Shoulda Ran Faster

I'm Back ..... Sole of the City 10k Recap

2012-04-22T21:39:00.000-04:00

So ... it has clearly been a while since my last posting. I have accumulated various things I wanted to post about over the last 6 weeks, but today I plan to write about the Sole of the City 10k.

My running over the last few months has been sub par but I have managed to knock out a 5-6 mile run almost every week of tax season. While I had a goal of 60 minutes for the 10k ... I knew it was a stretch since only a few of my winter runs were close to that pace.

Thursday after work I went over to Charm City Run and picked up my bib and shirt. The Under Armour shirt is awesome! Not only is it long sleeved (something I don't have much of because I am cheap) the logo was stitched! Pick up was easy and I loved that they did it at each of the locations.

In the bag was various ads and the bib. On the back of the bib was $10 off any merchandise. After the race my husband and I each used our $10 since there was a CCR at the race finish. He got a pair of socks and I got body glide (after rubbing the insides of my thighs nearly raw during the race) and we only chipped in 3$.

The race itself:

1. Easy to get in and out off (we parked at the further lot but it was still an easy walk).
2. Started on time.
3. Really liked where the course went, most of the Baltimore races I have done omit the inner harbor.

4. On course support - there was more support than I expected for a 10K.
5. The water was oddly placed or not enough. Either that ... or I was dying from "heat".
6. Nothing to do with the race organization it self - but I was really dying from being hot.
7. Some parts were a little thin space wise but not as thin as parts of Annapolis Half and it didn't bother me but maybe some people.
8. I liked the post race area - places to sit down (tables and stairs). There was a band and some food. We also stopped by the new CCR store. It was nice to wander around and loosen ours legs with stuff to look at.

All in all - I had a fun time and would do it again.

I really struggled during the actual run. I was really hot and at one point my foot fell asleep for about a mile and it started to creep up my leg. My ankles bothered me again as well. Lets just say, this was not going to be an amazing performance and it was a feat to finish! Each mile felt about like 2 miles.

I might try and break out my old shoes on my next run ... I swear my ankles didn't bother me like this before ... but then again now my knees don't bother me like they sometimes did with my other shoes.

I think that is all I have to say.

And I found this pic on the CCR Facebook page.

No Run Weekend ...

2012-03-04T19:15:00.000-05:00

I love that the week I post my schedule and get all excited for the running to start to pick up, that I don't run. We opted not to run on Saturday since the weather was not that great. I was planning on running Sunday morning instead. I went to bed really early Saturday night (10) and didn't get up until 8 on Sunday. I still felt really exhausted from the week at work and my ankle was still bothering me. Not sure how long to be easy on my ankle - but I wouldn't want to make something small turn into a larger problem this early in the year.

So you wonder, what am I going to entertain you with in this post? Some of the fun from last Sunday's run that I completely forgot to post!

At Christmas, I got my husband the Digifit Running Bundle. This bundle includes:

Garmin Foot Pod
Digifit Adaptor
Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Strap

He wasn't quite sure how to put the heart rate monitor on.

The bundle works with the iPhone app IRunner. Digifit also has other tracking apps for bikers etc.

I use the ArmPocket Sport I-20 to carry my iPhone and I love it. While it is somewhat bulky - I always forget about it and it is very good quality. It fits my iPhone with case & my car keys. During races, I am able to fit my iPhone and a couple of gels. The armband has a memory foam type insert that fits well around your arm and the case is fairly water resident. I have gotten caught in a few bad storms and my phone was nice & safe.

We took it for a test run but had technical difficulties and accidentally ended our workout on the App and had to do two workouts. I wanted to be able to compare it to my Nike+. Neither are super sophisticated ways to track things, but its a good enough for the price and gives enough detail. What I like about the Digifit app is that it tracks info from the heart rate monitor which my Nike+ does not. Also, the Digifit works with the scale that I got over Christmas. Since I like all things graphs and stats, it would allow me to make weight/body composition graphs with workout data as well. Is it bad that I want to steal my husbands present?

Me in my new Valentine's Day Under Armour top.

A view from the NCR Trail.

