Sunday, May 1st, 2011 I ran in the New Jersey Half Marathon at Long Branch. This was my second half marathon, and I’m proud to say I did significantly better than my last! My boyfriend, Chris, ran it too. This was his first time, and let it be known, he kicked butt!

So let me ramble a bit about my experience running this half marathon. Well first of all, we woke up at 5 a.m. to drive down to Long Branch and get there in time. The race started at 8:30 a.m. but I wanted to make sure I had ample time to digest breakfast before getting my run on. No one likes cramps. Due to horrific traffic, however, we got there just in time for the race to start. I guess that was a good thing though, because it gave me less time to actually think about the running, which prevented me from getting even worse butterflies than I already had. I used the port-a-potty right before (always a must!) to ensure I would be 100% comfortable for the duration of the run. (I have a small bladder…TMI?)

So the race starts and, oh my gosh, I felt great! I trotted along at an easy pace for the first few miles in order to conserve as much energy as I could. Mile 3 approached quickly and I was still feeling good. The mile 5 marker appeared so I put a little pep in my step. Well my friends, as I approached mile marker 6, I thought it said mile 8, so when I actually realized it was mile 6, I kind of wanted to sit on the curb and just watch the rest of the runners. But I didn’t. I prevailed. And found a running buddy!

Sometime I wonder if other people do this too, but at some point during the race I’ll pick a running buddy, but they don’t know they’re my running buddy. Get it? So I picked this guy with an American flag shirt. He seemed to consistently be running ahead of me, which was great motivation for me. So, I based my pace off of his. I’d pass him, then he’d pass me, and then I’d pass him, and, well, I’m not sure, but I think he’d get pissed that I passed him, so he’d pass me. This went on until mile 10, when I thought my legs were going to fall off of my body and American flag man ran way ahead of me.

Let me talk about mile 10 for a moment. Mile 10, I despise you. I thought you’d be mile 11, I still had 3.1 more miles to go, and my legs hated me. But still, I went on, and left mile 10 behind.

I finally hit mile 11 and the time said “2:06″ and I thought, “Oh, darn, I’m running so much slower than last time!” but then, I realized I was looking at the full marathon time, and my time was actually 1:37! I didn’t think my little legs could run so fast, but they were going at a speed that was new to me! I then saw a sign on a car saying “You only have 1 1/2 more miles!” I ran and ran and ran and finally, after I seriously thought my legs had gone completely numb, crossed the finish line. VICTORY!

I crossed that finish line with a chip time of 1:45:35!!!! BOOYAHHHHHH. My first half I finished with a chip time of 1:54:29. I know my time for this wasn’t the best, but running a 8:03 mile is freakin’ awesome for me! I came in 20th place out of the 378 girls in my age group.

I’m not sure, but I think half marathons are becoming an addiction for me. I had so much fun at this half and I honestly can’t wait to do another one. Preferably ones at the beach. It was a beautiful day so Chris and I had lunch on the boardwalk and then sat on the beach for a while. Perfect way to end 13.1 miles!

More on this in the future…

COUNTDOWN: 3 days until I run my second half marathon.

Wow, where did time go!? I remember when Chris and I registered back in January and started training only a few weeks after that. We decided to start training earlier than we thought necessary, but now that the run is only days away, I don’t feel prepared!! Well, I don’t feel as prepared as I did for my first one that is…

Yesterday morning, I ran about 9 miles outside. It run was supposed to be a 12 mile run, but due to the humidity and the fact that I just couldn’t do more than 9 because my iliotbial band (Self-diagnosed. It’s the muscle that goes down the outside of your leg. Mine hurts most up by my hip. It’s not a good feeling.) was killing me, it was cut short. I ran a full 10 miles and 7 miles last week, and 5 earlier this week. Maybe my legs need a break…

Positive Thinking

I’m super excited for this half marathon! Whether I’m prepared or not, I know my adrenaline will kick in and I’ll make it past that finish line. Running a marathon, or in my case half of a marathon, is such an accomplishment. It’s an amazing feeling to know that you could train your body to run 13.1 miles. 13.1 miles! Still that seems like a really long distance to me. And being that I have basically no athletic background, and very little running experience, I’m proud to say that my little body can run 13.1 miles.

I asked my fellow tweeples for some good “pump-up” songs for my playlist for this Sunday. So far I’ve gotten Britney Spears, Living on a Prayer, and Self Magazine’s top song picks. My person favorite: Waka Waka (thanks, Kelly!)

I’m extending the request out to all that read Quick Feet, Good Eats. What music pumps you up? I’m open to all music genres, so please post your favorite song(s)!

