Merry Christmas!

This past weekend was my husband's birthday so we got to celebrate at a friend's camp. It was a nice relaxing weekend, except for Friday night. 

This handsome guy wouldn't sleep without me in front of his cage on a hard tile floor. I got 3 hours of sleep. (Bad sleep) Luckily we didn't have anywhere to be Saturday so we just hung out all day. 

This morning I took Him for a walk/run around the area. He loved every minute of it. Afterwards a friend and I got out work out in. 

Can you guess what we ate all weekend? 

I try not to go more than 48 hours without some sort of exercise. It wasn't a lob workout but it was enough to get a good sweat. 

Have a Merry Christmas! 

Marathon Thoughts and New Resolutions

I hope everyone is having a great week so far! I have not gotten any Christmas shopping done. Usually I'm done by now but I did buy myself some cyber Monday goodies. I bought two pairs of shoes from Macy's online buy 1 get 1 and I also bought a race application. The big NYRR New York marathon opened its application process on Monday. I sent my husband an email at work asking what he thought about me at least putting in an application for the lottery to see if I would get picked. As loving an supportive as he is, he told me to go for it. In my next sentence I told him that I had no clue how much it actually costs and what if it's too much to do. He told me that we'd figure it out when the time comes. So with that being said I put in my application.  I'll find out in march if I hit the lottery. 

Have you decided on your New Years resolution yet? I love making resolutions and the new year. I love the fresh start. After contemplating what mine were going to be, I've finally figured it out!

I'm sure everyone has seen on Pinterest that "gym savings bank" the pin that tells you to put a dollar in a jar every time you work out and than once you hit $100 you spend it. Well, I'm putting my own little twist on it. Different prices for different work outs. Here's how it's going to work. 

CrossFit: $2

Run: $1 

Home work out:$1

Races:

5k: $5

10: $10

Half: $13.10

Full: $26.20

I'll keep it until next year to see how much I've collected. 

My other resolution is to only eat out once a month or if we're celebrating something. I've noticed that we spend way too much money on going out on the weekends. I'd rather save it and spend it on things that we want to do. 

Those are my resolutions. I'll probably add more too it but those are to start. 

What are your resolutions? 

Marathon training starts now.

My mom has always drove me nuts about my heart and lunges while running. When I told her that I wanted to train for a whole marathon, she didn't like the idea. I promised if it made her happy I would go get a physical and some bloodwork done. My little sister works at a doctors office so I decided to go there. Since my husband hasn't had a physical and bloodwork done, I dragged him along. 

Every thing is normal! [I already knew that] I didn't get my results back from my bloodwork but I'm sure there isn't anything wrong. Everything sounds good, my height and weight are normal and healthy, and my blood pressure was a nice low 110/60. So, with that being said... Marathon training starts now. I've been reading up on training to help me get ready. 

Jeff Galloway knows what he's doing. I also go to CrossFit 3 times a week, lift and run. Here's how today's CrossFit workout went. 

I went last night too so moving my arms today isn't happening. I'm pretty excited to go out and start training, even in the cold. 

Here's an idea of how my training schedule will go:

CrossFit: 3 days

Lifting: 1-2 days 

Running: 2 short 1 long run

That's in a weeks time. Obviously there will be some over lapping in workouts. 

I'm going to start cutting back on the dairy and carbs that I usually eat as well and go back to my wholey clean diet. (A beer or 2 once in a while won't kill you.) 

What does your training and diet schedule usually look like?

Happy Turkey Day!

There's a lot to be thankful for this year. I'm thankful for my family, my handsome husband, my puppy, my kitty, and my overall health. Yesterday one of my longest friends and I started a new tradition, the turkey trot. I ran it alone last year, but it was fun to have a few friends to do it with this year. I even wore a tutu. 

We were almost late making it to the start line because we were barely there when they shot the gun to start. It was about 23 degrees but once we started, it didn't seem that cold. 

This ends race season for me. It has been an awesome, memorable year. I'm also thankful tha my husband goes to every race to cheer me on. I'm so lucky to have such a great support system. I can't wait to see what next year brings. 