I don't have data from last Sunday's run - be we ran 6 miles in 59 minutes for a 9:53 pace. I was so mad that with two phones that track things, I ended with 0 data. I forgot to turn mine on because I was messing with my husbands, and we accidentally ended the workout on his before we were done. Ahhh technology!

Full Steam Ahead ...Sort of ...

2012-03-02T20:42:00.000-05:00

As you saw in my last post, my race line up for the next 4 months is set. As most of you know, right now running is really an after thought since most days I have about 1 hour that I am awake, not at work, or not driving home from work. With tax season ending in about 6 weeks, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Coming up with a training plan to go from now until the Baltimore Half with the 10k and the 10 miler along the way was a challenge. The biggest challenge is that my husband is running the 10k not the 10 miler but is doing the half. We run together but I know that I will be training for the 10 miler in June but he won't be. So after the 10-miler, I will be scaling back down so that we can start to train for the Half. I also have to keep in mind that I will be studying for the CPA which will be taking up another 20 hours a week roughly.

So my running since the two half's I did last year has just been running a 5-6 mile long run, occasionally a 3 mile mid-week run, and yoga on Thursday. Needless to say, no much but I just don't have the time. My first race I signed up for is a week after tax season ends ... I will not be trained but I am still excited for it and it will be fun. I am not worried too much abut my time but do have a goal.

As you can see - until April 17th, I am not really running much. And even at the "height" of training, I would say I run on the lower end of the spectrum and less than other people. My body tends to prefer it that way so I don't see the need to push it more at this point. I am never going to break and records and as long as I can get better compared to my self - I don't really care about others!

So after the Sole of the City 10K, I will be gearing up for the Baltimore 10-Miler.

Now after the Baltimore 10 Miler, the rest of the summer will be getting ready for Baltimore Half AND trying not to get hurt. I have been having random tweaks over the last few months, so I want to make sure that I don't risk not running it at all. My goal for this is to break 2 and right now my best Half time was 2:19. I know its lofty - but we will see!

The sad part is - I would have done it in excel just like that regardless of if I was posting it to the public. I am a nerd ... I spent my only day off last week working on my spreadsheet. I even added an column for expected calorie burn. As of now, Hot Yoga on Sundays is offered, so hopefully that will work out. I want to start doing Hot Yoga and hopefully some extra stretching will help keep my muscles from being less tight.

How is everyone else doing?

2012 Race Line Up

2012-02-23T22:37:00.000-05:00

So far my running year is a year of all downtown Baltimore races ... Before the year started - I set a budget for entry fees for the two of us ($500). With the 3 events below (a total of 5 entry fees) we are more than half way through the budget. I will look for 1 or 2 more things to do either in November or December. I really want to do another holiday themed one so I can wear my funny costume.

April 21, 2012 - Sole of the City 10K

"April 21, 2012 will be a day for runners. It will be our city, our streets and, of course at the end of it all, our party! Join us for the inaugural Sole of the City 10K. We’ll run the streets of Baltimore and finish up at the newest Charm City Run location at McHenry Row. This is our 10th anniversary so we have the run covered. The after-run festivities will be sponsored by our good friends at The Greene Turtle. We can’t wait to see you!"

Premium: Black Under Armour Escape Lightweight Quarter Zip.

No course map has been posted yet. But it does finish at McHenry Row (Downtown Baltimore)

Goal: 60 minutes. Coming right out of tax season - I will not have trained for this and just will have been doing 1-2 runs a week throughout the winter just to maintain some sort of endurance from last fall. I will be running this with my husband as well.

June 16, 2012 - Baltimore 10-Miler

"This fifth running will feature the same scenic, challenging, yet fun course the starts and finishes at Druid Hill Lake Park near the Maryland Zoo. The course will travel along the North side of town to Lake Montebello and return to Druid Hill for the post race festivities that are SECOND TO NONE for this size race."

Premium: Born Fit 1/4 Zip Jacket with Pocket in the back

Goal: 1 hour and 35 minutes. A little worried about the heat for this - and I will probably not be as trained as I should be. My husband will not be running this with me - I have never ran a race alone. I don't know what to expect - when I run alone, I tend to let up sooner than I need too.

