and to take advantage of the short time period the days are usually pretty long. Goodbye weekdays. And then When it's all over you do the whole long flight time difference thing. I expect to loose a good 10 days of running.

All that being said I am still excited to go, and happy it will probably be my only trip of the year. That leaves the rest of the summer and fall for international travel free training. Happy Days.

Originally this week was supposed to be a "no run" week for me. This was Coach Jack's suggestion that I take a week off from any running to get mentally ready for marathon training. Except with no running happening while I am overseas, no running for two weeks doesn't sound like a good idea in my book. So next week will be no running, this week looks a little something like this.

Monday 3.5 miles @ Valley Forge

Tuesday OFF

Wednesday 3.5 miles (800's on the treadmill b/c of the weather

Thursday 30-45 min Non-run workout

Friday 4 miles - destination weather dependent

Have any great workout moves that are great for traveling/hotel rooms? Pass them my way!

xx Sara

Early Bird Gets theTreadmill

2010-07-09T20:00:00.001-04:00

Maybe it was spending too many days in the sun, or the overindulgence of food as typically happens during a holiday, or perhaps it was the heat and the many hours spend driving in the car, but on Monday evening I got a crazy idea. Boyfriend and I were just about in New Jersey, on our way home from an amazing vacation at my parents house, when I blurted out, "I think I want to get up early and go to the gym before work tomorrow".

Boyfriend of course responded with a cool, "Ok". This took me by surprise as working our so early is not something I can typically bring myself to do more than once a week.

I am not a morning person. I do not like the treadmill. So why, you may ask yourself, did I decide to drag myself out of my comfortably amazing bed at 6am Tuesday morning to head to the gym? Well I strategically left all my clothes and make up in my car so that I would have to get out of bed and get it, figuring once I got that far it would be so much easier to just go to the gym. A little extreme? Yes. But it worked.

Here's what it was like working out in the morning. The first day was amazing. Getting up that early was not that bad, my workout was great, I was ready for work extra early and I felt great for the rest of the day. Day two was a little more difficult, but I still felt great most of the day (although a little bit tired). I was really enjoying having my nights free to do things like getting together with girlfriends and having date night with Boyfriend. But by Thursday I needed a break from it all. I slept in until 7:15 and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Friday I had big plans to get up extra early and run in Valley Forge before work. Until I remembered my running sneakers were in my gym locker at work. And then my asthma started acting up, be it because of stress, or lack of sleep, or the heat, or maybe all three. So I scrapped my morning run plans. Oh what a shocker, something else I tried and didn't have the energy to stick to.

For everyone that can find the energy and motivation to wake up in the early hours of the morning and get your exercise in, I congratulate you. To me, you are awesome. Some people are morning runners, some are night runners, and maybe we aren't really meant to switch. I'm pretty sure I function really well as a night runner. When I work out in the morning it feels like I cheated. I don't feel sore when I wake up, even though I gave the same amount of effort. I don't feel like I have to give up my evenings, which is just weird.

I think in the end I have discovered more of who I am instead of something I can achieve. I am just a night runner. I enjoy racking up the miles as I watch the sun set over the river. I enjoy the calm of summer nights and street lights. Does this often take up some of my evenings and make my schedule a little more difficult? Yes. Do I need my sleep? MOST definitely. But maybe my whole routine doesn't need a makeover. Maybe the way I was doing things works just fine for me.

So I have to ask, have you ever though of changing up your workout routine? What made you do it, and did you end up making it work for good?

xx Sara

Some Like It Hot

2010-07-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

... and some sweat when the heat is on.

To say it's been hot lately would be a little bit of an understatement. It's pretty much just miserable. I have to say that I wouldn't mind the heat so much (that's not to say I actually like it, it just wouldn't be as bad) if I didn't sweat to much and so easily. Sweating is ok when your working out, in fact I love it. I don't feel like I have gotten a good workout unless I am dripping by the end. On all other occasions sweating is not ok!

