Happy Sunday... be ready for the week!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I really had an awesome one.  After I posted about my long run yesterday, I went out for the day.   I started with a trip to Dunkin Donuts for a delicious and yummy bagel that my body was just craving.  The trip was memorable beyond just the bagel, because first, the store had this sign up that almost brought me to tears.

Boston strong.  Here in a random Upstate New York Dunkin Donuts.  Seriously, choked me up.  I love this togetherness feeling and although I know that sign won't stay there forever, I hope that the feeling sticks around for just a bit longer.

The other thing that made this trip memorable was that when I went in to get the bagel (everything bagel with butter in case you're interested) I noticed the new ice cream flavored iced coffees.  Now, I haven't had coffee in a while but it sounded delicious and I thought I deserved it, so I got a small iced Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream coffee with just skim milk.

And ya know what?  For the first time in my life, it was TOO SWEET.  Seriously, this thing was just loaded with some sort of sugar syrup that I was sucking up my straw like crazy.  And yes, it was flavorful and good.  But just far too sweet.  I had a few sips and threw it in the trash.  Where did I take that picture and where was this said trash can, by the way?  Oh yeah, at the nail salon.

I treated myself to a pedicure yesterday at a new nail salon that I'd never been to before.  I told the woman doing my toes that I had run 12 miles that day and was training for a half marathon.  I don't know if that caused my pedicurist to give me some extra love or if she is just amazing at what she does... but the foot massage and pedicure seriously was out of this world.  She spent so much time massaging my feet and legs (which really, isn't it everyone's favorite part?) and I was in heaven.  I gave her an extra special tip and will definitely be going back for my next pedicure.

I then went and met some friends downtown for a charity pub crawl.  I don't think I've been on a pub crawl since my senior year of college (where, side note, we thought it'd be funny to literally CRAWL from pub to pub...) and wasn't sure what to expect but it ended up being a ton of fun and for a great cause.  The money from the pub crawl went to Building on Love, which is dedicated to supporting the Ronald McDonald house and families.  I highly recommend you go to their website and check out the great work they are doing in the capital region!  In addition to supporting a good cause, the pub crawl was in honor of a young man who passed away this past December.  Saturday would have been his 21st birthday and the event was in his honor.

It was a beautiful day in the Capital Region.

And such a fun way to support a good cause by enjoying a few of these guys...

And these guys...

With some great friends!

Despite the late night pizzas, I woke up hungry this morning so I prepared myself a delicious and nutritious breakfast.  Scrambled eggs (1 full egg + 2 egg whites) with spinach, grated muenster cheese, and crumbled bacon on top.  With lots of water and a clementine on the side for some sweetness.  SO GOOD!

This meal really got my day going right and I actually was out and about at 9:30 trying to run errands, only to find out that all the stores I needed to go to weren't open until 11, haha!

I pampered myself a bit more today by heading to the Roosevelt Bath and Spas in Saratoga for a little R&R.  I seriously just love it here.  The relaxing area is beautiful and incredibly calming.  The staff is friendly and helpful.  The place is beautiful, inside and out.  And honestly, the baths do wonders for your skin.

I wanted to take a picture to show you the baths, and I know that by looking at this, it looks disgusting. But the water is mineral water, which is why it is that dark color.  It may seem odd to some people to pay money to go take a bath somewhere, but as I've written before, it is a great experience.  It makes your skin so soft and smooth and in my opinion, really helps with skin conditions, such as psoriasis.

This picture was taken with the curtains open so you can see what it looks like.  It honestly is very clean, and the staff is just wonderful. In addition, the tub is actually set about 5 inches below the ground, so it is a very deep tub that you're in!  More so than what you see here, because you step down when you step in.  Here is where I relaxed today.  Ahhhh.

This was again, exactly what I needed.  I left feeling so rejuvenated and honestly, so happy that my legs are really, not that sore from yesterday's run.  I haven't felt sick or tired today at all, which I have been sometimes the day after a long run.  I am so glad I did the full 12 miles yesterday and my recovery has been so good.  I am really feeling confident for next weekend.

On the way home from the bath I stopped at my favorite store, Marshall's, and did a little shopping.  I bought a special "post-half-marathon" new dress to wear out in Nashville the night of my race!  I also stopped into a new frozen yogurt store I saw.