October 13, 2012 - Baltimore Running Festival (Half)

As much as I hate the almost entire uphill course - this is by far my favorite race from a crowd and excitement statement. See my reviews. Who doesn't love candy being handed out along the course!

Premium: In years past - the shirt has been an Under Armour Catalyst short sleeve shirt. So far I have an orange one and a blue one.

This years shirt is not out yet.

Goal: My goal for this race is Sub 2 hours. This is a lofty goal since my fastest half has been 2:19 but I think I can put more into training this year than last year. Last year I didn't start running until June and had only run about 1-2 times a week throughout my training. It will be hard but it will be something to work towards. If I miss my goal like I did last year - I will probably enter another half just to try again. Last year at Baltimore I missed my 2:30 goal by 1 min and 41 sec - so I ran Annapolis Half and beat it by 11 minutes.

What are you signing up for?

Oh and I did yoga today! Way to go for me for exercising 3 of the last 6 days!

Long Time ... No Blog

2012-02-22T21:39:00.000-05:00

Oh the life of a tax accountant ..... means no running!

So a few posts ago I mentioned a top I really wanted.

On Valentine's Day I came home "early" (7:30) and even though we said no presents this year, I was still hoping I got something. My husband said my present didn't make it on time. Fast forward two days and I got the above Under Armour top that I drooled over and couldn't justify the cost. I love the top! I love that it has little thumb cut outs to keep the sleeves from riding up, I love the color, and I the fit. I was so excited that I literally jumped up and down.

I didn't run the weekend after my last post because we had snow one day and then I was taking the CPA exam (one part of four parts) that Sunday. Speaking of which - I have been anxiously waiting for the score and other jurisdictions have there results as of yesterday and I am still waiting for mine!

Last weekend I did another identical run to the last two weekends. I felt pretty good for the first 3 miles and then for the second half I was all sorts of achy.

Then yesterday before dinner at work, a coworker and I went for a short run through the various parking lots in the office park area that the building is in.

Not sure what will be on my running agenda this weekend. I am crazy tired and it is only Wednesday. I am hoping I will do another Saturday morning run. I am doing yoga tomorrow which I am excited for.

Midweek Blues

2012-02-08T22:35:00.000-05:00

I started off last weekend with a run before work on Saturday. It went pretty well and was almost identical to the weekend before.

Weird thing is that I have been doing my outdoor 5 mile runs about 1-1:30 min per mile faster than all of last fall into December. Nothing has changed aside from my pants/shoes. I know compression has benefits but I am sure its not to that extent.

I was hoping for a mid-week run but this week it ain't happening. I will have yoga tomorrow though.

I have been trying to plan my year of running events. Right now I have Sole of the City 10k in April and the Baltimore Running Festival (Half Marathon) in October.

I am not quite sure what to do with the rest of my year. If tax season wasn't encompassing all of the spring, I think I would do the Frederick Running Festival (Half Marathon) but it is way to early in May for a half for me.

Right now I am leaning towards the Baltimore 10-miler in June, especially now that the premium was presented on their Facebook Page.

The Annapolis Half moved a couple weeks after where it was last year (to Dec. 1).

Any fun things I should sign up for?

I have a wish list of running things that I want. I stopped at Dick's last week to check the clearance rack and didn't see much. I did see so many full price things that I want! Oh ... if money was endless....

Here are a couple of the things I drooled over ... If someone really wanted to get me an awesome Valentine's Day gift .....

Under Armour Women's Escape Knit Jacket

Under Armour Women's HeatGear Slice Skirt

Thanks for reading!

Sun Salutations ....

2012-02-02T21:50:00.001-05:00

Since it is Thursday, that means I did yoga!

Let me back up a day for a minute though. I came home yesterday in a fairly grumpy mood. So while I wasn't planning on running, I ended up going to the gm on my way home from work.

It was about 7:45pm when I got to the gym - Planet Fitness. There is at least 40 treadmills and I literally got on the last open one. I totally expect that at 6pm but 7:45?

I have been making a conscious effort to get better at running on the treadmill for the sake of running in the dark/winter. Although I would gladly take Saturday's 30 degree outdoor run over last nights 90 degree run. I swear the gym cranks up the heat to make people think they are sweating lots and losing all sorts of weight.