This situation is made even worse by the fact that I do not have a/c in my car, or apartment. You are probably thinking, what kind of crazy person am I? Well first of all I spent the first 12 years of my life with out a/c, an in a weird way I almost kind of liked falling asleep with the breeze of a giant fan blowing in my face. I even remember summers at cheerleading camp packing into UMass dorm rooms sleeping with box fan parked at the head of my bed. It was amazing. I am not a crazy person. I just keep forgetting to get an a/c unit for my apartment. I have lived there for three years. Ok maybe that does make me a crazy person. And my car? well that's the same story. The a/c hasn't worked in my trusty '97 Volvo for at least two years, but I always seem to make it at least halfway through the summer with out much suffering and once August hits I feel like it would just be better to wait until next year.

At any rate I am staying cool by mooching of of other people's a/c such as Boyfriend and work. This is not to say that I am visiting Boyfriend or going into the office purely because of the amazingly refreshing arctic air, but it is a nice perk. Any tips on how to beat the heat during/after workouts or just how to stay cool in general? I would love, love, love to hear them.

xx Sara

July

2010-07-02T18:37:00.003-04:00

"Can we sleep in tomorrow?", Boyfriend asks me. We are driving up the New Jersey Turnpike on our way to New England to spend the holiday weekend with my family.
"Of course," I answer, a confused look across my face. "Why on earth would we be getting up early?" By now it is after 8pm and we still have about four hours of driving before we can sleep.
"I didn't know if you wanted to run."
"Ha ha ha" I laugh. I can't help it. It's Wednesday, only three days have passed since Boston and my half marathon.
"Honey," I say, turning to him for a brief second and then my eyes go back to the road. "The next few weeks may be my last chance to sleep in for the rest of year! I am NOT waking up early tomorrow."

When I tell my mom this the next morning she says "But you're still going to run right?" Well of course. I can't go more than three days with out working out. Of course I will run. I just won't be getting up early, I won't be running for time, with my watch, or any of the other things required when training for a race. I will run on my terms and on my time.

It was nearly 3:30 in the afternoon before we headed out for a run. There were four of us, Mom, Boyfriend, Littlest sister, and me. We are all in a line, like a family of ducks, I am at the front and Mom at the back. It was almost like we made our own little running club. It must have been quite the sight to see if you were driving by.

I coulnd't help but be amazed at the fact that I felt great. Didn't I just run a half marathon on Sunday? I did. It was amazing. And I am not even skipping a beat getting back into it. The hills I used to look at with fear, not laid out in from of me as gental rolling terrain. The more days that pass since the race, the better I feel about it. The better I feel about the shape I am in. For the next few weeks I plan on enjoying not being tied to a schedual. When I want to run I will run, if I don't want to run I won't.

The best part? It's summer. And what I realy want to do is go to the beach. So I think today, I'll do that instead.

xx Sara

Reflections

2010-07-01T13:30:00.002-04:00

If not burning out is my goal, I am definitely suceeding

Somewhere past Rhode Island but a long way from Philadelphia, my thoughts drift from my book and to the scenery passing by my window outside the train. "Once A Runner" falls open in my lap, and as I skim over the words I can't help but think back to the half marathon I had run days earlier. It was a smart race, a challenging course, my asthma acted up on that last hill. Are those excuses? Facts? What am I trying to convince myself of? Who am I trying to prove myself to?

I think back to the race. In the end it all comes down to numbers. Time. Non-runners have no concept of what it takes to maintin a pace for any number of miles. But time, to them, is something they can comprehend although they don't understand.
"How did you do?" They will ask me at work tomorrow.
"I had fun, the course was challenging but I enjoyed it, it was great"
"But what was your time?" They will want to know
"2:10:39" I will say even though I know it means nothing to them, I know they don't get it. All they hear is "not as fast as last time"

They don't know all the factors that go into your final time. Training, weather, elevation, preperation, and even if you do everything perfectly you never know what curve balls could be thrown to you during the race. Anyone could have a bad race. And I wouldn't even classify this race as bad. I thought it was great! Despite all that I still feel as though I let people down. I can't help that think because I have such a passion for running, that people expect a lot of me. They don't understand how some beginer can be faster than someone who's been at it for years. Fast and Slow are useless terms. I know this. But race results are not given in "smart" or "reckless". They are not sorted by "time taken to recover" and they don't list out "ran even splits every mile" or "went out of the gate too fast and paid for it in the second half"

