wallis sands half marathon - race report

since i don't blog as much as i should, i never actually included a post about my goals for this race. let me start with those.

i actually had a few levels of goals for this race:

a) run a smart race/don't die and/or finish in under 2 hours - this was my bare minimum goal
b) beat my previous best time (1:54:15) from the last race i ran, 2 years ago, right before i fell of the running wagon
c) better than 1:50:00 -this was def a stretch goal

the conditions on race day were pretty much perfect. very light wind, temperature was 50 at the start and 57 at the finish, flat course, and beautiful scenery -along the ocean for about 4 miles total

my plan was to run the first mile in 9, the second in 8:45 and then the rest at or under 8:30. i did pretty well with this plan (alright, re-looking at my splits, i may have been a bit fast) , right until the 9 mile mark or so, and then the wheels just fell off.

Mile Split time Split pace Elev. chg.
1 8:46 8:47 +3
2 8:29 8:29 +2
3 8:18 8:18 +16
4 8:13 8:14 +231 (wow, faster mile, biggest hill. hmmmm)
5 8:23 8:24 -167
6 8:19 8:19 -10
7 8:40 8:41 -8
8 8:37 8:37 -18
9 8:45 8:46 -10
10 9:00 9:01 -29
11 9:27 9:28 +17 (stopped to drink some gatorade)
12 9:17 9:18 +27
13 9:09 9:09 -66
0.1 0:50 8:25 +32

total time 1:54:55

in hindsight, i'm sure i just went out too fast, but i'm not actually upset that i did because it gave me the chance to try; to get to my goal pace and see how long i actually could hold it for. i'm really proud that i ran as fast as i did for as long as i did and it gives me a very attainable goal for the future: work on my stamina for miles 10-13 and hold that pace! i totally think i can do that.

so lets see. i sort of met goal A. i was pretty darn close to goal B. and goal C, well, ya know.

and oh, this race also reminded me that i need to work on my positive talk. if kara's mantra is "fighter" and mine is "i wanna die, just let it be over", then i can see why i'm not a world class athlete. :)

--hope to post pics soon. the race website is being soooo slow in posting them

march-ing along *groan*

stats for march: total miles: 109.1 miles, longest run: 10 miles.

right now i am logging my runs in a few different places. I use runkeeper cause I started with that one when I began my marathon training. Its also where the sis and bro-in-law log their runs so it is fun to see how everyone is doing. I also started using the software that came with my garmin as well as a free downloadable software that I heard good things about, but I only use those 2 for outside runs with my garmin so they aren’t very complete. I also have a spreadsheet I keep that is very simple; date and number of miles.

needless to say, I am looking forward to paring this process down. I think I’ll prob end up with the free sw and I’ll just manually enter my treadmill runs (or get a garmin footpod). the good thing about that option is that when I do a monthly stats, I’ll be able to give a total time and thus and average pace. I’m curious about what that might end up being.

sister and I went to the nashua rail trail for our 12 mile run this past sunday. it was refreshing to run on a flat surface…almost made the run seem “easy”. here is my ensemble from the run. Lululemon run:inspire tights in sprinkler, nike shorts, and nike jacket that was FREE with coke points.

is it wrong that I have over $300 in free nike and adidas clothes that I got with coke points? at least its diet coke!

return of the mack

since this is my blog, and i can do what i want with it (or nothing at all if the last year is any indication), i'm thinking about blogging more about running (i'm training for the seattle rock and roll marathon in june, so that is constant on my mind). i spose i could do a shopping-for-running-accessories blog...that might be a nice marriage of the old and new. :-)

either way, i think im going to try and write here a little more often. *try*

nothing compares to new workout gear for motivational purposes. since this last round of running started, i've found that a lot of my stuff was pretty worn looking and sweat stain-ed, so i've been doing a little sprucing up of my "kit" (bought a UK version of runner's world, and they must have used the word kit no less than 100 times.)

for the fashionistas :-), here's some new lululemon: unicorn tears stratus wunder unders, iris wee stripe in-stride jacket, pink (forget the name) swiftly tee (hard to see).