I'm no longer MIA

Sorry! It's been over two months since I've done anything through my blog. After my last race in July I felt it was time to crack down on wedding festivities. I asked for 0 help from my bridesmaids and groomsmen so I had to take on everything by myself. I looked at it as, everyone has their own lives and I can't make anyone feel obligated to help me since this is my day. It helped me not get upset with anyone that couldn't make it. 

Well, the wedding is over and it was perfect. By far the best day of my life. I'm lucky to have married someone so wonderful and fun to be around. He tells me I'm beautiful everyday (more than once) and tries to make it to every race that he possibly can. I would say that I'm pretty lucky. 

Since we've lived together for quite a while before we go married Adam has always been bugging me for a puppy. I had legitamet plans on surprising him on his birthday but that didn't go as planned. One night we had all the guys over doing their football draft and Adam made it clear that he has been looking at puppies online for a while. In fear that he would bring home some mean mut, I have in. Literally a week and a day after our wedding we got a puppy! This is Hudson. 

And this is how much he has grown in the 4 weeks we've had him.  

So that's what I've been up too. Things are winding down again and I'm back at CrossFit 3 days a week and I'll be starting my lifting back up shortly. Sunday I have a 10k to put in the books and Tuesday is the Pittsburgh Marathon registration already!! My plans are to sign up for the half and train for the full that way I can switch later. 

I can't believe this summer came and left so quickly! This was by far the greatest summer I've ever had but I'm ready for fall. 

How was your summer?

Did you have any fun races or life changes? 

Last race before my wedding.

42 days until I'm hitched to the love of my life. Wow. We started dating when we were 13. He's by far, my best friend ever (other than my twin sister). In the past 10 years he's made it to almost every dance recital, completion, softball game, soccer game, football game when I was a majorette, and race. He's so supportive and loving. I honestly don't know how I got so lucky. It takes love to stand alone in the middle of 100,000 people to try to watch someone run 13.1 miles when it took me over 2 hours to do. True love. Enough of that. 

Wednesday I ran my last race before our wedding. I was supposed to run the Rock 'n' Roll half in Pittsburgh, but due to certain circumstances it was canceled and we got our money back. I decided I was going to run this race on the 4th of July. All of my CrossFit friends were doing it so I was peer pressured into it. Lots of hills and beer at the end. Totally worth $20 if you ask me. I went to packet pick up on Tuesday to register. Got my shirt, got my beer mug, ready to go. 

Since I've been so busy with CrossFit and work, I haven't been running like I should. Tuesday was a terrible day and night for my lungs. I woke up in the middle of the night having and asthma/eczema attack. It was so humid and hard to breathe.  I was totally scratching my skin like a crack head. It was terrible. Once I got back to sleep, there wasn't much time before I had to be up for work and then the race. 

After work I changed and tried to find my way. I was told that this race had a lot of hills so I was already nervous since I had to do breathing treatments all week. There was also a big storm warning before hand but they went along with the race anyways. Since the sky was already black when it started I didn't wear my Garmin or take my phone. I wanted to see how I did without everything since the last time I PRed I didn't have anything either. 

The race

They weren't joking when they said that the first mile and a half was a hill. 3 or 4 hills actually. Completely up hill. I'm not going to lie, I did have to walk a lot of it. You know what though? I'm okay with that. I learned from this race that not every race is going to be wonderful. I usually finish under 30 minutes and this race was over 34. I'll take it. It doesn't matter how fast you run, runners don't care how fast other runners run. Just as long as they run. At about two and half miles it started storming. Thunder, lightening, everything. Just so it's clear for future reference, one of my biggest fears are thunder storms. Another fear is getting stuck in thunder storms.  The spectators were awesome though. Everyone yelled and cheered us on from their porches. I love running because everyone is so supportive. 

Once the race was over I met my mom, (this was my first race that she ever made it too) and my fiancé at the local bar for my beer and wings. I changed out of my soaking wet clothes, of course.  The bar was packed with all the runners so we ate our food and headed home. 

