Posts tagged run
Race Recap ~ Sarasota Half Marathon & Relay 2014
21 month ago
Sometimes, it seems like just yesterday I ran my very first half marathon. And all of a sudden, I am getting up at 3:20am on a Sunday to drive 60 miles to run my 9th half marathon. How did that happen? I’m always pretty competitive with myself and have some sort of goal in mind, usually with the hope of a PR. But after celebrating PRs at my last two half marathons in just the last 6 weeks alone, and then not running for the last two weeks, I knew this one was going to be for fun. I love the course and the views for this one. I also had the memory of this one being the first race last year where I finally broke 3 hours for a half marathon. After picking up my shirt and bib on Thursday, I was very excited to run this one again. I love the shirt and the colors!!
I arrived early enough to find a free parking spot not far from the start / finish line, which is located at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, right on the water. You can see the John Ringling Causeway in the distance. I am partial to races along the water, so I just love this.
I had plenty of time to walk around and take care of business before the start. Thankfully there were plenty of port-o-potties. I also ran in to my friend Caitlyn before. We joked that we were both tired and not really ready for 13.1 miles, but we were going to do it. Just before it started, I also ran into Meghan and Nadine, who were running the relay. The race started just after 7 and we were off. Once again, I decided to not listen to music and enjoy the surroundings. The course heads south on Tamiami Trail and then over the John Ringling Causeway. This might be my favorite part of the course. I love running bridges, however hard it may be, and I looked forward to running around St. Armand’s Circle. After St. Armand’s Circle, as I was approaching the causeway, I caught up to Caitlyn. It was shortly after that I took my first walk break. I always try to run at least 4 miles before I walk because I feel like once I take a walk break, I want to take more. I was very happy to catch up to Caitlyn and we ended up running for about 4 miles together. It was fun to chit chat with her and the time passed quickly. Around mile 8, I ran ahead. The course took us past the Ringling Museum of Art and through a beautiful neighborhood along the water. I took several more walk breaks during this time. The sun was high and bright in the sky and it had warmed up quickly. I also had Gatorade at each hydration station, in addition to the water I had with me. Between Mile 11 and 12, I had this amazing view and I stopped to take a picture of it. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful area and I really don’t think I will ever get tired of such views.
Finally – FINALLY – I made it back out to Tamiami Trail. A very nice woman, who’s name I forgot (!!), was along side me as I was taking a quick walk break. She said we should run it in together. We did just that, talking for a little bit, and then when I turned around to thank her after we crossed the finish, she was gone. Runners are so friendly, I always enjoy that. I was ready – and happy – to be done. My time was far from my last half marathon 2 weeks ago, but it was still better than this same event last year. Regardless, I was very happy with how I did and my time. We can’t PR every time, and I enjoyed running with Caitlyn for several miles on this one.
After calling hubby to let him know how I did, I caught up with my fellow Best Damn Race Ambassadors so we could all go to breakfast.
Beth, Meghan, Katie, Me, Haley, and Nadine
Katie, Me, Nick, Haley, Meghan, and Nadine
We also took a Tampa Bay Bloggers photo since so many of us ran the race. Clearly, we love photos. I think we’re a fabulous bunch.
Beth, Meghan, Me, Caitlyn, Haley, Chrissy, Denise, Brad
Me and Caitlyn
I am very happy with how I ran and finished this race. It’s a great event, I love the shirt and medal, and the camaraderie is priceless. And here are my official results…
What is your favorite thing about running races and the running community?
**Disclaimer: As part of the Tampa Bay Bloggers network, I received a complimentary entry to the First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon and Relay in exchange for my honest review. The opinions shared are my own
This weekend…. Sarasota Half Marathon!
41 month ago
by Nanci
in bling, event, half-marathon, medal, race, run, runners, running, Sarasota, Sarasota Half Marathon, Tampa Bay Bloggers
It’s been a whirlwind of races the past month. Between Best Damn Race Safety Harbor, then Gasparilla Distance Classic, and then Best Damn Race Orlando, I’ve been a busy little runner. The past week and a half though, since Best Damn Race Orlando, I have not been running at all. My back has been telling me to take it easy, and I have been. But I am itching to run. And even more so, I am so excited to run the First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon & Relay this Sunday!