I was planning on doing about 2 miles but ended up doing 3.25 in 35 minutes including .25 warm up walk/.25 cool down walk. Cranked up my Rascal Flatts channel on Pandora and ran. I am such a loser haha.

So I know that the giant logo I just posted says "the judgement free zone" but WTF was the girl on the treadmill next to me doing? I know I do odd things, but seriously this was the weirdest thing I have seen.

So these are the treadmill that are at my gym:

See that front bar thing - I hate it. It makes me feel cramped and then I end up holding all sorts of tension in my arms and it just gets in the way. I end up touching it and then I end up having to run further back than I want. The other two gyms I have belonged to have no such bar.

So I frequently see people doing the crank up the incline/speed but hold on for dear life - but what I saw last night was far worse than that.

She would literally crouch down and hug that bar part in the middle (with both arms) but keep her feet running. She did this about every 30 seconds for about half of my run. It was so odd!

Okay judging is over.

I did yoga today and that felt nice. 50 minutes of sun salutations, warriors, stretches, and final relaxation. Hopefully another 5-6 miles this weekend (I haven't checked the weather yet).

Long Time No Post ... and Run!

2012-01-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Well it has been entirely too long to not post ... but a not a whole lot has been happening on the front here, so I figured I would not bore everyone with complaining about working lots and not having time to run. Pretty much most of my days have been sleep.eat.work. I did make a couple good meals this week that all came from SkinnyTaste.Com.

Last Sunday I made the Minestrone Soup.

Then Tuesday night I prepared the Chicken Rollatini with Spinach all a Parmigiana. I made it ahead of time so that al Dan had to do on Wednesday night was put it in the oven. That worked out really well for us. I think we could even freeze these pretty well.

Saturday morning finally came around with the nice sound of an alarm at 6:30am. I wanted to be able to run before going to work. I needed to test out my shoes one more time before needing to exchange them. After a nice 5.6 mile run on the NCR - I decided to keep the Brooks that I was indecisive about.

After not really running more than 2 miles in the last 3 weeks, I actually had one of my best paces for a leisurely run I have ever had and didn't need to walk the entire time.

Since the NCR Trail is near my work, after the run I kissed Dan bye and was off to work!

Saturday night was pretty relaxing - we made Filet with some spinach and scalloped potatoes.

For Christmas I received a subscription to Runner's World. Until now I had no received any issues. I was getting super antsy but checked my mail and I had 3 months worth!

Last but not least - today we finally got around to hanging some wedding related things (yes, yes about 7 months later!). I ordered this canvas with a Groupon and was very happy with it. The canvas was from Canvas on Demand.

And I finally filled a invitation photo frame that I got for the wedding.

I hope to sneak in a mid-week post and hopefully a run!

No clear verdict on my shoes ... but new recipes!

2012-01-19T20:28:00.000-05:00

We all know that I have issues with the treadmill - so I have not been able to assess the new shoes. I am planning to run this weekend outside so then I can make my final choice within my 2 week window to exchange them.

When I ran in them on Tuesday I had different aches then usual but who knows.

On to more exciting things. To go along with my love for Under Armour - look at this polo I scored at work. The polos are these. The good part is that I can wear it to golf also ... although I only golfed 2 times last summer since our weekends usually were taken up by our long run.

On Tuesday I made one of my best stir frys if I say so my self. I found a new noodle and it was awesome. They are called Soba Noodles and I actually was able to find them at Wal-Mart. They pack a good amount of protein for a noodle and the 2 oz serving actually was more filling them other things we have had stir fry over. I marinated 1/2 a pound (for two people) of some sliced up beef in some Low Sodium Stir Fry sauce over night. I stir fried the meat for about 3-4 minutes and then added about 1/4 cup of stir fry sauce and about 1/8 cup of soy sauce. I added 1/2 a can of water chestnuts and about a tablespoon sesame seeds and a sprinkle of some ground ginger. I use these vegetables for stir fry and put them until they are cooked. Meanwhile the noodles cook 3 minutes and then I threw them into the pan with the meat and the sauce. It came out very tasty and I didn't do the exact math but I know it was fairly low on the calories for such a filling/quick dinner (200 for noodles, 75 for veggies, 50 for sauce, 150 meat = 475).