Fitness tip of the day: Don't stress yourself over numbers or how you do. Work on having fun and feeling better about yourself. Honestly, no one cares how you do. If they care that much, then they are focusing on the wrong aspects. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fourth of July festivities.

This past weekend was my first 4 day weekend ever! It was so nice. I made sure that I kept my weekend full and tried to eat as healthy as I could. I still ate a little more sweets than usual but it was a wonderful weekend. It was so nice to have a break and relax for once. Here was my weekend start:

Wednesday night

CrossFit class was brutal! I think any workout including bear crawls are my least favorite. 

Thursday

I ran 3 miles with one of my childhood friends on the bike trail. Afterwards I went to my family's house for a picnic to swim and relax. 

Friday

Adam and I went and walked around the local arts festival for about three hours. It's wrapped around two lakes so when we go we always make sure to walk around at least once. I've never timed it but I've been told if you go around it the "right" way, it's 3 miles. Later on in the evening we had friends over for a cookout. 

Saturday

Adam and I met some of our friends and went to my first farmer's market! It was great! I bought fresh green beans, 2 loaves of bread, almond butter, and Adam bought a cupcake for himself. Afterwards, we pick up our dryer (it was a gift from our wedding shower. We just never got around to getting it) Later, we went swimming at our family's house again. 

Sunday

Sunday wasn't a great day. My asthma was acting up and I needed to do two breathing treatments. (Not fun!) I met my sister for coffee and finished my thank you cards from my wedding shower. After spending close to 4 hours with my sister, I went home and Adam and I wrote out our wedding invitations. 

I had a wonderful weekend, minus the lung issues. I was defiantly ready to go back to work Monday morning though. I ate a little more than I probably should have and some extra sweets but guess what?! I didn't get fat or lose my muscle. It doesn't hurt to take a break and eat what you want. It was a nice break but I'm glad to be back into my normal swing of things and routine. 

Fun fact:

My favorite "festival food" are gyros. I could eat them every day and not get sick of them.

What's your favorite holiday or festival food? 

Clean eating and healthy exercising.

A while back I promised a friend that I would post some of my meals. Honestly, I'm a very lazy eater. I do my meal preps every week but everything I make is so simple, here's why:

1.) I don't own a dish washer. I am the dish washer. 

2.) I don't have much time for meal prep so I prep what I can. 

3.) If it has more than 5 ingredients, my attention span is gone. 

Everything I make is super easy, I think the hardest part is cutting fruits and veggies for the week. I always pack a lunch, again because I'm too lazy to leave and I'm also cheap. Some of my meals include:

Breakfast:

•1 egg(hard boiled or made in a pan) Brusselsprouts, turkey bacon all loaded with sriracha sauce 

•A homemade organic multigrain waffle with peanut butter on it

•A bowel a Cheerios and Silk

•Fresh fruit 

•Whole wheat or multi-grain toast with chia seeds

•Greek yogurt

•Banana 

Lunch/ Dinner combos

•Grilled chicken and Vegetables

•Quinoa salad (recipe on last blog)

•Salmon 

•Quinoa

•Brown rice 

•Tuna

•Kale or spinach salads(big salads!)

•Turkey meatloaf (Fitfluential recipe) 

•Turkey burgers (I always use 93%lean)

•Sweet potatoes 

Snacks

•Greek yogurt (fave: plain with Nutella)

•Mixed nuts

•Almond

*I love chia and flax seeds!

That's just a basic idea. I could eat peanut butter on everything. I go through almost 1 really large jar a week. I mix and match meals to change things up, but none of it is really exciting. I also eat at least one banana a day for breakfast. I've stopped taking protein powder or pre-workouts and I don't see a difference either way. I'll probably not go back to the pre-workouts or protein because they're expensive and why bother if I'm getting the same results from actual food? I'm not against it, I'm just taking a break from it. My diet does change as far as carbs and proteins go when I'm training for a half marathon. Obviously my calorie count goes up but I've stopped counting calories.

I have finally become happy with myself and my body. I've noticed so many wonderful changes from changing my diet. I'm more energized, my stress levels are going down, the headaches that I used to get are decreasing, and my over-all feel is better. I was a very large child but once I lost the weight I was still feeling awful. My body has finally found it's happy point. 