Last year I ran the Sarasota Half Marathon on a whim, after seeing the amazing dolphin medal. Besides loving medals, I love dolphins and when I saw the medal that was up for grabs, I knew I had to make it mine. I knew the race had a BIG bridge but I didn’t care. I was training for Iron Girl and figured if anything, it would be a great training run.
What it turned out to be, was the first half marathon I finished under 3 hours. I was a sweating, crying mess when I cross the finish line in 2:48:12, so darn proud of myself. It will always be a favorite running memory of mine.
I knew I had to do it again this year. It’s a beautiful course and there is another great medal with a bridge and dolphins. How could I pass this up?
I also know many runners who will be running this. That’s another thing that makes these events so fun…. Seeing your running / blogging friends who enjoy the events as much as you do!
This will be half marathon #9 for me. I’ve PR’d the last three that I’ve run. I am going to run this one for fun and enjoy the course and see what happens….
Will I see you out there? Let me know if you’re running!
Week 3 of T25
01 month ago
I am a couple days behind on my update thanks to a crazy busy race weekend. There will be a whole other post about that. Right now, I’m catching up on Week 3 of T25…
Last week, I only did T25 three days, but I had to save my legs for the weekend. I was very optimistic in thinking that I could get another workout in on Sunday after my second race, but there was absolutely no chance of that once I finished running.
Here’s how the week played out…
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Rest
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
I know, running isn’t T25, but I worked hard for those medals and had to show them off. I also made sure to plank everyday, except Thursday. That one slipped past me (and the plank police caught me!).
I am still loving T25. Little by little I am getting better at the workouts. I still modify when I need to and some are still just plain challenging. But it’s a great workout, I sweat my butt off for 25 minutes, and I know it is making me stronger. On Week 3, Speed 1.0 is still my favorite. I wonder if that will change?
The Shakeology is going great. I am expecting my second month’s supply in any time now. I get the chocolate / vanilla combo box. I have several vanilla left in the first box and no chocolate, so clearly I favor the chocolate. But I do enjoy both. This morning, I put pineapple and mango in the vanilla and it was very good. I love those flavors together.
So, Week 4…. I already started out Week 4 by missing the first workout because frankly, I am sore from the weekend. I ran 14.2 miles in two days and I need to give my legs a chance to recover. Especially since this Saturday, I am running half marathon #8. Probably not the best planning on my part, but I love every minute of it. So, this I will likely do three days of workouts this week, nothing on Friday, and then an easier one on Sunday, along with Stretch. That is the plan, hopefully it works out that way.
How do you handle conflicts in your workout schedule due to scheduling or other physical activities that may prevent you for working out?
I m still looking for 5 more people to be a part of my Challenge Group for March. If you are interested, please comment below or email me at crazylifeofmineblog at gmail dot com. If you are interested in fitness, motivation, and support, than I would love to have you as a part of this!
Week 2 of T25
12 months ago
Wow, last week went fast… It was also a lesson in flexibility. I really like sticking to a plan, but I have to remember to be flexible when life happens. It’s better to get a workout done later than not at all. That being said, I was short two workouts for Week 2.
I started out the week not feeling well so I did not workout on Monday. But, Tuesday morning I was feeling better, headache-free, and back at it. I just shifted my workouts back a day. On Wednesday, I worked out in the morning and the afternoon, an unplanned double day. It felt great to get caught back up from missing Monday. On Thursday, hubby and I went out to dinner so I missed my workout. On Friday, I opted to workout in the afternoon, getting home from work early enough to run 2 miles and do a double. This put me within one workout away from being caught up, which I planned to do over the weekend.
On Saturday, I spent much of the late morning and afternoon with hubby at the Spartan Race in Tampa. It was really fun to play spectator and be there to support him. This also meant no workout for me after going out to eat on the way home from the event.
My Sunday turned into an unplanned rest day as well. I woke up exhausted and decided with races on the schedule for the next two weekends, yesterday would be my chance to sleep in and be lazy. I’m not going to lie, it was really nice, but I did feel slightly guilty. I did, however, go grocery shopping and do food prep for the week.