paint it black

i have to wear all black to job number 2. strict black; meaning black suit or black dress with sleeves, and black shoes. i actually kind of like it. black isn't something i'm normally drawn to, but there's no denying its classiness (and it's an excuse for more shopping, as in, but i neeeeeed it for work) and so far i've enjoyed getting "dressed up" for work. i try to dress up for job number 1, but when you can get away with jeans and flips flops, it can be hard to motivate some mornings.

back to #2, we ARE however allowed to wear colorful accessories to our little hearts content, so i've been working on that (an excuse for more shopping....i neeeeeed them). my latest purchase was quite the splurge, but i really love it. i love the color and i've been working on learning all sorts of fun ways to tie it. i'll try and post some of my better attempts. i'm also hopeful that i might make me look older/more mature, and help cut back on the amount of times an hour i'm asked if i'm a college student. 15 years ago, beeeotch. (i know, i shouldn't be bitter, but it starts to grate on me)

day without color. niiiice, but missing that je ne sais pas.
the lowdown:
suit: jcrew
tank: mbmj
shoes: lumiani
bag: rebecca minkoff
hair bobby pin: juicy (bridesmaid gift from kertch) (are you reading this, are you?)

day WITH color, luv that pink:
the lowdown:
dress: DVF
shoes: ann taylor
bag: balenciaga
scarf: hermes
bangles: jcrew and various cheapies

and here is a close up of the scarf. it is called "cent plis des maio" in colorway #2, i believe. as soon as i laid eyes on it, it was game over.

first purchase: reveal!

my mood is pretty upbeat today. mostly because its friday and the weather forecast is looking good, but also, i had a really nice night at work #2 last night. my first night on the floor on my own, in fact, and i did a really good amount of sales! i think i'm a natural shoe saleswoman. :)

it was amazing how fast time went by too. there was a sale going on this week, so we were open an hour later than normal, making my shift time 4 hours long, and i swear it seemed like less than an hour. it was an unusual sensation...this time flying by at work thing. i really hope this idea/plan of mine works out in the long run and that i can eventually do something that i love doing everyday. its such a pipe dream at this point, but i think it might just keep me going.

accessories outfit of the day:

the lowdown:
bag: rebecca minkoff MAM
shoes: fendi graffiti zucca flats
leggings: LNA

first purchase

i'm debating which shoes to get with my first discounted purchase. the first two pair are more practical as i can wear them to both jobs. (see ps) the second are more fun, even tho i'm not normally drawn to logo things. or i can just keep drooling. deciding and planning is way more than half the fun.

salvatore ferragamo varina bow flat

chloe belted flat



fendi graffiti zucca flat

ps-this blog is supposed to be a personal blog, but i do struggle with how much information is appropriate to put here. case in point: last year when josh and i decided to get new jobs and move back to the boston area, there was a whole lotta stuff i would have loved to blog about. the interview process, househunting, my stress and struggle with everything...but then, on the flip side, there's a whole lotta stuff that i don't want lots of people knowing about until its final, kwim? and by the time i can write about it, its not relevant.

so, re: above. i'm sure some of you know. if you don't, i'm sure you can figure it out if you know me well enough. :)

maybe i can time delay my posts by about 3 months. :)

Randoms, because I'm lazy

just so you don't all feel left out out there in internet land, I'm posting a few OOTD pics I took but never wrote about. don't say I don't ever think about you.....

WORK:

the lowdown:

pants: theory
tank top: club monaco

blouse: splendid
shoes: jcrew
necklace: jcrew

OUTLET SHOPPING:
the lowdown:

top: anthro
jeans: 7FAM
flips: tory burch
bag: RM BBW MAM

WINE TASTING:
the lowdown:
top: splendid
cardi: jcrew
jeans: joe's
flips: tory burch
sunnies: chloe
bag: balenciaga sahara day

NIAGARA FALLSING:
the lowdown:
ponchos: courtesy of maid of the mist