Here's an idea of my workout: 

•CrossFit (Wednesday and Saturday) 

•Kickboxing(Tuesday or Thursday)

•Running(Depending on the training season 3-6 days with one long run it there)

•Weightlifting(3-4 days)

•Biking(1 day with a few friends)

That's my usual schedule. Right now I am less than two months away from my wedding so things do change when something comes up. I'm human. My next race isn't until the end of September so I have a lot of time to train before then. 

That's my usual life. It's pretty exciting, I know. If you have any questions please feel free to comment,tweet, Facebook, or email!

*This is an example of what I do. I am not a licensed nutrition or dietitian.  Please consult a doctor before trying something new. 

My favorite workout food is peanut butter! I eat it out of the jar (using different spoons of course) What's your favorite food that you always eat?

Quinoa Salad.

I never thought summer working only one job would get so busy! I used to work two jobs, seven days a week. I would honestly be lucky to have 1 day off on the weekend for myself. It was extremely stressful and hectic. Now that I'm able to work my solid full time job, I've started more activities. I recently took up CrossFit (which I love!) I'm also planning my wedding. We're almost done so I should have more time soon. 

Anyways, I recently tried out my own recipe. It turned out really well so I'll share it with you! 

Quinoa salad 

3/4 cup quinoa 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 

1/4 cup maple syrup 

1/2 cup dried cranberries(natural) 

1/2 cup sunflower seeds 

1/2 cup sliced almonds

•Cook quinoa according to the directions. •Let it cool.

•Make dressing: In a bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, and maple syrup. 

•Add dressing and stir in cranberries, sliced almonds, and sunflower seeds. 

•Let refrigerate over night. 

•Serve 

Try it and let me know how you like it! 

Race weekend and Sweat Pink

It has  definitely  been a while since I've posted on here.  I've been really busy at work and wedding planning but I did make time for a race yesterday.  Yesterday was Pittsburgh's color me rad 5k.  My sister isn't a big race guru, so it took a lot to get her to go with me.  We took our childhood best friend with us as well.  These are the two people that I could spend all of my time with every day.  They really are my best friends.  My sister got me into running, but she refuses to enter races.  She had way too much fun though.  This made up for the mud run that I made her do in Pennsylvania in November with 3 feet of snow.  I still haven't lived that down.  So, yesterday we got up and had breakfast at my sister's house.  She drove us the hour it took to get to our destination.  We met our friend's friends (who were so awesome) My dad rode along with us because he loves to go to races.  

This race was totally worth the money.  A portion of the proceeds went to the Ronald McDonald House Charity.  There were two problems we had with the race, 1.) we ran their parking lot so it was covered in rocks and gravel.  2.) There were more runners than walkers.  My group of friends and I are runners, we walked a little but we spent a portion of our time tripping over people that were walking.  

I think for the next race they should look into two lanes for people.  This race was still so much fun! 

I found out today that I became a Sweat Pink ambassador!  I applied a few months ago and have been checking my email religiously to see if I was accepted.   Sweat Pink is a group forum to learn, teach, and cheer on current athletes.  I can't wait to connect in my community! 

Your turn!

What fun races have you done this summer or planning to do?  

It's okay to have a bad day.

I'm starting to get into my new job routine. It only took me four weeks. Since it's getting light out earlier, I'm going to start running earlier. I set my alarm for 6am this morning to give myself enough time to get up, take my medicine, use my inhaler and get out the door to be home by 7am. I decided to take the hilly way through town since that's the longest way to go. About a quarter of a mile into it I couldn't breathe at all. It's crazy to think that a few weeks ago I ran a half marathon and did pretty well and could barely run today. I kept trudging my 3 miles around town with a lot of walking. The humidity was 87% so I wasn't going to kill myself to run. I left myself enough time to get home and ready for work.

What I'm slowly learning is that this is process. It's okay if I have a bad morning run. That just makes the finish line at the races better. When I first started, I felt like every run had to be a good one. I'm not saying to skip workouts or walk instead of run. Know your body and listen to it. If you feel like you're going to pass out then take a break! You'll do better in the long run. 