Then two days later, I followed Skinny Taste's recipe for a Crock Pot Bolognese. This also came out really good - I substituted Basil for the Parsley and I also added an 8 oz can of tomato sauce to have a saucy-er consistency.

So, not much running but I did do some good eating and used fairly healthy recipes all week!

Back to C25K, Really?

2012-01-15T22:40:00.003-05:00

So since trying to run on the treadmill (which I haven't done until the last couple weeks), I have developed some aches that are not typical for me.

Since I am not running any races until April (Sole of the City 10k), I figure this would be the perfect time to go to square one with my treadmill running.

Starting this week I am going to use C25K to basically ween my self into treadmill running and to avoid some of the aches and pains that I have been having. So yup - me who ran 2 half marathons within a month of each other in October/November is going back to the basics and alternating walking and running for 20 minutes 3 times this week. Since I need to do more activity than that for calorie burn - I will probably add 20 minutes of the elliptical or arc trainer to it.

In other news, as mentioned above I signed up for Sole of the City 10k.

Come run with us at the Inaugural Sole of the City 10K in downtown Baltimore!

You want a fun, fast and scenic downtown course through Charm City? Check.

You want food, a few drinks, and good times with friends and family after the race? Yup, got 'em, and done. You want a great race premium and bragging rights that you ran the newest event on the spring racing scene? Well-- that part is up to you-- be we've got the goods. Entry is limited to 2500 and we are well on our way. Check out the event page for registration details as well as the option to train with friends at a location near you. We can't wait to see you in the Spring!"

On the food front - I made a Bruschetta Chicken and that was delicious! A chicken breast (thin cutlet) that i lightly dredged in flour and sautéed for 3-4 minutes per side. Then I made the brushcetta topping - some tomatoes, onions, minced garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, pepper and some mozzarella cheese. I topped the chicken with this and served it with a small side of roasted garlic couscous.

A Girls Dream - New Shoes

2012-01-14T15:18:00.001-05:00

So while this weekend has not lent it self to a lot of running, I did get new shoes! I decided to take the running day off because my feet were still bothering me some, and well I am not really training for anything right now, so I aside from wanting to lose some weight I wasn't worried about a missed run.

I have been running in Mizuno Wave Inspire 6 and was quite happy with them until within the last month I could tell it was new shoe time.

I went to Charm City Run, one of two running stores I have gotten shoes at. These previous shoes had an even wear pattern, so they were definitely much better than the shoes I had before those.

I tried on 3 pairs of shoes.

The first pair was the Saucony ProGrid Omni 10.

I did not like how these felt on my feet at all - they were out even before trying on two more.

The second pair of shoes I tried on were the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12.

These felt good on the feet - my feet and arch seemed well supported.

Lastly, I tried on this year's version of what I already owned, Mizuno Wave Inspire 8.

I also liked how these felt - they were what I already had.

I took the 2nd and 3rd shoe for a spin round the parking lot to see which one I liked better. I had a really hard time deciding but picked the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12. I liked how my foot felt more supported. Hopefully I made the right choice as this is only my second pair of real running shoes that I have been fitted for. If not, then at least I know for the future!

Last nights crock pot dinner came out amazing. I made the Chicken Taco Recipe from Skinny Taste. The yes thing is that it was done when I got home from work. My husband ate it soft taco style and I had it over more of a taco salad base. Both were good. The blogger served it over rice and that would be quite tasty too.

Here is mine -

Butter and Yoga?

2012-01-12T21:24:00.001-05:00

So on Tuesday I did intervals at the gym and my feet and ankles have felt miserable since. The treadmill is still giving me fits and last week was actually going well and Tuesday I ran with cinder block feet again and I think that is why my feet are bothering me since they were just sort of smacking the treadmill. I opted to skip cardio/running today and took a 1 hour yoga class (best part, its at work). Our work is pretty awesome and has things like a weekly yoga class right in the building.