I know, I know.  I am a bit disappointed in myself that I went as well.  I have been doing really well with avoiding fake sugars and processed foods.  I want to write more about the changes that I've been making in my diet, and I'm sure once I'm past this half marathon I will spend more time sharing it with you.  I can already feel differences in my mood and energy levels by avoiding processed foods and sugars.  You may be thinking I'm crazy because I wrote about eating a bagel, beer, and pizza yesterday.  But that was a special run day, and carbs are supposed to be good post run, I think.

But anyways, I got sucked into the frozen yogurt shop and got myself a small bowl of a few of the flavors they had, and topped it with just a couple yogurt chips and a nonpareil.  Which, generally my frozen yogurt cups are 1/2 filled with froyo and 1/2 filled with crap like oreos, M&Ms, caramel, sprinkles, etc.  So this cup actually does reflect a big change in me.

The other big change is that I didn't finish the whole thing.  Because as I was eating it, it wasn't making me feel good.  I immediately felt full, bloated, and just as if I was polluting myself.  Maybe it's mental or maybe just having avoided processed sugars for a couple weeks now, my body really is starting to change.  I mean, I also threw away the sugary sweet iced coffee yesterday!  So yes, I slipped a little today buying the froyo, but I really think I learned from it.  I felt gross after eating this.  I don't think I'll be tempted to go back soon.

Writing up my weekend recap this week and thinking about the delicious meals I cooked myself, the pedicure, bath, etc. that I treated myself to, my new dress I bought myself, etc.  I am sort of thinking to myself, "Damn... I treat myself pretty good!"  I mean, I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of, right?  If I'm not going to spoil myself, who will?!  But, I do feel a bit gluttonous about everything, as I see it all spelled out here.  I don't think it's every weekend I spend so much time and money on myself.  If it were, I would probably want to balance it out a bit more maybe?  However, I will say this... any future men in my life are going to have a tough act to live up to, because I treat myself pretty darn well.

Well, I hope you all had as wonderful a weekend as I did and are as excited for the week ahead as I am as well!!  If not, I will share with you the following link.  40 reasons the world is a beautiful place to live.  Take a look and be thankful for the life we have.  I certainly am feeling that way right now. XOXO.

My final long run of 12 miles... COMPLETE!

You guys, my legs are so tired.

I had a lot going through my mind today while I set out to do my run.  It's exactly one week until my race and today was my last long run.  The training plan I had told me to do 12 miles but I was a little nervous to push myself that hard the week right before my race.  I decided to go as far as I could and get the distance in if nothing else.  And get it out.  Woohoo!

I woke up to a sunny day which made me really excited and I tested out some new morning eats, put on a new pair of running pants I was thinking of trying for the race, hydrated, laced up, and went out to run.  As soon as I stepped outside, I realized it was chillier than I thought and contemplated going back for a pair of gloves, but figured I'd warm up once I got moving.  A lot of times if I start running with gloves, I end up carrying them by the end.  However, almost immediately once I started running, the sun began to disappear and the wind made it even chillier on the times that I was running against it, not with it.  However, I kept going.

I thought about everything that happened this week in Boston.  I visualized myself running in Nashville one week from today (!!!)  I pictured myself running the race and seeing family and friends along the sidelines cheering for me.  Which, as a side note, actually made me tear up during my run.  I pushed myself to explore new roads, trying to find a little pond that I've seen on maps (which I did!).  I thought of all my past long runs and all that I've put into those.  And I thought about what I wrote about the other day, that you play like you practice.  I also thought of what I've accomplished in the past.  My first 5K.  My first 10K.  My first sprint triathlon.  All of these things that I never thought I could do, and how pretty soon, a half marathon is going to be something else on that list.

There were quite a few points in my run that I wanted to quit.  I remembered my run from Sunday though, and how walking when I am not near my house is NOT a good thing, as I'll get too cold and just be miserable.  Guys, my hands were so cold during my run.  I had put my iPod on a complete shuffle of all the songs, to see if something fun would pop up that I should add to my race mix.  And thinking I'd skip the slower/non-running songs.  However, my fingers were too numb to be able to double click my little controller on my headphones.  I could barely get out my shot block to eat at mile 6.  I was numb.