I am aware, at this point, that I am simply starting off into space with an open book on my lap. I get lost in the words, "the trial of miles", the motions of running. My thoughts drift back to hot summer nights running intercals on the river. I will never stop loving running. And I have to remind myself that running, like life, is a journey not a destination. It's about every hour, week and month you get to run. Sometimes we get so caught up in the end goal we forget about everything else. I forget that I have managed to run for eight striaght months now with out an injury *knock on wood*. I forget that I have run myself into the best shape I have been in in almost two years. I forget that I have run some kick butt hills, and those hills in turn have kicked my butt into shape. I forget that this is just a stepping stone on the path to the main event. The Philadelphia Marathon.

So I will take this 2:10:39. I will take the fast recovery. I will be back at the gym by Tuesday, and back to running by Thursday. And when it comes time to start marathon training I will be ready, just as full of passion and energy for running as always.

xx Sara

Boston 13.1 - Race Report

2010-06-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

3:50 am. A time when the craziest of party animals are finally calling it a night and little children are tucked safely asleep in their beds. Certainly not a time to be waking up for the day. Unless you are me (or one of the hundreds of other Team Challenge participants) rising to get ready for 13.1 miles of pure running joy. Warning - this is a long post.

Team Challenge Team Philly. Most amazing group of people I had the privilege of training with

Part One: My reflections on the course and the organization (or lack thereof)

13.1 Boston, one of eight half marathons in the 13.1 series put on by US Road Sports, was in my mind not a beginner or first timer race. I have participated and volunteered for some great races in the past few years, so I know what it takes from behind the scenes and I know what runners expect when they show up. Then again, if this was my first race perhaps I would not know any better and would have been happy just for the great day.

We boarded buses as a team for the 25 minute drive to Canton Mass where the race was actually held. Boston? oh well I guess technically if you have a race in the suburbs you can attach it to that city by association. In all honesty I didn't have a real problem with the location. A friend of mine from the Boston area was also running the race and he drove up to the start on his own and said he had no problem parking although he was smart and planned to arrive nice and early. The start area was a decent sized field, with space to house several large tents for sponsors, vendors and runner services. My first confused moment happened while looking for the gear check, as there were many large white tents and not a single one of them said anything about gear or checking it. Finally I stumbled upon one that was labeled "runner services" that was collecting tagged bags from runners. Odd, but they took my things and I was too full of nerves to really be bothered.

The race started simple enough, your basic national anthem and then ready set go or something like that. Many people started running way before the finish line, but I stayed stubborn and waked until the very moment we crossed the timing mats. The course started off pretty flat. If it was going uphill at all I barely noticed. It wasn't until right before mile three that we made a right turn uphill that I started to realize this course was going to be a little bit of a challenge. At the top of the hill was the second water stop of the course, I grabbed a cup and kept going. The course rolled downwards, then up, down and leveled out for the turn around as we headed back up down and up again. We doubled back to the same water stop as earlier, and to my honest surprise, the volunteers had run out of cups. They were pouring water into our cupped hands, or people were just drinking out of jugs before handing them to the next thirsty runner. I know this was a first time race, but to run out of something so crucial as cups this early on in a race? How do you let this happen?

The rest of the race was no better. Right before mile 5 we turned right again and headed for another hill only bigger and badder than the last. At the top, another water stop of chaos. I kept expecting the usual "water in front Gatorade in the back" but no one ever made a mention of Gatorade. Not once. I can't imagine I would have wanted to scoop it up in the palms of my hand anyways even if they did have it. Water dries, but I don't think I would have run well with sticky hands for half the race. The downhill around mile eight was a godsend. and as we made our way through yet another right hand turn the road leveled off, and then continued plunging down. Down, down down, and all I kept thinking was please god just bring me an uphill because I know it's going to smack us all in the face when it gets here. And it did; at mile 11. The road went up, and up, and up for what felt like forever. It had to be at least a half mile. Thankfully that was the worst of it and I survived to see it through to the other end. After mile 12 I started to see spectators and they began to cheer. This seems like such a normal concept but so much of the race was run in the woods and through residential areas. The encouraging words kept me going and before I knew it I could hear cheering and loud music and could see the finish line.

