Plans For Summer: Goals & How To Achieve Them

Summer is finally here (WOOO!!), well after my one exam Tuesday I will officially be done for the semester. This summer will be dedicated to getting healthy and fit. I will try and post every week or month what workouts I am doing and what I’m eating. This will also help me stay on track for the summer because I really want to see a change.

 

Summer gives me more time to focus on my fitness goals

 

I don’t think I’m fat or anything like that but it’s just time for me to be the best I can be. I do want to try to lose 5-10 pounds though. I feel like that will boost my energy significantly while I’m on the tennis court or running or doing anything! I play tennis and will be transferring in the Fall to a new university and I definitely want to show I deserve to be there. Being on a diet is different than trying to be healthy. I love my sweets but I need to cut back on these and eat a lot more of what’s good for my body.

This is so true

This past semester I developed a different outlook on eating. I don’t eat the healthiest but I DO EAT. I realized I was still starving my body. Starving it of nutrients and vitamins. If you don’t eat foods that your body will use and just eat empty calories (like cake, cookies, chips, soda,etc.) your body is still starving. You want to feed your body with vitamin-rich foods that will help you live a better and healthier life.

Eat Clean

You can write to me with questions or ask me for  workout advice. I will try and post more regularly on health topics, workouts, and motivation to keep you moving forward towards whatever goals you have set for yourself.

Best Thing Ever!

Set goals:

Main Goal:  I want to get in top shape for tennis. I’m going to try and play 6 times a week. I want to improve my game to feel confident that I have what it takes to be a top player.

To achieve this:

1. Run a little bit every day. I want to get into the habit of running at least a 2 – 3 mile cool down after every time I play tennis.

2.  Eat clean and eat smart.

3. Lift 3 times a week. Do some free weight workouts.

4. Jump rope and do footwork drills to improve my speed on the court.

5. Standup paddle board more. I finally went yesterday after a 2 month break and I need to do it more. It’s a great workout. It makes every large muscle group work.

Everyone should write their goals down and include a plan on how to achieve them. This is the first step to making it happen.

 

My First Half Marathon With The ‘Whole’ Experience

Where to begin.. I ran the Space Coast Half Marathon in Cocoa Beach, FL and I have to say the whole experience was a blast! I went with 5 of my closest friends, which made it so much better. The great part was no one had every run a half marathon before.

We drove over Saturday, the day before the race, to pick up our packets at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which we got to run all around in and take pictures. So much fun and pretty cool. If you are ever in cocoa beach, stop by there. Make sure you have more than 2 hours though at the complex!

The drive! We were so excited to get our race packets!!

Then time for the hotel… 7 of us in ONE ROOM! haha not smart. We got barely any sleep that night.

Race time was 6:15 am. I do recommend staying at a sponsored hotel because we had a shuttle take us to and from the event, which was so convenient. The day would have been perfect if it would have been a bit warmer… 45 degrees outside was something I was definitely not used to.

A cold morning!

The race started and it was such a beautiful course. We got to see dolphins and the sunrise. Here’s what it looked like.

I was running great, and keeping up with my 1:50 pace group and eventually passing them. Then, at around mile 4, I got the urge to go to the bathroom. It was terrible. I couldn’t hold it much longer so at mile 6 I had to take a bathroom break. It’s the worst feeling seeing people you just passed way ahead of you. I ran as fast as my body would allow and caught back up to the 1:50 pace group… AGAIN! and then passed them! But at mile 8, it hit AGAIN, another bathroom urge. I was so mad, I couldn’t believe I was going to have to stop twice. So at mile 10 I took another break. And once again, I step out to see everyone ahead of me.

I don’t know how I ran that last 3.1 miles of the race as fast as I did. I just didn’t want my bathroom breaks to really ruin my time. I was feeling kind of sick from that last push of the race when I crossed the finish line. My time was 1:45:16. And for having to stop twice to go to the bathroom, I thought that was pretty dang good. I ran in my SKORA’s, which I have to say, are amazing! For a new company, they really know what they are doing. I experienced no pain anywhere during the race. Also, my friends all did so well too. It was a great experience.

