A new year and fresh start!

"An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it's going to launch you into something great. Just focus and keep aiming...."

This year, I'm aiming for progress not perfection. Run by feel and not pressure myself by numbers on a watch. I think it's taken a couple months to feel "normal" again after my God awful marathon in November, but for the first time since then, I'm looking forward to what the future holds for me this year as far as running is concerned. I'm not going to pressure myself with those two, bold letters...BQ.

I believe it will happen when the time is right. I know I have it in me, but I think last year I just put way too much pressure on myself to achieve it. Running has always been something I looked forward to and enjoyed. Training as hard as I did last summer and obsessing over numbers on a training plan really kind of made me dread the thought of it. This time, I'm running by feel. I'll write my own training plan, but the only things that will be in concrete are my long runs and ONE speed word session a week. Every other run will be whatever my legs feel like doing that day. Whether they want to run a 9 min mile or a 7 min mile. I'm going to log my runs and thoughts into my Believe Journal every day and really just get in touch with myself instead of ignoring how I feel. I'm not treating myself like a robot anymore.

I'm already starting to look for races to do this year. I definitely want to run another marathon and 50K ultra. I'm hoping to do Chicago again and get in the lottery that will hopefully open up in February or March.  I want to get out and explore new running routes and places. Maybe run with other people more often. Spring can not come quick enough for me!

I'm totally excited to be a part of the 2015 Nuun Ambassador Team. I'm a nutrition and hydration geek and anything that is going to enhance my running and allow me to connect with like-minded people, I'm there!  I'm also looking forward to continuing to represent the Oiselle Team, which is a HUGE honor. Being on a team of such inspiring women means the world to me and not mention, the super cute clothes are just an added bonus :) I can't wait for my next race so I can sport that singlet again.

I'd like to extend a shout-out to my mother, who just joined the blogging community. Along with my 2015 goals that I mentioned here, I'm going to also try to establish a closer relationship with God(another reason I love running, because that's when I feel closest to Him)
If you're interested in a more spiritual blog, check out hers and send her some love ----   http://kathyayers.wordpress.com/

Here's to 2015 and some amazing miles ahead. Thanks to everyone that takes the time to read my blog or follow me on Instagram. Looking forward to following everyone's journey!

My Magnificent Weekend/Mag Mile 1/2 marathon recap

The moment I heard that Lauren Fleshman was pacing the 1:45 group at the Women's Mag Mile 1/2 marathon in Chicago, it was a done deal...

I was going to run a local 1/2 marathon right in town that same day, but there was NO way I was going to pass an opportunity like this up. For those of you that don't know who Lauren Fleshman is, she's a pro runner for Oiselle(the same company I run for) except that she's way faster than I am and holds records such as a 14:58 5K and 2:37 marathon. She really caught my attention with the "keep it real" movement that encouraged women to be proud of our bodies and imperfections. Basically an all-around, real and inspiring woman runner that I and soooo many other women look up to.

The weekend started with packet pickup in downtown Chicago at Fleet Feet. Lauren was going to be there along with Coach Jenny Hadfield(another amazing and inspiring woman). I drove myself there and of course got there way too early and sat around the store waiting for the 3 mile shake out run that they were going to host. I heard a voice say, "hi" and I turned around and saw Lauren walking toward the store. I was able to mutter "hey!" back and just watched in amazement as she walked by. I looked at the girl sitting next to me and I could tell she felt the same way I did...total fangirls! We were both like, "oh my God, that was her!"

 

 

Coach Jenny and Lauren giving us a pep talk before our shake-out run

I felt like a creep taking pictures of her, but she was so amazingly nice and humble and was more that happy to get into photos with all of her fans. I met up with Sarah(@mahaney2) and we did our 3 mile shake out run together. We basically talked about our upcoming marathons and how we were feeling. After the run, I saw an opportunity to get a pic with Lauren. So I grabbed it! Meeting her was the highlight of my entire summer for sure.

 

 

 

 

The next morning was race day and I was up at 4am getting ready. I threw on my Oiselle singlet and never felt more proud to wear it, knowing I'd have other teammates wearing theirs too. My husband was kind enough to drive me out to Chicago and support me before he went into work that afternoon and my mom had my daughter for the night. I totally was getting flashbacks of the Chicago Marathon I ran last year, except there was way less runners at this event. Between the 1/2 marathon and 5k, there were about 5,000 runners instead of the 40,000 I ran with at the marathon. So parking and walking to Grant Park was easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It didn't take long before I saw other women wearing their Oiselle singlets and immediately we acknowledged each other and offered words of support and encouragement. Even though we had never met each other, there was definitely a sense of empowerment and friendship between the Oiselle runners. That singlet is powerful. I met up with Sarah and Jessy(@momonthe_run) and did a warm-up with Lauren Fleshman as she offered more words of support. Then before we knew it, we were lining up in our assigned corrals.