It was the most anticlimactic finish I have had to date. There was no one there at the end tossing you a cold water bottle and words of congratulations. There was at best a table full of cases of warm water bottles that you pretty much had to fetch for yourself. There was no one putting a medal around your neck and saying "good job". Instead you had to cross an open field and get it from one of the race volunteers. At many other previous races there was a large tent for post race food where volunteers would hand you a perfectly rationed bag with one of everything inside. A piece of fruit, an energy bar, some kind of bagel or bread product. Not here. Everything was a complete free for all. And there was nothing to carry it in so even though the Costco sized muffins looked mouth watering I had no hands to carry it around in. I did grab an orange (my favorite post race treat) although my hands were left sticky with juice which I washed off in an iced filled kiddie pool behind one of the tents. Don't Judge.

I heard later on from some teammates that not only did they run out of cups, but eventually they ran out of water all together. Maybe it was because several race participants, faced with the prospect of no cups for their beverages, just grabbed a whole jug and raced on with it in hand taking sips the whole way. Race organizers also had the nerve to tear down the finish line before all participants had finished so they could open the roads back up. I can't even imagine how I would feel if I had worked for so long to train for this event and as I was on my way to the finish I could see it being disassembled. Talk about heart breaking.

Was the race seemingly disorganized and poorly planned? Yes. Do they have lots of room for improvement thanks to the fact that they set the bar pretty low? Yes. Will I be coming back next year to find out if it gets any better from here? Oh no.

Part Two: The experience of it all; Team Challenge

As I wrote before, this race to me was about much more than a finish time. At the pre-race pasta dinner, I was nearly brought to tears multiple times listening to patients who had the strength to share their story with the world in order to raise money to find a cure and endure weeks of training in the process. Being there with my team who I had trained with for months made this weekend more than a race.

When my alarm went off in the pre-dawn hours of the morning I happily sprung (ok ok I did not spring it was more like a roll, but I was happy) from my bed to get dressed to the nines. As a well seasoned runner I felt like I owed it to all the first timer to be as upbeat and positive as I could possibly be. I was also really excited for my bow, my temporary tattoo, wristbands, and bright orange singlet. I bounded into the lobby, gear check bag slung over my shoulder (also tied with a bright blue bow) bagel in hand ready to get the day started. We gathered in a gaggle of excitement and nerves, attaching D-tags and sipping on water bottles, all too amped up on adrenaline to yet be tired.

The buses were something reminiscent of a high school sports team away game road trip. All dressed in our race singlets, carb loaded, rested and ready to go. We chattered about the whole ride, talking about past races, expectations, etc. Before I knew it we had arrived, although it sure didn't look like a race start line because we were in the middle of the woods. The beats of blasting music drew us away from the parking area and into the open field where I cheerfully danced my way to drop off my gear, met up with a friend from the Boston area also running the race and spent the remainder of the time in line for the glorious porta-potties before lining up on the tiny two lane road for the start.

I'm not going to lie, the race course was challenging. But I like a challenge and I didn't mind. The out and back portions of the course provided a great opportunity to cheer for my teammates as they passed. Despite the hills, the up and downs kept my mind off the distance left to cover and the miles flew by faster than they have in any half marathon that I could remember. While running downhill around mile 8, Coach Jack caught up with me and gave me some wise (as always) words of advice. "If nothing else, run the rest of the hills smart". So when mile 11 rose out in front of me I took his advise and picked a steady manageable pace. When my breaths started getting short I made sure not to push it. Although inside I was screaming at myself for not being able to push harder, I knew If I went too fast at this point I would be forced to slow to a ridiculously slow almost walk. I have never been happier than when that hill ended and a slow decent to the finish began. Spectators began popping up along the side of the road, cheering us one, assuring us that we were almost there. This seems like the norm but so much of the race was run in the woods that I was used to running within the confines of my own mind. Concentrating on the bigger picture, the fight against Crohn's and all the people battling something much more difficult than 13.1 miles every day of their lives.