I even managed to place 2nd in my age group!! It was amazing and got to meet Bart Yasso! That’s who is with me in the picture below. Check out his website, it’s great for runners!

And since we were in Cocoa Beach, we finished the day with surfing and body boarding at the beach! The experience was well worth it and I am definitely going to be running more half marathons!

Thanks for all the support from everyone!

Good Bye 2012! Here’s to a New Year!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

About 55,000 tourists visit Liechtenstein every year. This blog was viewed about 240,000 times in 2012. If it were Liechtenstein, it would take about 4 years for that many people to see it. Your blog had more visits than a small country in Europe!

Click here to see the complete report.

Half Marathon Training: Almost Ready

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in a 9 mile run. And it came at the perfect time! Since that was the length of the run I was supposed to do that day, according to my half marathon training schedule. The run was called the Deck 2 Deck Fun Run. It was a free event, with free breakfast and a free trolley ride back to the start. Can’t get better than that!

At 6:30 am before the run began! So excited!

Map of the course! Lido Key to Siesta Key

We ran from the Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar on Lido Key to the one on Siesta Key. Hence, the name Deck 2 Deck.

Signs are the best

It also was along the water and over bridges so it was a very scenic route. I enjoyed it and realized that I am more prepared then I thought for my half marathon. I ran in my Skora’s, the shoes I will be running my half marathon in. But let me tell you, they kicked my butt. I am writing this 3 days after and my calves are just now feeling better but the day after, they were SOOOO SORE. But that’s what a minimalist shoe will do to you. Don’t get me wrong though, I still love them. No pain, no gain. Got my sister hooked on them too!

WE DID IT!!

I ended up running the 9 miles in 1:14, which made me feel so accomplished. My second half was faster than my first so that gives me reassurance that something I am doing, has got to be working.

Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K Run Results

Just yesterday, I ran in my 2nd 5K race (The Gasparilla Distance Classic) with one of my good friends and it was crazy! The last 5K I did only had about 200 people in it and then this one had 11,918! It was insane! In my 20-24 year old age bracket I got 11th place out of 475, which is a lot better then I thought I would have done. I’m really happy with my result. However, let me tell you about this hectic experience. Here’s a video though that I made from some footage I took. Make sure to watch it in HD… much better!

First of all, we (my friend running the race, my friend that’s just cheering, and me) arrive at the scene of the race and people are EVERYWHERE! It was just an entire street of people (you couldn’t even see the pavement for as far as you could see)! So we get there and we didn’t have any pins to pin our bib numbers on our shirts. We were panicking. In the panic for pins, we get lost in the crowd! I lose my friend that is running with me. It’s impossible to find anyone! There were so many people and we didn’t have our phones because we left them in the car due to that fact that we had nowhere to put them! Frantically, I’m searching for her. But the race is about to begin so I go to the start and thankfully, I found some pins. Finding the start was the next obstacle. I had no idea where to go. There were so many people everywhere that I couldn’t move. My other friend that’s just spectating soon gets pulled away from me by security saying,”SPECTATORS OVER HERE!” Then he pushes me forward. I was so thirsty and worried for my friends and about us meeting up after the race.

Next, the race begins. I’m stuck behind a crown of super slow joggers… I’m so frustrated because I can’t get around them. The cool thing though was that the bib had a self timer in it, so when you crossed the start line that is when your timer starts and then it stops once you cross the finish line… now that’s good technology! However, I was still walking behind super slow people when I crossed the start… I managed to make my way to the side of the crowd to run in the grass median of the road that was full of dibbits… I almost twisted an ankle. But finally, I was passing people. Sprinting to make up lost time though is a quick way to get worn out though. So after the turn around at the halfway point, I was able to run in the road again and have some space. But I was becoming fatigued… uhhh. But all in all my time was said to be 24:45, which is the slowest I have done since I can remember. But for all that I went through, I guess it was decent. And maybe a lot of people had to deal with it too because I placed high. I was just very displeased with the organization and set up. Maybe next year will be different! I hoping!