So on the way home, what do I smell? Butter! Now - that would be weird, except for the fact I pass McCormick on a daily basis. So it fairly regularly smells like butter and pepper in the air. That got me to thinking, hey that is pretty cool that such a large company is so local. Although, I think one could agree that spices shouldn't be $5 for a little jar. Then, a few miles more down the road on the way home from work, I pass by Kevin Plank's (founder of Under Armour) property as I see it sit up on top of the hill with amazing land surrounding. Might as well get it out there, but I think one could say that fellow blogger Kelly (Fit for Life Wife) and I love Under Armour.

Here are some photos I found online on the Washington Post.

I tried to take my own but it never came out right .....

I think that is my favorite part of running the UA Baltimore Running Festival. To me, the event has such a great hometown presence. I love the excitement on race day, I love the people outside there homes along the course cheering you on, I love people giving you high fives along the way, and how many people actually thank the police that help facilitate the event. Oh and I love running through Camden Yards. I look forward to it every year, and every year I complain about the hills and wonder why I do it!

I will be doing the Sole of the City 10k in April and I am pretty excited (crosses fingers for no rain). The premium is Black Under Armour Escape Lightweight Quarter Zip. Here is the description:

"You want a fun, fast and scenic downtown course through Charm City? Check.

You want food, a few drinks, and good times with friends and family after the race? Yup, got 'em, and done.

You want a great race premium and bragging rights that you ran the newest event on the spring racing scene? Well-- that part is up to you-- be we've got the goods. "

Now, I am sitting on the couch with my achy feet in a bath of warm Epsom salt water. That always makes them feel better.

I will be looking for new running shoes this weekend! So look for a post this weekend.

Run to Eat?

2012-01-07T22:15:00.001-05:00

So it was an awesome day for weather here in Maryland. Around mid-day the car thermometer said 64 at one point but it wasn't that warm on our run, probably low 50's. Talk about awesomeness. I took out my new Under Armour Evo Coldgear Leggings for a spin along with a short sleeve tech tee and gloves that I got for Christmas, Agloves Sport. Since I use my iPhone with Nike+, I wanted gloves that work with touch screens and through my arm band.

The gloves worked great, and the pants were awesome.

Girls, you will appreciate this. Because of the design of the waistband, there is no unflattering muffin top. Compression pants and capris can be the most unflattering things on anyone because of their tightness and cut. The pants have waist band that is snug on the inside, and then an extra piece that sort of goes over that so you don't get weird looking lines when your shirt clings to you. See below.

Okay, so back to the blog post title. I wanted to run 5 miles today, and we did. It was so nice outside, and the first 2.5 miles felt awesome. Since I was on the NCR Trail and started at a point that I knew the mileage at and could run to one of the markers on the trail. I did not look at my Nike+ and my pace the entire run. It felt kind of nice, especially since my legs were sooo tired from the interval run on Thursday. I ended up running at 11:09 which isn't bad considering how bad my legs felt and I haven't run 5 miles since December 17th.

So we run some errands (Wal-Mart Super Center) and then I was starving at this point and we had coupons to Andy Nelson's Barbecue. To those that don't live locally, the BBQ is A-mazing. And the place just has such a nice local hometown feel. The restaurant was founded by former Baltimore Colts safety and Super Bowl winner Andy Nelson. Seriously, go sometime. I had the beef brisket and that comes with two side, I had the tater wedges and redskin potato salad.

Since we had a pretty hardy lunch, I knew I wanted to go with a lighter dinner. I made Potato and Leek Soup following the SkinnyTaste recipe. Her recipes are awesome, and I had leeks I needed to use up from the other night.

So, what do we know about me now? I love food and I think I really run in order to be able to enjoy more food!

Hit the treadmill with intervals agian!

2012-01-05T22:44:00.003-05:00

2 posts in one week? You guys should be impressed after December being 2 for the whole month! H(husband) and I hit the gym after work and did a 30 minute interval workout that I found. I needed something quick and to get the calorie burn up. We did this workout and I actually liked it and it went by quickly and I didn't have the weird pace issues that I talked about here. I think since my speed was changing every minute that I didn't have time to notice my stride feeling "off" I found this workout on FitSugar. Distance wise it got to 2.6. Next time I will shorten the warm up and cool down to get to 3.0 miles. I skipped the incline today.