The crowd on both sides grew thicker and all of a sudden the finish line was visible. The cheering, and support of spectators, of Team Challenge endurance managers, coaches, and participants alike was incredible. "Go Team Challenge" and "Go Sara" rang out all around me (my name was on my bib). My time was disappointing, but it was quickly pushed to the back of my mind as one of my teammates crossed the finish line shortly after I did. It was her first half marathon ever, and she ran the whole time. We went out in search of water bottles medals and food. Incredibly we both still had energy left to dance to loudly playing music, the soreness of our efforts had not yet set in.

Walking around the finish area with this woman, who was absolutely glowing with pride, that was an amazing moment. The first time you cross that finish line and feel like you can (and it's true, you really can) accomplish anything, that is a one time feeling and it was great to see it in someone else. For the next few hours I wandered around the field, running into my teammates and offering them all sweaty congratulations hugs. It felt so amazing to be part of something so big, and something so good. Not only within my own team, but all the teams that came together from across the country to participate this this one event. The after race party was a celebration of not just the race but of the money and awareness raised for the cause. It was, to me, what made the day as incredible as it was.

Do you want to make a difference? Do you want to help change the lives of millions? It's not too late to donate! GO HERE

xx Sara

Getting Race Ready

2010-06-23T18:04:00.007-04:00

With three days left until I leave for Boston for the Team Challenge half marathon, I'm once again starting my list of what to pack for the weekend. This time I will be gone for three days, no Boyfriend to accompany me and I want to make sure I don't forget a single thing (although I know I will). Now I am not completely high maintenance. I don't need to bring my own pillows, or sheets, I can make due with hotel coffee and such, but there are a few necessities

- Gatorade Powder. Lightweight and can be mixed into any water bottle anywhere.

- Once A Runner. Last year Boyfriend was so sweet as to buy me a copy of my fave running novel. The night before the race it helps me ease pre-race day nerves

- Hair Accessories. Since my first ever marathon I have worn a bow in bow in my hair for (almost) every race. It started as a way to work some pink into my outfit, and continued as a superstition. For this race, because the Team Challenge colors are navy and orange I plan on being a little over the top and wearing something a little like this. I'll be channeling my inner cheerleader.

What are you packing for your next race?

xx Sara

Baking like Betty

2010-06-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

This weekend I had a get together with my college girlfriends for one of our, what we like to call "wine days". It started about a year and a half ago as a time to get together just girls, cook good food, have a few drinks and just have a good time. Now with two of us married (and pregnant) one engaged and the rest of us finally having found good men worthy of being boyfriends, we decided to nix the wine for once and just have a fun filled BBQ get together and bring all the boys along too. I had my heart set on making a dessert, because who doesn't like dessert? And at first I was content with making cupcakes (even though, knowing me, they would be made-from-scratch-over-the-top-perfect cupcakes) until I came across these babies. Of course Annie makes them look so much more delicious than my photos probably do, and I don't have a magical kitchen torch (or regular torch for that matter...) but I found that the broiler worked great!

Look at me all prepared, food network style, laying out all my crust ingredients.

True story: I love making things from scratch. Yes it is often harder than pre packages or pre-mixed but it is so much more fun to see the product develop in front of your eyes. Well worth all the effort, much like running.

Layer one, the crust, is a combo of graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar mixed together and pressed into a foil lined pan (sprayed with cooking spray). At first this seemed like overkill - and being one to rebel against direction I almost skipped the foil. Thank goodness I didn't it made extracting the bars from the pan SO easy!

Crust all mixed up and ready to spread into my pan. Smelled like Golden Grahams. Yum.

Bake crust for 10 minutes - Check

Recipe says "chocolate - finely chopped" I opted for "broken into pieces by hand" and it worked just fine.

My double boiler (for melting the chocolate) looks a tad disproportional and awkward

Time to make the cheesecake! Cream cheese, eggs, marshmallow creme, vanilla, and greek yogurt (I got adventurous and subbed sour cream with yogurt)

Here is where I get to brag about my Kitchen Aid mixer as if it was my first born child. I will gloat about the cookies, cakes and batters it has turned out as if they were academic achievements instead of a result of my hard work and ability to follow a recipe. I love my Kitchen Aid mixer, and I love any excuse to bring it out and whip a few ingredients together. It is to me, what Boyfriend's sports car is to him. It must always be cared for, cleaned shinned and polished. Now that you all think I am certifiably insane you can read about the rest of the my baking...