When I get a two hour playlist done, I’ll post the results =)

As I debated whether or not I should take a nap or go to the gym today, I thought to myself, “Self, did you ever blog about how you’re half marathon went? And how sore you were? And how your legs felt like they were going to collapse from underneath you?” No, no I did not blog about how my first ever half marathon went!! Why not!?

I have no answer to why I didn’t blog about it… sheer laziness? Perhaps, but now, more than two months later, I want to share with you just how worth the hours of training were for this 13.1 mile run.

I wrote for one my my journalism classes (you can find more of my articles at my class’s wordpress website). I’ve tweaked it a bit for my personal blog:

I Ran Like a Diva

Tiaras, pink feather boas, champagne, and roses are exactly what a girl needs to feel like the diva she really is.

More than 3,000 women gathered at Eisenhower Park, Long Island, N.Y. on Oct. 3 for the first ever Divas Half Marathon. The Divas Half Marathon is the first event in the Divas series of runs sponsored by the Continental Event and Sports Management Group LLC. These half marathons were developed to encourage women to celebrate their womanhood by dousing them with items such as tiaras, boas, and champagne.

The half marathon was a 13.1 mile run around Nassau County, Long Island. Women of all ages participated, and were encouraged to “run like a diva” as they raced to the finish line where their glass of champagne awaited them.

Firefighter “hunks,” as the Divas Half Marathon described these gentlemen, greeted each runner at the finish line with champagne, a medal and a rose. This was my first half marathon, and what attracted me most were the fun perks, as you can probably see why!

About five weeks ago, a friend of mine from work asked me if I was interested in running in this event with her. I did a bit of research and, not knowing exactly what I was getting myself into, said yes. Training began the very next day.

I’ve never been an avid runner. An exercise enthusiast, yes, but the thought of running 13 miles in one shot felt nearly impossible. However, I soon learned it is possible, and I was ready to put my body to the test. I found a training schedule online that detailed day-by-day distances to run in order to be fully prepared for this race. I hung the schedule on my wall, and started my training with an easy three mile run.

The training schedule was that for 10 week period, however, because I started late, I cut out a few weeks in between. Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday were rest days. Monday always started out with a light run; between three to four miles. Throughout the week, the distances gradually increased, to prepare you for Saturday, which was always the longest.

I started training during the last few weeks of summer, so finding time to run during the day wasn’t difficult, being that my summer workload wasn’t horrendous. There’s also a lake nearby my home that is a flat three mile course, so I used that frequently to run around. However, at the start of school, my workload tripled and finding time to do an hour long run didn’t exactly fit smoothly into my schedule. I’d hit up the gym when I could, or used MapMyRun.com to map out a run around Mahwah.

Although I was running more frequently than usual, my diet didn’t change drastically. I ate just as much as I used to, but didn’t feel as bad when I had that extra piece of pizza or bread, because I knew I’d be burning it off soon anyway. The week before the race, however, runners are advised to carb-load. No need to tell me twice! I ate bagels and pasta and sandwiches throughout the week to ensure that I would have enough energy for the run.

I will admit I strayed from the schedule a few times, not running full mileage on some days. However, as the two-week mark snuck up on me, I stepped up my A-game. Two weeks before the half marathon, I pushed myself to run 10 miles, and the week before I ran seven. A fellow student who runs full marathons said I should be fine with that amount of training, so I eased up on the distances and before I knew it, race day was here.

My ultimate goal was to finish. I wanted to prove to myself and my body that I could run the full 13.1 miles. The night before the race, the two girls I was running with and I spent the night at a nearby hotel in Long Island. We prepared ourselves physically and emotionally by eating pasta and bread and getting to bed early.

We set our alarms for 5:30 a.m. in order to pack, eat, and get to the race on time. By 7:45 a.m., women were swarming around the starting line. As I made my way to the crowd, surrounded by thousands of other girls, my heart raced inside of me and my adrenalin pumped. The horn sounded and we were off!

The feeling of being among these thousands of women, and knowing that we’re all here to accomplish the same goal was tremendously exciting. By the time I looked up at a mile-marker along the way, I was at mile three. Then, before I knew it, mile 11 was just up ahead.

At mile 12, my hips were sore, ankles weak, and legs tired, but to boost our spirits, the divas were given a hot pink feather boa and a sparkly tiara, to make us feel like true divas! The last 1.1 miles were left, so with the boa wrapped around my neck and the tiara nearly falling off my head, I ran full force to the finish line.

I finished the race in one hour, 54 minutes, averaging an eight minute and 42 second mile. This half marathon was a great experience and proved to myself that if I put my mind to something, I can accomplish it.