At 9 miles, I was in pain and really wanted some water and some gloves.  I worked my way back to my apartment and ran until I had the 9 mile mark then darted into my apartment.  Well, "darted" isn't the best word, as my fingers were so numb I could barely get the keys into the lock to open my door.  But I went inside, grabbed a coat, a pair of gloves (again, could barely even work my fingers into the gloves to put them on), drank some water, and grabbed a water bottle.  I also knew from my run last Sunday if I went in for too long, I'd get too warm and it would be hard to get back going.  I went immediately back outside and walked mile 10 and then forced my legs to run the final 2 miles of my goal of 12 miles.

So yes, I walked a mile.  But I did 12!  Running 11 miles!  And I'm looking forward to hopefully running in warmer weather next Saturday.  These long runs in chilly, windy weather have just been hard for me.  The weather here was 45-50 today during my run.  Here is the weather report currently in Nashville:

Anyways, I'm finally feeling a bit warmer after spending a couple hours indoors, have been eating and drinking, and am ready for the rest of the day.  This recovery has been SO MUCH better than my 10 mile run or my attempt at an 11 mile run.  I think it has to do with what I ate.  I had been recommended these Sport Beans, which I think is just too much caffeine for my system at once.

Especially since I've given up a lot of my "regular" caffeine that I'd get in coffee and Diet Soda (10 days soda free!!) This run I tried these Shot Bloks which were a lot better for me!  I didn't feel sick at all.

This will definitely be what I am using for race day fuel!

Anyways, I hope everyone has a great Saturday.  I've got some fun stuff planned, and also some pampering as well.  Tomorrow I'll be doing a mineral bath and massage.  Woohoo!  I think I deserve it, and frankly, that's all that matters :)  Enjoy the weekend and hug your loved ones. XOXO.

Thank you.

Beyond thankful and appreciative. There are so many hugs I wish I could give right now. To all of my friends and family, who just feel too far away right now. To all of our Boston police, fire fighters, medical workers, National Guard, and all of the FBI and personnel from neighboring towns who assisted. To all of those recovering from injury from the attacks over the past week. To all of the family members of those who have passed. Hugs to all of the runners who were unable to finish, or whose race will forever be tainted by these events. To the victims of the explosions in Texas this week, whose story has seemed less dramatic or sexy, and has received less nationwide attention and support, yet whose suffering and pain is just as real.

And yes, even a hug to 19-year old Dzhokhar Tsarnaec. For whom I wonder, what happened in your life to bring you here? What pain must you have felt to make this seem like a viable route? He doesn't seem like other "terrorists" we have come to know or identify in our lives. He was not brave and bold, acting with pride and determination for a cause. He was cowardly, scared, desperate, and foolish. Running over his own brother to get away and hiding out wounded in a boat. Acting as he truly is- a child. I would give him a hug. Ask him why? Let him know it didn't have to be this way. And then bring his ass to justice for the pain and damage and heartache and suffering his heartless and childish behavior has caused.

There are just too many people I want to hug and hold close to me right now it would be impossible to even try. But an enormous thank you is owed. For the bravery we've seen in our police and armed forces today and every day. You are forever in our nation's debt.

And for everyone involved, you will be in my thoughts and prayers and it will be in your honor I finish my next week of training and run my first half marathon this week. Your bravery and determination inspires me.

Thank you, and sleep well tonight Boston.

You play like you practice.

I read a blog post on Lifehacker this week that says the motto for practice of sports (or in my case, training for running) shouldn't be "practice makes perfect."  Instead, a better thing to remember and say to yourself is, "You play like you practice."  This comes from a story from Jason Fried of 37Signals who says that while taking a self defense course that incorporated fake guys, the instructor would always have the members of the class put the fake gun on the ground when their turn was over, rather than hand it to the next person.

He originally thought that was sort of a silly thing to do.  Why bend down to put it on the ground, just to make the next person bend down to pick it up?  It seemed unnecessary and kind of rude even.  When he inquired why he couldn't just hand it to the person following him, the instructor explained that sometimes in real life situations, you revert back to how you practice.  The instructor explained that there have been actual cases where police officers or first responders have HANDED A WEAPON BACK to their attacker after de-arming them.  Why?  Because their training and practices had involved handing a weapon over to others, even if just casually.  Your mind is a funny thing and it can play tricks on you sometimes and do what is familiar, even if it seems like the opposite thing at the time.

Anyways, this is why you should practice like you want to play.  If you put in mediocre effort in practice, you can't expect to be extraordinary in a real game.

I feel like I have practiced with a mediocre attitude my whole life.  During high school swim practice, I used to jokingly call my lane the "slacker" lane because I don't think I ever once put in the full effort possibly when at practice.  And it showed in my race results, as I was a mediocre swimmer my whole career.