After I got home, I made some chia pudding. I saw it on Pinterest and just added chia seeds to light soy milk. It turned out okay but I didn't leave it set long enough so it was kind of setting In my mouth. 

Ways to get up for a morning run:

1.) Sleep in your running cloths. When you wake up you're ready to go. 

2.) Get everything ready that you need for after your run. Ex. If you have I work, pack your lunch, iron you cloths and get stuff ready the night before. 

3.) Go to sleep earlier. If you need to get up an hour earlier then go to sleep an hour earlier. The more you lag to get out of bed the harder it is. 

4.) No matter how much you want to sleep in, don't. You'll feel so much more energized after your run/workout. 

5.) Give yourself enough time before and after your workout to get ready so you aren't rushing. 

I'm naturally a morning person. I've never had to hit snooze on my alarm so if you aren't a morning person, this may not be as effective. This is what helps prepare me for my morning runs and workouts. 

What advice would you add to my list?

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

My best friend.

So, I've been pretty busy with my new job and my gym being too far away now I haven't had much time to go. I've taken a week long break from running after the half marathon and I made it to the gym twice since then. When I went to the gym it was so busy that it took me way longer than planned to get finished. Since it is so far away from my new job, I'm planning on switching to the gym that they're putting in near my new job but the gym isn't built yet and won't be for about a month. Long wait. I'm a little annoyed by that wait but I'll have to live. 

After I ran my half marathon, Adam said that he thinks he wants to give it a try next year. Truthfully, he always tells me that he hates running and 13 miles is kind of far when you hate running so I didn't believe him. Well, I asked him if he wanted to go on his first run. I told him to tell me when he felt like stopping and we could walk back home. He ran .63 of mile! I was so proud of him. We always go bike riding together but we never make it to go running and he defiantly saw a difference in biking and running. I can't wait to see how the rest of our half marathon runs go! 

I have received the Liebster Award!

I have received the Liebster Award by The little Dabbler.  I've never received one before so I'll do my best to answer the questions.  The Little Dabbler's blog is about life as a new mommy.  She post's advice, and personal opinions. It's a great blog for new mommies! 
So here it goes:

11 Facts About Me:

1.) I have a twin sister, a fraternal twins (We kinda look alike?)
2.) The guy I get to marry in August wasn't my "high school sweetheart", he was my "Jr.High School Sweetheart" We've been together since we were in 8th grade.  No break ups, minor fights, but nothing drastic. 
3.) When I was little, I was petrified of cats. Their claws freaked me out.  About 2 years ago we found a stray house cat that was declawed, living on our porch.  We tried to find his owner but didn't have any luck.  We're now absolute best friends.  He's my little furbaby :) 
4.) I have a bucket list that I'm always adding too.  I plan on accomplishing everything on that list someday.
5.) I'm 23 and afraid of the dark, storms, showering when no one is home.  Paranoid much? 
6.) When I was little, my dad and I always played catch before dinner and my dream was to play for the  Pittsburgh Pirates until I realized that girls aren't allowed to play in the major leagues. Let's be honest, I could probably help them out. 
7.) I hate to go to the movie theaters for two reasons: 1.) Because I can't sit that long with out being bored. 2.) I can't sit that long with out having to pee a million times. 
8.) My grandma and twin sister will always be my first best friends. 
9.) I would rather read a book than watch a TV show. (Though, I have been neglecting reading for some time.) 
10.) I got my tattoo over a year ago and my dad still has no idea that I have it. (Let's keep it that way)
11.) I genuinely believe that life is what you make of it.  You get out of it what you put into it and there is a reason for everything. 