The race was fun, the aftermath, not so much

Aside from the actually running, let me explain a bit about the aftermath, the part most of you are dying to hear. After crossing that finish line, I literally thought I was going to collapse. My ankles could barely bend, my knee caps were ready to pop off, my thighs were pounding, and my hips needed oil.

I recovered in stages: The day after, my entire lower body felt sore – knees the most. Stairs were a definite no and getting up from chairs made me look like an 85-year-old woman. The second day my thighs and ankles were the most sore. Even walking was painful. The third day, my legs felt a lot better, but my back was killing me. Fourth day, I actually ran again (terrible idea, I do not recommend doing this). My entire body felt like I ran another half marathon.

I’d say by the fifth or sixth day I was 95% recovered. I was actually kind of disappointed when the soreness wore off though. It made me remember how hard I worked to get past that finish line.

Running this half marathon was truly amazing (and I’m not trying to sound corny). It proved a lot about myself I never knew. Someone at the bar I work at told me the other day told me, “Runners are special people. They are extremely self disciplined.” He couldn’t have been more spot-on.

Someone needs to send me to the Honolulu Diva’s Half next!!

Three weeks and two days and counting! Until the half marathon, that is. If you haven’t read my post about this half marathon, I advise you do so before reading this one.

With this run approaching quickly, I wanted to post an update on my training (which I probably should have been doing the whole time! oops). The Monday night after I committed to this, I had Kelly send me the training schedule she’s following (shown below). Being that I was already a week behind, I decided I needed to start ASAP, so I started that Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym. Both times I finished in about 27 minutes, which equals out to be a 9 minute mile.

Since that first week, I think I can say that I’ve been very dedicated to staying on top of my running, and have been progressively getting better. Saturdays are the hardest because they’re always the longest distance. Last week I ran 6 miles (slightly hungover too), and finished with a decent time. I don’t think I’ve ever ran 6 miles in my life, so this was an achievement in itself!

Because I start training late into the schedule, I can’t say exactly what week is for me. I’m also slightly changing this schedule up a bit. Instead of training up to 12 miles, I’m only going up to 11. This is because if I run 12, there really isn’t a point in spending $90 to run 13 a few weeks later, ya know?

While keeping the weekday schedule the same, I plan to run 8 miles this Saturday, 11 the next, the Saturday after that back down to 8, and the Saturday after that 6. I’ve also been following @RunLikeaDiva on Twitter, while gives great tips and encouragement on training.

This is going to be an enormous challenge for me mentally and physically, not to mention the challenge it’s been to find the time to run with my crazy schedule. But I will do it… because if I don’t, I know Kelly won’t be too happy

Monday night while at work at the restaurant, a co-worker of mine mentioned a half marathon that she will be taking part in in October. She also “mentioned” that I should run it with her…

I’ve been talking to Kelly, a young 31 year old (I still don’t believe her), for about a month now about our exercise regiments, and she seems to have the same mindset as me: exercise is healthy, soothing, and most of all – vital. We both belong to gyms, have done exercise classes, and can’t imagine a workout without a good sweat.

So when Kelly told me about the Diva Half Marathon in Long Island in October, I eagerly said yes! Not knowing what the Diva’s Half Marathon was really about, I turned to the handy-dandy Internet to find out.

The Diva’s Half Marathon (and girl’s 5K) is held by Continental Events and Sports Management and is being held in Long Island, NY on October 3rd of this year. “Run Like a Diva” is their slogan, and that is exactly what they want you to do. The Diva’s Half Marathon is not a charity event, but more just a “yay women!” run.

Here are the highlights:

So after reading about this half marathon and looking over the highlights, I’m in! Boutiques, feather boas and tiaras, roses, champagne, and a hunk to meet me at the finish line… tell me ladies, could it get better?!

Mind you…

I have never ran a half marathon, and I am not, whatsoever, a long distance runner. But for me, this is a challenge I want to put my mind and body towards (plus, I think I get a car magnet for bragging rights! hehe).

It’s only Thursday, and the thought of running 13.1 miles all at once has been occupying my brain every second of every day. Can I do it? Can my body do it? Do I have enough time to train for something like this? WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?!

(Deep breaths, Sammy…)

Kelly and I are in the same boat (sigh of relief). She’s not doing this for time, nor has she ever ran a half marathon. She’s training at the same level as me, and she has confidence that she can do this.

Confidence. Confidence. That word holds a lot of meaning. I hate to get all sentimental on you people, but in all seriousness, that is what’s holding me back from truly believing that I can do this. So right now, I am stopping self-doubt, and Kelly, I will run to that finish line with you and claim my hunk and glass of champagne!

Note: Chris, you know you’re my only hunk

I’m psyched about this. If not for anything else, I want to prove to myself and my body that I can do this. Stay tuned for tips and on how my training it going!