16 Miles of Sunshine!

Hello! 

It has been a while! I took my masters program exit exam on Friday. I feel like such a huge weight has been lifted! Studying, internship, training...holy moly it has been a lot! 

Some how I was able to drag myself to Christian Runners on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful, sunny day! 16 miles at a pretty quick pace! I was running with a new group of people. The first few miles were 8:30 and under! We ran an out and back. I turned around earlier then those going 18 and slowed up to around 9:00 until the last 3 miles, which were brutal! Uphill and the day was warming up. My iced coffee from Starbucks tasted SO good afterward.

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

Amy K.

What a Difference a Day Makes

24 little hours!

Saturday was my long run day. 15 miles loomed in my future and I was not looking forward to it!

Since moving home, I have found myself without a running partner. I looked up local running groups online and found a group nearby, Christian Runners.

Problem #1 I needed to run 15, I thought maybe I could start running with them and continue on..
Problem #2 They meet at 7:30 on a Saturday morning!! Whoa! thats early on an off day.

I emailed the contact and he assured me that there were people running all different mileage and paces. I woke up Saturday morning, had breakfast and stared at the wall for 15 mins. trying to decide if I wanted to go or not. A litany of excuses were rolling through my mind. Even backing out of the drive way I was contemplating turning around and crawling back into bed.

I am SO glad that I went! I met a bunch of amazing people. I walked up and they paired me with a group going 20 miles. I was able to run with them and turn around a little earlier. We had great conversation and kept a strong pace.

We averaged about 8:50 min/miles, I didn't stop my clock during fuel breaks. They were all training for different events. Im so glad to have found a group to run with, even if I have to do the distance by myself, there are people all around being so encouraging! That makes all the difference!

Bad news bears,  I woke up this morning feeling seriously under the weather! I went to the dr and I have strep throat! Ahhhh! Miserable! Upside though: I got my long run for the week in and I get a forced extra day to lay around and study for my upcoming exit exam for my masters program, on Friday!

I got some magazines, the remote, and a nap in my future!

Happy Sunday!

.2 for a Better View

Ever wonder why at the end of 26 grueling miles, they would make you run .2 more?? I never thought about that .2 until I saw the 26 mile marker and realized that I am still not done!!

Source

The .2 was first added to the marathon for the 1908 London Olympics. The course began at the Windsor Castle and the extra distance was tacked onto the end so that the finish could be in front of the Royal Box. In 1921 the IAAF adopted that distance as the official marathon distance.

Source

There is your fun fact for the day! Go impress your friends :)

Amy K.

2 Months Away!

There is 2 months exactly until to the Paris Marathon! Holy Moly its coming up fast!!

I'm excited, but I need to get the training and planning in gear! I have never been to Europe before. I am starting to think about language, traveling, money conversion, race conversion (how to pace a race using kilometers instead of miles- look for a post coming up on this soon!). So much to do! But in the end, I will be in Paris and thats all that matters :)

Source

Today was my 7 miler.

Not to bad. The weather was great, and I can't believe I woke up to snow this morning!!

This little patch is all that remains. Crazy to think that next week is suppose to be in the 60s! The best temperature in my opinion!

What are your best travel tips? Any advise for traveling overseas?

Happy early weekend!!

Amy K.

Healthy Hydration

I have a confession...

I do not like drinking water. I know, shocking!!! But sometimes the thought of a glass water is just...boring.

Yesterday after finishing my second cup of coffee and contemplating a third, I realized that something needed to change. The office is so cold that the thought of water was even more unappealing then normal. I had read somewhere about drinking hot water with a lemon slice in it. Strange, but why not give it a try.

I bought a lemon on my lunch break and sliced it using the office birthday cake cutting knife :)

Loved it! so refreshing and warm!!

And pretty :) I felt healthier and more hydrated.

Do you drink enough water? What are somethings you do to drink more?

Amy K.

Make Up Mile

I was sure the training schedule said 4 miles today...it wasn't until I sat down to write this post that I realized today was a 3 miler.

Call it a make up mile from the long run on Saturday, which ended up being just a tad bit shy :)

It was wet out so I decided to wear my rain jacket. I had flash backs to my 20 mile long run before the Disney Marathon. The only day that my training partner and I could both fit it in, was a rainy and icy day. It rained the majority of the time and there was ice frozen all around us (middle of December!). There was nobody else out there running! I actually had a blast, despite frozen fingers and wet toes. I would totally do it again!

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham, runner and writer. 

Amy K. 

Monday Motivation

Here is some motivation for the day and for the upcoming week!

As yourself: 'Can I give more?' The answer is usually 'Yes' ~Paul Tergat, Kenyan Professional Marathoner

I love this quote. Apply it to running, applying it to your life...good words to live by.

"Beauty is how you feel inside and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical." ~Sophia Loren

Have a great Monday!

Amy K.

You Put Spinach in Your Smoothie?!

This is the reaction I get whenever I share my new obsession with people.

The answer is yes! You don't taste it at all, it provides a nice green coloring (MY favorite color :) ), and is a great way to sneak in some veggies!

Everyday Smoothie
inspired by: Green Monster Movement
I call this my everyday smoothie because it is the base that I use. Call it a jumping off point! It is fabulous just like this but then you can get creative with additions.

• 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk (unsweet)
• 2 handfuls of spinach, dont be shy!
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• half a frozen banana
• 4 ice cubes

Blend, Blend, Blend and Voila!

War Eagle ;)

Some of my favorite additions: 

• frozen strawberries
• frozen raspberries
• peanut flour
• cinnamon
• pumpkin (again you can't taste it!)
• coco powder

Today I topped mine with some chocolate covered sunflower seeds. A gift from my friend Jenny!

Bon Appetit!

Amy K.

First Long Run Back

Today I attempted my first long run since the marathon!

It was an absolutely beautiful day! I enjoyed the run and my foot was pain free (injury from the record breaking marathon!).

I called my sister before I headed out and she put a water bottle in her mail box for me. She and her husband live 4 miles away (read) my own personal water stop!

The goal was 10 miles. However, adding and working out milage while on the run...next to impossible! 

I made it back home at 9.35 miles, and I'm alright with that. I really didn't feel like looping the neighborhood for the sake of a little more distance. And once you get so inflexible with your self, the fun of the run is lost! 

This run did show me that it is time to pick it up on the long runs. I felt pretty good, but closing in on 2 months to the race, its time to put my head down and attack some hills!

Amy K.

Shopping in Paris

The following has the potential of being an actual conversation in Paris...

C'est combien?
Haleter!
Y a-t-il quelque chose de moins cher?
Merci, je regarde seulement...


Translation:


How much is this?
Gasp!
Is there anything cheaper?
Thanks, I am just looking...


:)


Amy K.

Are We Born to Run?

Christopher McDougall, the author of Born to Run, was just featured on ted.com!

I read his book while training for Disney. I don't know how much I believe in the barefoot running movement, but it was a interesting read!

It made me want to drop the book and go for a run!

Enjoy the video!

Amy K.