11 Questions from my nominator: 

1.) How would you describe yourself? I describe myself as optimistic, goal oriented, laughs a lot type person.  I can be fun or serious depending on the mood.  Unfortunately, when I'm stressed out, I do have a very short temper.  I'm trying to work on that. 
2.) How would other people describe you? I would HOPE that people describe me as a charismatic, lovable, inspirational type.  Everyone has lovers and haters though. 
3.) What was your motivation to start blogging? My motivation to start blogging was to inspire other people to achieve things that they never thought were possible.  If you told me 6 years ago(my senior year of high school) that someday [soon] I would run a half marathon, yeah, I'd look at you like you were nuts. I also want to become a fitness ambassador for sites like FitFluential and Sweat Pink.  I want to show people that no matter what you want to accomplish, you can as long as you put you mind to it and work hard to achieve it. 
4.) When you’re not blogging, what do you do? This is a loaded question. I started my blog while I was working two jobs so, if I wasn't blogging, I was working, exercising, or wedding planning.  Now, I'm either working one of my jobs, exercising, or wedding planning.  I also spend time cleaning up my house (Who knew that two people and 1 cat could make such a mess?)  I like to hang out with Adam whenever I can since we live together and still barely see each other.  
5.) What’s the first childhood memory that you have? When I was little, my Gramma, my sister and I would walk up the street to a candy/ice cream shop call "Candyland".  It was probably my favorite store in the entire world.  We would go and get sundaes and then my Gramma would buy us more candy than any child needed.  Pretty much any childhood memory with my gramma in it is my favorite.
6.) Would you like to hear Sean Connery try to say “worcestershire sauce”?  Admit it.  It would be interesting. I don't really understand this question, but sure why not?! haha 
7.) What kind of pets do you have? I have a cat.  As I stated in my "11 Facts about Me". He started off with the name Orphan kitty.  He now wears a bow at all times and is named Prince Sherwin.  I never knew cats needed so much attention! He's attached to me all the time!
8.) How many cats does a person have to have to be considered a crazy cat lady? 1. My cat makes me nuts.  He has turned me into the crazy cat lady.
9.) Have you ever seen the made-for-television movie series called Sharpe?   Nope. My TV watching is pretty much boiled down too the Monday and Thursday nights DVR of The Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly, 2 Broke Girls, The rules of engagement. My "oldies" faves are, The Golden Girls(Best show ever.) Boy Meets World (I have all the seasons) and Three's Company. Is that lame? Probably. 
10.) What’s something you are feeling guilty about, right now? My house needs cleaned but my legs hurt too bad to do it.  Guilty but not feeling guilty.
11.) Can you guess my riddle?

I turn polar bears white
and I will make you cry.
I make guys have to pee
and girls comb their hair.
I make celebrities look stupid
and normal people look like celebrities.
I turn pancakes brown
and make your champagne bubble.
If you squeeze me, I’ll pop.
If you look at me, you’ll pop. 

No,  I can't. 

My Nominees:

1.) 50 Shades of Fitness: I was hoping to meet her at the Pittsburgh Marathon this weekend but didn't get a chance too.  Her blog is about her fitness journey to run a thousand miles in a year.  She's doing so well already and has to overcome knee problems! 

2.) The Running Besties: Mandy is new to blogging and writes about her fitness goals and achievements.  She just received her first medal, and I'm sure there are many more to follow! 

3.) Asthma Girl Runner: I can obviously relate to her blog in so many ways.  It's hard for people to understand how hard it is to run with asthma.  She's come a long way and is about to go further! 

4.)  Cookies on the run: "He's fast, and she's just trying to run." I have found this blog so inspirational because they both write about their own experiences.  I love the husband and wife duo of a blog!

5.) Cherie Runs This: Cherie isn't new to blogging but she's a Pittsburgh native who knows her roots that resides in North Carolina.  She was in Jillian Michael's addition of Fitness magazine a few months ago and she's a complete inspiration to the weight loss and fitness world.  

6.) Jogging Jeans: She ran her first half marathon yesterday and finished in 2:09:40. How awesome is that?! This is blog about people who jog in jeans.  People really do.  I have seen this twice in one week and was so upset that I could get a picture for them.  

For My Nominees:

1.) What sparked your fitness journey?
2.) How is your life different since you have decided to follow into the fitness world?
3.) What are your fitness goals for the next year? 
4.) What was your favorite fitness accomplishment?
5.) How did you get into fitness/running? 
6.) What is your motivation to stick with it everyday?
7.) Have you ever felt burned out and ready to quite your journey? 
8.) How long have you blogged your achievements? 
9.) Has your family always supported you?
10.) How would you like the fitness world to perceive you?
11.) Is there anyone in your life that doesn't support what you do? 