Go Speed Mixer!

Mixing in eggs, cocoa,

Last step is mix in that yummy melted chocolate and watch the creamy mixture turn into sweet chocolate cheesecake heaven.

My favorite part of all time was watching the mini marshmallows brown under the broiler.

As delicious as they looked I had to put them in the fridge for the night and wait until the next day to dig in. Although the boys couldn't keep straight exactly what they were, calling them time and time again "those brownies with stuff on top", I knew by the fact that I went home with an empty dish that they were a hit. Of course like my running I am never satisfied, thinking maybe I should tweak the cheesecake part to make it taste a little more chocolaty. But like any good run, I have to remind myself what's done is done and it was my best effort. Everyone was happy. Tomorrow is a new day. Who knew that running and baking had so much in common?

Actual Recipe

xx Sara

Daddy's Girl

2010-06-20T10:00:00.006-04:00

If Dad had a choice, I would be a golfer.

Not for lack of trying, Daddy trying to get me into golf at an early age

So would my sisters. We would love the sport just as much as he does, we would love watching televised tournaments instead of just tolerating them, and just maybe we'd know enough to be able to pick out golf related gifts instead of relying on him to tell us what to get. He didn't get that lucky, we all love different things, but the best thing about Dad is he doesn't really care. What matters the most is that we are happy at whatever we do (and for me that I am successful enough in life to be financially independent because man, girls are expensive!).

He teases me about my choice of sport on weekends that I come home to visit. We are both up early on Saturday mornings and while he is chipper with the excitement of heading off to the golf course and enjoying his complete balanced breakfast, I lay on the kitchen floor eating a power bar and mentally prepping myself for my long run. Neither of us understand what the other sees in our sport. I don't have the hand/eye coordination to enjoy hitting a little white ball with a club and then chase it through the grass. And for whatever reason he doesn't enjoy the mental and physical torment of running for hours at a time. He always has some joke to make about him enjoying his golf and me looking so miserable heading out for a run. We both head for the door saying our "goodbyes" and "have funs" as I head off on foot and him by car. We may be into different activities, but at the end of the day we get the same thing out of each one. Time alone to think, clear our minds, enjoy a beautiful Saturday morning, each in our own way.

Thanks Dad for always letting me follow my heart even if it leads me to crazy places, and for always being there to cheer me on.

Happy Father's Day!

xx Sara

Sometimes it's about something bigger than a finish time.

2010-06-19T10:53:00.006-04:00

Today was my last practice (of the season) with Team Challenge. Six miles of hills humidity and hot sun but I managed to finish in under an hour (I slowed significantly at the end). That wasn't the hard part. And neither was the fact that more or less I have been training for a very long time to get to this point.

It was on the drive home, listening to, of all things, the 2008 Olympic Soundtrack. Produced by AT&T, this compilation of songs could make a rock motivated to achieve anything. Or maybe it's just me and my tendency to get emotional over music. One of my favorites is Kate Voegele (this video doesn't even do the song justice).

The point being, as I'm driving I start to realize all the deeper meanings of my training. All the money I am raising, all the people it helps, and the best part is still yet to come. To train for a half marathon on your own is exciting and nerve wracking in it's own right but when you do it with a group of people this incredible bond is formed no matter what speed you run, the shape you are in, or even if you give up training when it's over. You come together over the fact that you endured together, through harsh weather and hard long runs.

For many in my group this is the hardest thing they have ever done in their lives. Their first, of hopefully many more, 13.1 mile runs. I can still remember many moments from my first race, from the pre-dawn start to the tears crossing the finish line. I remember wearing that finishers medal on the plane ride home with such intense pride. And I remember back at home shedding more than a few tears listening to Mariah Carey's "When you believe". ( Yes I am a sap, don't judge me!) "who know's what miracles you can achieve, when you believe, somehow you will" That was pretty much all it took. I (most of the time) just believed I could keep going and I did. And more than that, because my first half was also a fundraising race/training program, the whole weekend surrounding the race was this incredible emotional time when patients and such spoke to us at dinner, we rallied around each other saying things like "the pain we will go through isn't half as bad as the people we are helping"

So to all my fellow Team Challenge runners and walkers, you should be so incredibly proud of yourselves. You had the courage to embark on this difficult journey and look how far you have made it. You are amazing.