On another note - we have been eating well this week. I rediscovered Skinny Taste , an awesome blog with sooo many recipes and organized so well.

We made the Chicken with Leeks and Sundried Tomatoes and it was quite good.

I hope to get in a 5 mile run in this weekend.

As a new year starts ... my life will be dwindling....

2012-01-02T20:44:00.002-05:00

As my time off from work comes to an end ... I get to look forward to the months of hell that end at April 15th and a few extra pounds. The months of ordering dinner at work and working weekends with minimal exercise will kill any momentum I had from running in the fall. My goal is to not completely fall off the running track so that when I start again in April I will not be starting from square one but more like midway through a half training program.

I have already signed up for The Baltimore Running Festival to do the half, but not sure what else I want to do this year. The Annapolis Half Marathon looks like it is moving to December so that will probably be off my list since December weekends are pretty hectic and a 5k in December was just enough for me.

So any ideas what events I should do between June - September? Right now I am looking at Virginia Wine Country Half.

I went to the gym today since it was a tad cold, but more so insanely windy. I did this workout followed by 40 minutes on the elliptical. I suck on the treadmill, so 20 minutes for me is good. As I mentioned here , me and treadmills don't work but I am trying.

So during this holiday time - I did get a some fitness related items. I got a scale for Christmas from my husband. Okay... I know that sounds horrible but I wanted it. Its wifi enabled and can track and do all sorts of cool things.

I got the Withings Wifi Body Scale.

My dad got me a gift card to Dicks and I was able to get some Under Armour Evo Coldgear Compression Tights. They are much needed for our cold weekend runs. They had a bunch of clearance racks too, and for a total of $50 I got the following (each was $16.47) :

Under Armour Escape 3" Short

Under Armour Catalyst (made from recycled materials) shirt

And my husband got the Under Armour Headgear Fitted Crew (in orange)

That is pretty much all of the fitness related things from the holidays. My husband got some running gadgets that will work with his future iPhone - but I will review those once he can actually use them in February.

On Christmas Eve we made a pretty delicious dinner -

Here are some photos from Christmas -

We rang in the new year with some good people -

Okay - that was long, Thanks for reading!!!

Pre-Christmas Update

2011-12-23T19:55:00.003-05:00

This week has been a little hectic - so I figured I should post before the holidays and then do a post holiday recap.

I would say the post exciting thing that happened all week was that Santa came!

I get pretty excited - I would say it is the highlight of the year for living here.

We also had a little visitor ...

and when we came home last weekend our own little monster did this with our entry way tree ...

Onto the running part of the last week.

Here was last weekends run .... I was totally not feeling it but we did it anyways.

This week we went to the gym twice - I did cross training for 40 minutes one day and the second day I attempted the treadmill again.

I ran 1 measly mile and it was the hardest and sweatiest mile I have ran. But it is better than 4 minutes the last time. I swear - I am not cut out for the treadmill, but I was hoping maybe if I keep trying it will get easier. I ran my mile in 11:09 and my shins and ankles were hurting. I will stick to outside running as much as possible!!! I ended up doing the elliptical after that mile for the rest of my workout.

Jingle Bell 5K Anyone?

2011-12-12T21:36:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned on Friday, we kicked off the holiday filled weekend with Christmas Vacation.

On Saturday we got up and went and cut down our tree at Pine Valley Farms in Sykesville, MD.

Then we did some decorating over the weekend ....

The most fun part of the weekend was the Jingle Bell for Arthritis 5k in Baltimore. I did it with the two most spirited ladies - Lisa & Tiffany, who which I may say have been fun racing buddies. I finished my 5k with a PR of 28:09 and ran the first mile in under 8 minutes - a new record for me. Here are a few pics, and more race details are under the race tab.

I hadn't done a 5K since I have started to run more frequently, nor have a dressed up in fun attire. I really enjoyed the race. It was fun & festive and it was nice to have it be low key and be able to be home by 11am.

Did someone say Christmas Vacation?