So, I missed one workout and the stretch for Week 2. Still, I am very pleased with how with T25 I did given how my week went. Speed 1.0 is still my favorite. On the more challenging workouts, such as Total Body Circuit, I am still doing many of the modifications. No shame. Modifying is better than not moving! My one regret is that I only got one run in all week long…
Monday
Rest
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Rest
Sunday
Rest
As for my Shakeology, I absolutely love it. Especially after my morning workouts, it hits the spot and it super filling. I have a new favorite recipe now… You will want to try this:
- Chocolate Shakeology
- 8 oz. unsweetened almond milk
- 1 banana
- 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- Ice
Just blend it all to perfection and enjoy. It’s like a milkshake!
On to Week 3! I hope this week stays on track a little better, but I know regardless I will roll with it and do my best!
I am enjoying T25 so much, that I have decided to put together my first Challenge Group for March. If you are interested, please comment below or email me at crazylifeofmineblog at gmail dot com. If you would like to be a part of a group of 5 – 6 people interested in fitness, motivation, and support, than I would love to have you as a part of this!
Week 1 of T25
72 months ago
by Nanci
in Beachbody, Focus T25, Independent Beachbody Coach, plank, plank-a-day, run, running, Shakeology, Shaun T, workout
What a great first week of T25! I thought it would be beneficial to do a weekly wrap-up of my workouts in hopes of seeing improvements and changes on a weekly basis. Next week, hopefully, I won’t be two days late in sharing the week I just finished.
The idea behind Focus T25 is pretty simple. You work out 5 days a week. It’s 25 minutes a day, except on Friday, which is a double so it’s 50 minutes. Saturday is a rest day (love those!) and Sunday is stretch day. Easy as pie, right?
As I mentioned in my post about this challenge I’m doing, I needed a workout that would not take away from my running. That just cannot happen. This 25 minutes a day is just right… Here’s how my first week went:
Monday
T25 Cardio
Run 1 mile - Plank
Tuesday
Speed 1.0
Plank
Wednesday
Total Body Circuit
Plank
Thursday
Ab Intervals
Run 3.11 miles – Plank
Friday (double day)
Lower Focus
Cardio
Plank
Saturday
Rest
Plank
Sunday
Stretch
Run 9 miles / Plank
My thoughts on the workouts completed this week…. For the most part, I completed each one, with modifiers. That is the wonderful thing about this series. There is a modifier for each workout that shows a low intensity option for most of the exercises. For those of us who maybe can’t move at such high intensity or can’t reach as far, and more… Do not be afraid of the modifications. You are still moving and burning calories. However, I hope to be able to say I “nailed it” soon!
My favorite workout this week was Speed 1.0. I love this workout. It’s a challenge, but it’s doable. I also believe it will benefit my running more that anything.
My least favorite workout of the week was Total Body Circuit. It’s hard, plain and simple. My quads and shoulders were both on fire. Again, no shame in doing modifications and doing what I can just to keep moving.
The double workout on Friday was also a challenge. I stressed over this a little. Do I do them back to back? One in the morning and one at night? The answer was made for me when I found out I would be spending the afternoon with my most fabulous niece and I knew I needed to do both workouts Friday morning just to get them done. And I’m glad I did. Yes, it was a challenge and I was like jello afterwards. But, I did it and that’s what matters.
I was happy with the 3 runs I got in for the week as well, especially just coming off a half marathon. I am kind of in shock still that I ran 9 miles Sunday morning so soon after a half and working out hard all week. I certainly felt it, but it wasn’t so bad I had to stop.
I also enjoyed a Shakeology every morning for breakfast. Yum!! Some mornings I just mixed it with water and ice, other mornings I made a blended smoothie with fruit and unsweetened almond milk and fruit… All in all, week 1 of the T25 Challenge was a success! I hope that week 2 is the same!
Exciting news! I am now an Independent Beachbody Coach! If I can answer any questions you may have regarding Shakeology, Focus T25, 21 Day Fix, and other Beachbody products, please do not hesitate to let me know! You can find out more at my Beachbody website!