And to all the people who were able to donate to such a wonderful cause, thank you.

To the coaches and mentors who showed up every Saturday morning to run with us, you truly rock. In times when I felt like the oddball out, the only runner amongst my group of friends, I could always count on feeling like I belonged at our practices. Talking about hydration, nutrition, training tips, and race stories never gets old for me.

It must be June because I feel like the school year is ending and I am signing one very long yearbook message. I'm just a big ball of emotions. Boston is going to be great, whatever time I run I am just happy to be a part of this whole event. Sometimes it's about something bigger than the finish time. It's about the people you're with and the experience you go through.

xx Sara

Frenemies - Me and the Inhaler.

2010-06-15T20:48:00.003-04:00

Frenemies. Not really a word (that I know of) but such an accurate way to describe the way I feel about a particular piece of plastic that houses medicated air. Or something like that. I don't know why I always feel at odds with my inhaler. It's supposed to make me better. I should like the sweet release of breathing every time I inhale it's chemical mixture. But I don't. I feel like it is the ball and chain that holds me down and keeps me from flying free.

I am far more likely to blame my shortness of breath on stress, than say "you know what, I should take a puff of my inhaler". I get annoyed that I have to constantly fix this thing that is broken, and I don't know why it breaks. But I know what the doctor will say when I visit next time, the conversation will go something like this:

Me: "I am still feeling short of breath all the time"

Doc: "Are you taking your inhaler when you feel like this?"

Me: "No"

Doc: "So start taking your inhaler more and I'll see you in a few months"

So, in the middle of the afternoon, at a time when the most physical activity I get is walking to the kitchen and then walking to use the bathroom, I take my inhaler. Not so oddly enough I start to feel better after about ten minutes. But part of me still wonders if it's all in my mind.

Despite the afternoons troubles I force myself to go out on a run. It's been eight days since I have done any legit form of exercise and my body is begging for a run. Ok maybe my body was happy, but my body sure needs it and my mind is on board with the idea so I just go for it. Two more puffs of the inhaler before I start out.

If feeling short of breath at my desk is frustrating, than feeling short of breath while running is death. I want to scream, I want to cry, I actually feel my self wanting to punch a tree (a tree? yes, for some reason that is the exact thought that popped into my mind). Not even two miles into my run I feel that itty bitty tightness at the very end of my breath. It taunts me, and I am forced to slow down until I feel a full breath of air fill my lungs. Of course this isn't nearly close to an asthma attack, it's almost worse. It's nagging at me, gnawing at my patience ready to bite hard just when my legs start to get warmed up and ready for speed. How can you stay calm when your legs have so much fight left in them and your lungs say no? I know I shouldn't get upset. I know that being frustrated and anxious only makes things worse, and the only way to get better is to calm down and slow down. Watching people pass me doesn't help my situation I only feel like people are judging my slowness. I wonder why me, why now, why after so many years of running did this have to get thrown at me.

And then I force myself to turn my negative thoughts upside down. How can I honestly feel sorry for myself while running. There are so many people in the world who would kill to be able to do what I am doing, just getting out and being active. So maybe I have limits sometimes, or maybe I have an off day every now and then and need to slow down. But if I'm not going to be diligent and take the meds the doctor tells me to take I have no reason to be complaining or feeling sorry for myself. Before I knew it I was relaxed, and enjoying my run once again. The skies above reflected my change of mood as the dark menacing thunder clouds opened up to rays of early evening sunshine. Reminding me that there's always a calm after the storm if you can just hold on and get through.

xx Sara

Another week of setbacks

2010-06-13T14:14:00.003-04:00

As I sit here watching the rain fall outside I try to keep the negative comments surface in my mind. It has been more than a week since my legs have felt the freedom of a run. And the worst part is I am, for the most part, just happy to be lazy for once on a weekend. That's not to say I have been laying on the couch eating bon-bons for the past week. I have been BUSY!