 

 

All 3 of us were starting in Corral A, so we were about 10 feet away from toeing the start line. A few minutes later, we were off and running. I ran alongside Lauren who was pacing the 1:45 group for almost 2 miles. It was like a dream to me to have an opportunity like this to run with her. My legs actually felt amazing, even in the middle of marathon training with the Hanson's Plan(which is brutal) so I ran ahead of the 1:45 group and ran my own pace.

 

 

 

 

 

Around mile 4

 

 

 



The beginning of the race was of course down the historic Magnificent Mile in Chicago. From there the course ran along the Lakefront bike path and was an out and back course. I found my husband, Doug, at mile 4 standing alongside the course ready to cheer me on which was a huge mental boost for me. I was running crazy strong until about mile 10 then I could feel myself fading a bit. Chicago had 100% humidity that day and running along the lakefront there was hardly any shade, so the sun was taking a beating on me. I could feel the sweat dripping down my legs and flying off my fingertips as I ran. I just kept telling myself, "I can handle anything for 3 more miles, I've got this"

 

 

 

 As I entered Grant Park toward the finish line, I finished strong with an official time of 1:42:21. My Garmin showed I had ran 13.25 miles, so I'll go with that, ha!  It was no PR for me, but considering the heat and humidity and being in the middle of a brutal marathon training plan, I feel like I'm on the right path for a great marathon this November. I kind of walked in a daze to get my medal(I was so tired)chugged down 2 bottles of water, and turned around to see my husband walking up to me to give me a big hug. Perfect ending to an amazing weekend! I laughed and told him, "Man, it's going to be tough to do that for another 13.1 miles in a couple months." He replied by telling me that I've done it before and I'll do it again...but a lot faster!

 

 



 

The love of my life and biggest supporter :)





I was pretty happy to see my official results online later that day. I finished 63rd overall out of 2,571 total half marathoners and 17th in my age group out of 507. Congrats to all who finished and what an honor to be able to run with thousands of strong, inspiring women. Here's to finishing the rest of fall marathon training successfully and bring on the 50 degree temps! :) 

A few of my favorite running things

One of the things that make running so much fun is all the awesome and cute gear that comes with it(at least for me anyway) Here are a few things I'm obsessed with and use on my runs often.

Oiselle is my favorite running brand for clothing, period!  Their clothes are so freakin cute and the message the company sends with empowering women and supporting runners everywhere is one that I want to associate with. The Oiselle distance shorts have stolen my heart.  Super comfy, stylish, and way functional for "running the distance".  They do not ride up like a lot of other shorts I've ran in the past and they come with 3 pockets, two of them having zippers, so you can securely carry gels, cell phone, or car keys.  

I'm also in love with the Winona tank and the strappy bra from Oiselle. The tank is amazingly soft and wicks sweat like no other...and the bra, well is just as amazing.  Supportive and gives a colorful burst that goes great with any tank top.  

Of course I love my Cocogo hydration packs.  Check out the review I posted before this post to see what it's all about.  I plan on hydrating all summer long with this stuff.  Tastes amazing and goes down easy to keep me going on my long, sweaty runs.  Don't forget if you're wanting to buy some, use my code BLONDEBUNRUNNER at the Cocogo website and save 40% off your entire order! You won't regret it.

Which leads into my next favorite piece of running gear.  My Nathan hand-held water bottle. I'm a pretty picky person when it comes to carrying things while I'm running, but with this bottle, it makes it easy.  It has a thumb hole, so you can carry it without it sliding around in your hand and a functional zip pocket in the front to store gels, keys, cell phone, or whatever you want!

I'm a huge fan of the Vega line.  After a run lasting longer than 90 minutes, I use the accelerator within 30 minutes of my run.  The nutritional shake I use almost every day, especially when I don't have time for breakfast.  And then the performance protein after every single run.  It's packed with protein and BCAA's which help me recover in between workouts.  All this stuff keeps me going and helps me stay injury free and healthy.

Ah, my Brooks Glycerins.  These shoes have been SO good to me over the years.  They are the perfect neutral running shoe for me.  I've tried so many different brands and styles and these are my "sole mate".  The new Glycerin 12's are coming in July and I will be first in line to buy them.  

What are some of your running faves?