Rules of the Leibster Award:

Not sure what a Liebster Award is all about?  Here are the “rules” (or should I say, in the words of Captain Jack Sparrow,  ”more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules”):

1. Each nominee must post 11 things about his or her self. 
2. Answer the questions (see below) that your nominator asks you.
3. Choose 11 people to nominate for a Liebster and link them in your post.  They have to be up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.  No tag backs to the person who nominated you!
4. Create 11 questions for the people you’ve nominated.
5. Go to their page and tell them they are nominated.

My first half marathon.

So, the day finally came! I have trained and trained for this and the past year went by faster than I thought it would.  Today, I ran my first half marathon and I couldn't be more proud of myself.  I was so nervous going into it and I kept telling myself that I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to go a half marathon or not after some of the 5ks that I ran, but I did it anyway.  Our weekend was pretty busy.  First we started off with Friday, we had to go pick up my packet and the "run for Boston" shirt that I ordered.  So, Adam and I hung out in the city and as the expo afterwards.  

The beautiful city.

This is how I get ready for marathon weekend in the middle of the road. 

After walking through the city, Adam and I stopped at one of the bars so he could watch some of the hockey game. After having a beer we left to go home and get ready for the rest of the weekend. 

It's the "Runner of Steel" Bridge!

My Pittsburgh swag bag

Since we didn't get home until really late on Friday, we had all of our packing to do on Saturday morning.  I had such a hard time motivating myself to get ready because I had a baby shower to go to and then we had to leave for Pittsburgh. 

All weekend I was so nervous! After making breakfast and cleaning the kitchen, I definably need to pack.  Me packing turned into me just taking pictures of everything that needed packed. 

My race outfit is all ready to go!

It took me almost 3 hours just to pack because I would stop and find something to be entertained with before I would finish packing.  But I'm all packed and ready to go! This is when I really started to get nervous. Knowing that I've spent that last year training but not knowing what I'm getting myself into is crazy! I had no clue how I was going to do or if I could finish.  

Once I finished packing I had to get ready for my really good friend's baby shower.  It was a great shower and I can't wait for the little boy or girl to get here. 

We left for Pittsburgh around 4ish and we got there in really good time.  We stayed in the Ross Twsp. area and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  (It was delicious)  Once we were finished we went and explored the mall a little bit.  Pittsburgh malls have way better stores than the malls at home.  I found a really cute sweater at Banana Republic for $14.95! I was pretty excited. Adam and I finished our shopping and we got back to the hotel around 9:30p.m.  I took a bath and had a pretty sleepless night ahead of me.  My nerves would not let me sleep at all.  Then, at 4:15a.m. my alarm went off and it was time to get up and get ready.  I did a breathing treatment before and after I went to bed because I've been feeling so congested. I packed my bags and we headed into the city.  My smart self completely forgot a jacket or something to put over my arms and I was freezing! 

The beautiful sunrise 

I was so nervous before it started

When I'm nervous, I cry.  That's about the only time I cry, but when I had to go to my corral ALL alone with a bunch of people I don't know, I almost cried.  I went in a bout a half an hour early and stood there waiting to use the bath room for the last time.  My corral didn't get going until about 20 minutes after the race had started. This is when you decide that you have to pee again and can't leave.

Here's my race summary, I'm not going to go by each mile but here ya go. 

Miles 1-5: I felt amazing.  My chest wasn't bothering me and I was passing people left and right. There were a lot of walkers that were walking down the middle, which made it pretty hard to try to pass them so I stayed closer to the right side. Also, there was a guy and a few of his friends that kept yelling chants, which was awesome because it completely took your mind off the miles  and what you were doing.  I kept running until 5.50 and I had to stop for a few second to take my inhaler.   This was the first time I stopped during the entire race. I was pretty proud of myself already.