It started with monday working late and skipping my run to get some rest for a 4 am wake up call. Opening day of the Lilly Warehouse Sale. Holy C-R-A-Z-Y. Because my job is all about fit, my team always get assigned to work the dressing room. Yes dressing room singular, one giant section of the floor separated with black curtains in which we must squeeze as many female bodies as humanly possible with out violating safety codes. For anyone who has ever attended the sale you probably do not realize how much work it is just to keep the dressing room free from chaos, never-mind the hard work by the rest of the staff. I literally did not stand still for five seconds between 5:30 and 12:30. As I sat down to eat lunch my feet felt like I had just finished a long run, thank goodness I wore sneakers. After my shift it was time to head back to the office to do my real work. By 5 pm I was equal parts exhausted and hungry. There would be no running tonight.

And there would be no running any other day last week, I felt like the energy had been drained from my soul. There were two more shifts of the sale to be worked (although thankfully Friday was cancelled and I was able to spend some quality time with Boyfriend.) Part of the time I would feel bad for slacking on my training, I mean I had a race coming up in two weeks how was I going to be ready? But the rest of me just wanted to sleep. Forever. I was burnt out and it wasn't even from running.

Saturday I skipping my 14 mile training run with Team Challenge to get ready for a baby shower of a close girlfriend of mine. Once again I was not going to let running be the excuse that kept me out of my friends lives. It's bad enough that I don't do anything social on weekdays in order to fit in my weekly milage, but this shower was a once in a lifetime thing. It would never happen again. There will always be more races. If it wasn't so hot out that afternoon I would have thought about trying to get some miles in then, but it was miserable. Plans to make tacos and margaritas trumped running and feeling like I had a life again was starting to feel pretty good. Granted I was starting to feel kind of soft around the middle (side effect of taking a week or more off) but I was having fun, enjoying food, and friends.

Today, if you live in the greater Philadelphia area and have stepped outside you know how miserably hot and humid it is. Now add to that the fact that I do not have air conditioning. Sounds like the prefect weather to go out and take a jog in right? WRONG. Horrible terrible no good weather. Plan B? Wait until it gets later and night, the sun goes away and then try for at least a few miles. Oh except that it's supposed to thunder until about oh, about midnight. Perfect. In case you don't get it that pretty much means I am stuck inside not running.

The good news is that tomorrow when I go out to run six miles my body should feel pretty good. Hopefully my days of running around at the sale have kept me in good shape. If nothing else the half marathon coming up in two weeks may just have to be for fun and the experience. I can tell right now that this summer is going to be tough, as summers usually are. During the time when all I want to be doing is sitting lazily on the beach, or by the pool, eating bad for you things like ice cream and burgers, I have to remember that I need to fit in long runs and drink lots of water.

Just have to remind myself that tomorrow is a new day, a new week, and with the right attitude anything is possible. I have slept A LOT this weekend and should be nice and rested. I am strong, and awesome and this race can be anything I want it to be.

xx Sara

Not happening today

2010-06-07T21:18:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I feel like I need a weekend to recover from a Monday. This week especially. And sometimes no matter how badly I want to run I just have to face facts that it's not going to happen.

There are two weeks out of the year when life gets put on hold and everything revolves around one five day long event. That's right, the Lilly Pulitzer Warehouse Sale. Warehouse sale = Big deal at work and we all rally together and volunteer our time to staff the sale so you wonderful consumers can have a fabulous shopping experience. While I enjoy this event and the happiness it brings to our shoppers, it takes up a lot of my day. On Wednesday I start work at 5am (when the sale starts) and work until around lunch time, and then go back to the office to make sure things are done there. Even though it is only Monday I am overflowing with stress trying to make sure everything gets done so there are no problems when I am out of the office.

Throw in the fact that I am looking for a new place to live come August and must call property managers and realtors during business hours + trying to get all my work done = today was a VERY long day. Too long to have time at the end of the day for a run.

In the past I would have beaten myself up for something like this. But not today. Maybe I am finally learning to make everything fit into my life. Or maybe I am just too tired. But whatever it is, I made sure my work got done and then went home and poured myself a very nice cold glass of wine.

Running will have to wait until tomorrow. Life is happening today.

xx Sara