2011-12-09T20:46:00.002-05:00

Quick update since this weekend will have a lot, I figured I needed to break it up into a couple.

So after I left work - I decided no gym and that we were getting pizza. Not just any pizza - my favorite pizza.

This is a Caprese pizza from Pizza Town in Owings Mills. So amazing... fresh minced garlic, basil, oregano, tomatoes .... along with cheese of course.

Now we are watching a movie that I think will really kick off the Christmas tree getting weekend....

Okay - that is it for now - but don't worry we are cutting down our tree tomorrow and decorating more, so there will be lots more pics and not so much running!

Almost through the week and no workout?

2011-12-08T19:12:00.001-05:00

Last week I was so good and I went three days in a row and then ran 5.5 on the NCR and lots of other running around and cleaning. This week? I have been horrible and haven't gone. My legs still feel tired from last week. I think too much cardio. 5k on Sunday so I probably won't do anything else til Sunday, maybe elliptical tomorrow.

I did find this picture and think it is great!

Oh - I did also find the rest of my outfit for the Jingle Bell 5k. My knee highs have fur on them! So excited.

And.... Target has these for $12.

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Thats right - $12 and for 34 pieces of the good stuff. Not the stuff that stains or gets all weird looking after using for a while. I bought two boxes and now we can retire some other pieces and have more for using in the freezer.

Oh! And one last thing - Registration for the Baltimore Running Festival starts on Tuesday and for their 12 days of Christmas there is a $12 discount. Who is in???

Jingle Bell 5k .. getting excited

2011-12-06T22:02:00.001-05:00

Okay so I am getting excited for this 5k this weekend. I don't think I have ever been so excited for a 5k.

We decided we are going to go for a festive look.

I will be wearing my running tights with the following accessories.

I still need to find festive socks and a festive shirt.

Real question ... how am I doing to do my hair???

What a Weekend!

2011-12-04T19:56:00.003-05:00

Since Friday a lot has been accomplished!

First and foremost - I am so honored that Christie has asked me to be a part of her special day. I am so excited and we will have an awesome group of bridesmaids. There are two other girls, but this photo encompasses the SC&H girls (I think this picture was from Vegas in 2010).

We also decorated our tree for the contest at work, so that made the day a little more fun.

After work Dan & I went on and went to the gym Friday evening for the third day in a row!

Saturday was a very packed day that started of with a 5.5 mile run on the NCR trail. Even though it was below 40, it felt really nice. It went well, but after working out 3 days in a row on the Arc Trainer, my legs were feeling it.

After running some errands, we decorated the outside of the house.

Then we went to the SC&H Holiday Party at M&T Bank Stadium. It was a blast!

Sunday was more low key. I started working on the indoor decorations but there is a lot more to get done and I will post pics once we get our tree next weekend!

I made one of my favorite soups ever!

Rachael Ray's double dumpling soup. The only thing I add is some corn. Recipe Here.

PS - I love the bowls, they are from Crate & Barrel. You don't lose your spoon and the curves of the bowl makes it feel really nice in your hands on the couch!

I think that is about it for this weekend!

The Gym & Treadmills

2011-12-01T19:52:00.002-05:00

Why can't I run on the treadmill? It makes no sense. Every time I try and run on one, I feel like I am going to die. I lasted about 4 minutes and ran 3 minutes per mile slower. I think I will just stick to my outdoor running, even in the cold!

Speaking of the gym - this video is funny.

She has lots of videos. They are pretty funny. The best one is how to make people stop talking to you.

Cute Video

2011-11-30T21:39:00.002-05:00

I thought this video from America's Funniest Videos was too cute not to share.

Welcome!

2011-11-23T07:24:00.001-05:00

One would think that after all the running this year, that the blog was named after that. But of course it isn't! I would say at least 5 years ago while watching football with Dan, I said a player "shoulda ran faster". This then transformed into my Fantasy Sports team name for one of my leagues. These words can really apply to many aspects of life, but what a better time to name the blog "Shoulda Ran Faster" then after all the running in 2011. This blog will probably be boring to most but it will follow my life, my running, and my favorite thing I like to do - EATING!