This mantra of "you play like you practice" really struck a cord with me this week and made me a little nervous as far as my training for this half marathon goes.  I have most definitely been putting in the effort/workload, but on some of my long runs, like my 9-mile run or my 11-mile run, I didn't run the full distance.  I have one more long run this weekend, of 12-miles, and I have been debating whether or not I even want to attempt to do the full 12-miles running or try and take it easy to save up for the big day the following week.

My goal for the half marathon is to finish the whole race without walking.  And since I have cut a couple corners on my long runs when it's gotten tough, I'm scared that mentally, I will revert back to that during the race.  Because, you run races like you train.  If you give up during training, it's easier to give up during the race.  Right?

This week, with that in mind, I've pushed a little harder during my midweek runs.  As I mentioned, I tried to run a bit faster on Tuesday.  During my 5-mile run yesterday I sought out a few hills to conquer throughout the course.  And today during my 3-mile run, the wind was so bad that I felt like I was running through water.  However, I refused to change the route that I had decided on before experiencing the wind because I didn't want to give up.  Even though some portions may have been easier had I chosen a path that had more shelter from the wind or not so much head-on wind running, I kept my route solid.  A week from Saturday I am not going to have control over the wind, the course, or the weather so I need to prepare myself to take on whatever is in my path!

I like this mantra and I will try to keep it with me moving forward.  What do you guys think?  Does this resonate with you as well?

Complete silliness.

So, I didn't post last night because I was busy being completely silly with a friend.  I will share at some point, but for the time being, I will give you a little preview with the following screen grabs.  Get excited :)

Moving on, eating with friends, and running

There is something just amazing about those friends in your life that you can talk with about everything from dating and guys to global politics and health care.  Last night and tonight I've had "media free" nights, which has been just what I needed.

Yesterday I spent the night with my friend Dani, who you saw run the NYC half marathon earlier this year, and tonight I went for a run.  Both things were exactly what I needed.  Dani prepared a delicious meal for us and we chatted for hours about pretty much everything.  Tell me that this doesn't look delightful, am I right?

For the first time ever tonight when I went for my run, I left my music at home-- on purpose.  I wanted a clear head to just listen to the sounds of my feet on the ground, of my breathe, and of the world around me.  I wanted my run to be just about running.

It was a good feeling and I clocked the 3 miles that I had scheduled for today.  I also tried to push myself to run a little bit faster than I usually do at the end of my run.  My splits looked like this:

Which, is definitely faster than I've been going on my longer runs, but not the fastest I've ever run.  I'm looking forward to completing this half marathon and working on other goals for myself.  I would love to run faster.  I would love to get more into strength training again.  I would love to do another sprint triathlon.  As silly as it may be for others, these 13.1 miles have really taken up so much of my mental energy as I've prepared it's been hard for me to focus on other things.

Here is the calendar I have hanging in my cube that I've been using to track my training.  There is blood, sweat, and tears along that road, people!

I cannot believe how close I am to getting to race day!  I'm starting to prepare food plans for the next week, music for the race and for traveling, and outfit choices.  I've got lots to consider!  I laugh at myself when I think of all this hyper-planning I am doing in comparison to Dani's laid back ways when I just went to NYC for her half marathon.  She was so easygoing about the whole thing and I'm already a crazy person and we're a week and a half out.

I'm avoiding alcohol until the race and doing my best to eat healthy and fresh foods.  Which, I've been eating a lot of oranges lately, as I've mentioned.  But can I get some advice here?  Does this orange not have abnormally thick skin?  I ate this at my desk the other day and it was a nightmare to peel.  I am new to oranges so I don't know if I'm just a wimp or not.  But this is by far the thickest skinned orange I've ever seen.  And yes, I called a coworker over to check.  She didn't really confirm for me.  Just laughed at me.  So I take my question to you.  Is this orange extra-thick??

And with that, I will call it a night.  Hope you are having the best week you can and keeping positive.  Channel your feelings into energy that you use to accomplish the goals that you have for yourself.  That's what I am trying. #milesforBoston #xoxo

Just a little of what's keeping me going today...

Stories of heroes, such as former Patriot, Joe Andruzzi.

And those who are heroes every day, protecting and serving our country.

Stories of rivalries being put aside.

 

People carrying on.

Both the Boston and the running communities showing their support.

And the human spirit in general.