me, the runner, she's back!

Over the spring, I joined a local boot camp class.  It was a great workout three mornings a week.  It never felt like 6am and I really enjoyed not having to think about what I was actually going to do on those mornings, but just show up and give 150%.  But I didn't have the time to invest in running.

Working out twice on Mondays and Wednesdays (boot camp and teaching indoor cycling), boot camp on Fridays, plus going to spin on Tuesdays and Thursdays and getting my daughters to their activities, it was hard to fit it all in.

Over the last few months, I would run a few miles on the weekends, but with our family's get togethers and social calendar, I could never fit in more than 2-3 miles at a given time.  Although, for my husband's birthday, he wants to run a 10k. Given that I haven't run more than 4 miles since April, this is going to be a stretch.

I went out for a run on Saturday morning and started strong, but quickly fell back.  Feeling awful, I was determined to get back out on Sunday morning.  And that I did.  A 5 mile run on the D&R Canal Trail. It was a beautiful, scenic run along the Raritan River on the towpath.  My goal was to finish under an hour and I hit mile 5 at 54min.  I was really pleased with my run.  I really needed that confidence boost because many times I get in my own head and beat myself down.  This was a great way to end the weekend and start a new week!

Last night, I was catching up on Pinterest and this came on my newsfeed.  And I thought it was perfect for this past weekend and how I felt on Saturday, but was able to overcome it on Sunday.

RunAPalooza Half Marathon

Yesterday was the AP RunAPalooza Half Marathon in Asbury Park and it was such an awesome experience.  It was the perfect race for my first half, in fact, this was my first race longer than a 5k.  This race was to benefit the Special Olympics of NJ, as well as to benefit the Restore the Shore campaign from Superstorm Sandy's devastation. Although I am a Jersey girl, I honestly don't remember ever going to AP aside from passing through.  When I was younger, AP was not in it's prime and recently (since '02) has been going through a revitalization. With that said, I was amazed at how fantastic the shore and city looked.

In light of the terror occurred less than a week ago in Boston, we were asked to wear blue and yellow to show support our fellow running community who endured tragedy during the marathon.  It was awesome to see everyone with not only blue and yellow clothes, but messages of hope, support and love through shirts, ribbons and signs.  Not only was it inspiring to run for those who were affected by such a horrific event, but to see runners twice my age or in a wheelchair was touching too.  If they could do this, I could too.

All week the weather forecast was showing rain showers early in the morning on Saturday.  However, the sun was trying to peek out most of the morning, but didn't come out until after I crossed the finish line.  Although it was super windy, at least it did not rain.  Not only for us runners, but for the spectators watching and cheering us on!

The first five miles I felt great.  Strong and energetic.  Miles 8-10 were quite possibly the most difficult of the race.  And twelve through thirteen point one I just had to dig deep and run to the finish - there would be no turning back and no quitting.  On the final sprint on the boardwalk, my beautiful daughters & mother-in-law were cheering me on!!!  It was the perfect sight to give me that final burst of energy.  I cross the finish at 2:25:12 (chip time was 2:24:52) and the first person I saw was my husband.

Definitely still on a runner's high from finishing my first half and looking forward to my next one!  Not sure if I am ready to tackle a full marathon.  But never say never.

There are many wonderful articles and videos on this event:
RunAPalooza Runs the Jersey Shore
CBS News Running for Boston
RunAPalooza Start & Finish

My thirteen.one chica band! 

runAPalooza Swagg!

Family Vacation

A week of the sun, boardwalk, ocean, family time, and fun.  That is just a simple summary of our family vacation a few weeks ago.

This year we rented a beach house and it was absolutely awesome.  We were about 2 1/2 blocks from the beach which would have seemed a lot longer, but with beach buggies and rolling coolers it was a beautiful walk to and from the beach and boardwalk every day.  

Just about every morning, I ran.  Yes, on vacation.  And nothing made me happier than simply waking up, throwing on my clothes and  heading down to the boardwalk.  The view during this time was absolutely beautiful... the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean, creating a beautiful orange glow was incredibly rejuvenating.  Such a peaceful way to start off the morning and set the tone for the rest of the day.

See? Absolutely beautiful.

Most days in Rehoboth were filled with the beach, ice cream, and wine.  Dave and I were able to escape one night for a date.  We had been planning this date night since our last date night in Rehoboth in 2011.  We went to the Cultured Pearl and stuffed ourselves silly with incredible sushi and sake sangria.  If you find yourself in Rehoboth/Dewey Beach, you must get to The Cultured Pearl, at least for a sushi roll or twelve.

Before our vacation I was in search of a place in NJ to learn how to Paddleboard.  It's been on my bucket list for a long time and ever since I lost weight, I have the courage (not to mention strength) to try it. 

We found East of Maui in Dewey Beach, DE.  They are a full surf shop that rents paddle boards, surf boards, and other water sport equipment.  We left paddle boarding for our last full day.  Not the brightest idea because paddle boarding is best when the winds are less than say, 20mph gusts.  And we picked probably just about the windiest day.   The nice gentlemen gave us a lecture on the winds and that another group came back pissed because it was too windy.  However, we took our chances and had one of the best times of the whole week.  

The sent us to Rehoboth Bay which is waist deep water and the warmest natural body of water I think I have ever been on the Atlantic coast.  Paddle boarding was freaking awesome!  I had an absolute blast on the board - it was thrilling.  In fact, I know what I hope Santa Claus brings me this year!  

East of Maui Surf Shop

My nephew and I on the paddle boards

It is hard to believe that a whole month has gone by since we were on vacation.  While we had an incredible time spending the whole week together, we were happy to get home to our own beds and routine and start planning next year's vacation!

Back in the saddle...

With the winter ending the way it started, snow, ice and just all around treacherous running conditions, I found it hard to run through our town since many of the residents are not terribly considerate of runner .  While I took a hiatus from running, I started doing the Biggest Loser on XBox Kinect.

So today, as good of a day as any, I decided to run.  Honestly, while I was walking during my warm-up, I thought, "I will just walk around the block and do a workout at home instead" and "I'm just not feeling this today."  Obviously these thoughts were just that, thoughts and I let myself overcome them and trudged forward.  Taio Cruz's Dynamite came on my IPod and I just had this immense desire to run.  2.5 miles later in just over 30 minutes, I would call my first day back a success.  And damn, it felt amazing!