Miles 6-9: I made it to the 10k mark at 1:05.01.  This was the fastest that I've ran this and I was so happy.  Once I got to mile 7 it started to go downhill.   The worst part was that the bottoms of my feet were killing me! From miles 7 on, I had to use my inhaler close to four times.  There were a few decent hills, but nothing I couldn't over  come.  Around the 9th mile I started to get really bad chest pains and I was afraid that I would have to stop that I medic tent when I was finished but by mile 11 it was gone.

Miles 10-13.1: My feet were still bothering me but knowing I was almost done made it so much better.  I knew I getting ready to finish faster than I ever had and that was my only goal from there on.  Around mile 12 everyone started to yell that they see the finish line and that was about the best feeling ever. I finished at 2:22:57!  I was proud of myself.   I crossed the finish line and got my medal and started grabbing everything down the line so I could get through it.  

Afterwards I had to get my stuff out of gear check and go find my family. Adam and my dad were waiting for me at the family reunion section since I didn't take my phone on the course with me.  

I finished! 

I should play #222 on the lottery!

My dad got my medal engraved for me. 

I love purple and blue Eat 'n' Park cookies!

My dad and I after the race

Adam and I after the race

This was one of the most memorable, rewarding experiences I've ever had.  I've worked so hard to get this far and I can't wait until next year.  Thank you to all the Pittsburgh volunteers, and the medic crews and officers, and everyone involved in helping with the Pittsburgh marathon.   

Unfortunately, at mile 12 a 23 year old man collapsed and passed away today while he was running the half marathon. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of him. 

New job, less workout.

So, yesterday I started my new job. I absolutely love it but I haven't had much time to finish my training for Sunday's
half marathon. This half marathon is pretty much what has inspired me to start blogging and twittering my goals.

On the plus side my new job is awesome! Everyone is so nice and I get my own office with my name on the outside. I've been training an hour away from home which is the main reason I haven't had time to train for the race. Tomorrow night I'll be staying overnight in the city so I'm hoping to get some decent miles in during the morning before I go to work.

I'm working at a near by college getting students ready to get started with school. So far, it's like a dream. I went to school for fashion and really wanted to own my own store one day, but things change. I've always known that I really want to work with people. Tomorrow is day number 3 and I couldn't be more excited!

Sunday I did get a decent run in. I ran 7 miles with some complications. It was a good run in the way that I found new routes and trails while fighting through the wind, rain and cold while having an asthma attack and almost passing out at the end. Nothing about that really sounds all that great but it was still a decent run.
On this run, I went to my usual park, but I was so sick of running in a circle that i thought I would venture off. I started on my first mile on flat surface onto a hill. By mile 1.10 I had an asthma attack. Now, I've been feeling like I'm getting sick and everything has been laying in my chest so I've been doing my breathing treatments and trying to load up on good stuff. (Which has helped) so I had to take a minor walk break to use my inhaler, which has felt like the millionth time I might add, and kept hauling up the hill. I've been told that there were trails at this park I go to so I thought I would find some and I did. I don't mind venturing around this park because no matter where I get lost, I'll always be able to find my way out. It sounds stupid but I can.
So, going into this run, I had goals of making it to 8 miles. That changed. After my asthma attack issue, I felt a lot better. At 3-5 miles I literally felt like I could do this all day, then mile 6 hit.
Let me back up to 2 hours prior, I had only eaten the salad that's pictured. For breakfast, I had a banana, egg, and some toast and I went running at 5:45pm. Needless to say, I defiantly didn't have enough food in my body for that in to hit 8 miles. So, I get to mile 6 and I start to feel dizzy and unable to focus. Every time this happens I normally pass out shortly after. Logically thinking about it now, I should have stopped then but that would have been the logical route. So I finished my mile to hit 7, grabbed my water and my Gatorade and went for a short walk until my liquids were gone.

Afterwards, I went over to my sister's house for dinner and tea. I'm not going to lie, Sunday's are one of my favorite days.

Now there is less than 5 days until the marathon and I honestly don't know when I'll get a training run in. I'm really not too worried about it though, I've done 13 miles before and I have absolute faith in myself to do it again. I'm pretty confident that this rest I'm getting is going to help me more than hinder me.