Overall, I had fun. I eventually found my friends and we took pictures to make some memories. Everyone in the race got a medal so we all felt like winners! I didn’t even know we were getting one, so that was awesome! Also, I looked great when I was running. I had new shoes on, new sunglasses and new shorts!  My new sunglasses are Under Armour Zone Performance sunglasses. They made me feel so intimidating as a runner. They are so slick looking and grip my head perfectly. I don’t usually wear sunglasses and these made me feel like I wasn’t even wearing any. They are so light! Also, it was a hot day so I was sweating like crazy(people were passing out left and right) and at no time did I feel like they were going to fall off. I felt like those glasses gave me an extra push. Also, it was so sunny outside so I was happy that I had them, I want to be able to see where I’m going! Also, I think I look good with them on. And that has a lot to do with everything!

Now, I look back and I had a lot of fun at this race even though it was kind of stressful. It was quite the experience. This race was my friends first 5K and she loved it! I can’t wait until my next one, which is on March 30th!

Be a Pretty Dirty Girl

Running, Mud and Fun… All in One!!

Sorry guys but this is for girls only. I discovered this run the other day and thought it looked like something I would want to do. I think this run sounds like a nice change up from the usual road or trail that I take. The Dirty Girl is a 5k run through mud just for women. Women of all ages are welcome. You can be a beginner runner or advanced. All athletic abilities are wanted as well. Also, this run isn’t timed, you can time yourself but the Dirty Girl isn’t like a traditional 5k. During the run, you are pushed out of your comfort zone with obstacle courses that get you down and dirty. Teams are allowed and recommended because you can help each other finish to become a Dirty Girl Champ! The Dirty Girl is fun, thrilling, exciting, different, and full of laughter. It is said to be a day that you will always remember. And maybe even make life long friends.

Furthermore, part of the proceeds for entering the race are donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. I love running knowing that I’m doing something good for me but that I’m also doing something good for someone else.

The Dirty Girl is only held 9 times in 2012 so start planning accordingly because I’m sure this is something you won’t want to pass up. Obviously, since it’s not held frequently, the chances don’t come around very often to run in this anything but ordinary run! And by the picture above it really seems like a good time. I want to start running more adventure races so this may be the run I start with!

 

I need new RUNNING shoes! HELP!

I’m on a mission to get new running shoes. And I need your HELP! I recently went to a store called Fit2Run and there were just a ton of shoes. I didn’t even know where to begin. I want a shoe that is comfortable, durable, light, and looks good on. I tried a lot on. I’m just not sure what is the best. Shoes are expensive… at least to me they are. I just don’t want to waste my money on something that isn’t going to last or hurts my feet. I only run at most 6 miles a day. And I run on the balls of my feet not heels. So if anyone knows of a shoe that would work good for that then please let me know. These were my two favorites in the store. If anyone runs with these shoes or has a similar shoe or if you just run and love the shoes you have, PLEASE let me know.

Mizuno Wave Elixir 7

New Balance 1400

Keep Going… and DON’T LOOK BACK

I just signed up for a 5k! Woo! I’m excited. My goal is to just beat my last 5k time of 22:40. In order to do this I must start training. The race is on March 30, 2012. So I was surfing the web, hoping to find doable training schedules and I came across this awesome website!  It has different races you are training for(5k, half marathon, etc.), what level you are at(novice, Intermediate, advance, etc) and it tells you what to do every day. It’s perfect! If you plane on signing up for a race and are new to running I suggest looking at this website. Running is great. I feel like I am getting into the best shape of my life. I feel more energetic. And I feel just overall healthier.

Running has changed my life. It’s new to me, which I love. I feel like I needed a change up. I control everything while running and all I have to tell myself is KEEP GOING. Thats all the motivation I need. You need to keep moving in order to get anywhere in life. It’s simple to. And I like simple. There’s no need to make things complicated. Also, here’s the 5k I’m running if you want to check it out. It’s through trails on a nature preserve. And what I like most is its at dusk. For some reason I have a hard time running in the mornings. It takes my body awhile to wake up… so 8 am – 9 am start times really kill me before the race even begins.