Happy National Running Day!!

You pretended the snooze button didn't exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes. You had a feast of protein, glucose, and electrolytes. You double-knotted. You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you. You ran. 5Ks, 10Ks, 26.2 miles. Some days more, some days less. You rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you. Sun tried to microwave you. Snow made you feel like a warrior. You cramped. You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays. You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games. Put your heart before your knees. Listened to your breathing. Sweat sunscreen into your eyes. Worked on your farmer's tan. You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be a man about it. You decided to be a woman about it. Finished what you started. Proved what you were made of. Just keep putting mile after mile on your internal odometer. 

- Nike Ad

Happy Running! Whether you're a walker or a runner... have a great Nat'l Running Day!! 

I'm heading out now to get in a quick one because I feel like I'm obligated too celebrate what I love doing! :)

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GuestPost: Running has taught me...

Hi bombshell's and gents. 

This month will include as series of guest posts. I'm really busy this month but I want you all to still be able to get quality content in my absence! So I got in touch with some blogger buddies and well.. the rest is history! I have an awesome guest post for you this week by one of my favorite bloggers - Cori from OliveToRun! 

Please show her some love my dear readers and take notes!
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Running has taught me... that my body is strong and beautiful.
I feel the strongest and am the most in tune with my body when I am running. It amazes me how much strength this machine possesses. To have the ability to take long, hard strides, to spring from the ground on repeat, and to watch my muscles tense when I strike is proof that this machine is one worth appreciating.

Running has taught me... We cannot have all good days.

We have good runs and bad runs; we have beautiful runs, and ugly runs; we have runs of joy and runs of hurt. Just like life, the reason we have negativity, sadness, and pain is so we can know what true positive, happiness, and pleasure is.

Running has taught me... to not judge the book by its cover.
I've been told this since I was a child but I didn't truly LISTEN until I got involved in running.
I cannot tell you how many times I have run in a race and was impressed by the individuals around me. This is a beautiful thing to experience.

Running has taught me... To stay grounded.
Comparing myself to others will do no good, there will always be someone better than me.

Running has taught me... To aim high.
If we do not push ourselves we will never know our true potential. Many times we are able to do far more than we ever imagined ourselves capable of. It is when we challenge ourselves to go further, faster, longer and stronger that we expand in ways that are good for the mind, the body, and the soul.

Running as taught me... To appreciate the little things.
There are so many people who WISH they could lace up their shoes and pound the pavement and those of us who CAN find ourselves in a rut, complaining, or wishing we didn't "have to do it". Running is a privilege and you should run today because YOU CAN.

Running as taught me... The hard work you put in BEFORE the race is more important than the race itself. The hundreds of training miles groom you into the person you are the day you step across the finish line. It is within those miles that you were challenged, that you were encouraged, that you were torn down, that you were built up, and it was during those miles that you learned far more than you will during that race. Value, appreciate and BELIEVE in your training.

Running as taught me... You don’t have to be in control all the time.
You may have a plan that you follow down to the very last detail, and you may even work really hard every step of the way, but in the end, you are not in control. At any moment your goal can be shifted, your plan can be altered, and your ability to obtain your desired outcome may be shattered. BUT the important part is that you know there is an even bigger goal, an even bigger plan, and it is in far better hands than yours or mine.

Running as taught me... Some of the most supportive and encouraging people I will ever know are the friends I meet in the running community. It doesn't matter your ability level, your PR times, or the number of medals you have , running is a sport that connects others. This has become even more evident since the 2013 tragedy in Boston.

Most of all, Running as taught me... that in the moments of difficulty, if we stay strong just a little bit longer, we will be glad we did.  For it is within those moments after our darkest times that we see often see the brightest lights.

Cori is the author of the blog Olive to Run where she shares her love of all things running and fitness, as well as her experiences as a teacher and wife to the Popeye to her Olive. You can also find her on Twitter, where she tweets constantly, on Facebook where she asks ridiculous questions, on Instagram, where she posts all her workouts and pictures of her dog Axl and on Pinterest, where she pins things she never completes.

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What is the biggest lesson you've learned from running?

xoxo, Preshii


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Just call me Princess Pree. [Disney Princess Half!]

Last week Tuesday, I semi jokingly wrote on a Facebook post (regarding someone being gifted a Disney Princess Half bib) that I wish someone would gift me a bib to the race. I had wanted to do this race but unfortunately it wasn't in my race budget. Long and behold a few hours later I received a message in my inbox asking if I was serious.  After an hour of deliberation, (really just seeing if I can find a really cheap hotel - yes I live in Orlando but still 40ish minutes from Disney and who wants to wake up at 2:30 to get to Disney by 4 on race morning - NOT THIS GIRL!) I said yes and guess what…. Sunday I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

So thankful to one of my BGR sisters for this opportunity! I had a blast at the race. Luckily for me the week before I had did a long run of 10 miles so technically I knew I could do this. But to be honest, I pretty much have the mentality now that as long as I kept my running consistent and do a couple long runs of 7 - 10 miles a month, then I don't need to train for a half marathon unless I'm training to improve my time / speed. But this race, I set out to run for fun - and good thing I did (read on). I mean it was my very first Disney race and I wanted to truly enjoy it.

For me, the race was lots of fun. I think you'll be able to tell from all the pics below! I actually ran with my actual camera so I could take really nice shots. It took me 3 hours and 25 mins to finish but I throughly enjoyed the experience (except the end - keep reading) and now I can say - Just call me Princess Pree!

Was there some negatives to the race? Absolutely - having to wake up so early - 3:30am, the traffic - I thought I wasn't going to make it!, the amount of people (really packed running through certain - well most areas ), and not being able to get into the parks for free afterwards LOL! But seriously I started in the 2nd to last corral which meant I started an hour after it actually started. Before I hit .5 of mile 1 the lead Princess was just about to cross the finish (she was running!!).  Then I tried maneuvering through all the walkers and such but it was so much work that by mile 2 I was like yeah I'm just going to enjoy this. It was all going well until mile 10. Started feeling my quads tightening and then the worst thing happened at the beginning of Mile 12 - they cramped up so bad I could barely walk. Luckily I was near a tree and stretched out so then I was able to walk the last mile! But still I loved the experience.

Would I recommend it for someone's first half marathon? Not unless they are in like the front corrals and not trying to really truly enjoy the experience. Some races you run for time, others you run for the enjoyment! Or in this case… the magic!

Nuun Representing!

  

Mickey was waiting for me at the finish line

33K steps ~ 16.5 miles

Breakfast fit for a PRINCESS!

xoxo, Preshii


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Women's Running Series Half Marathon St. Pete RECAP!

I did it! I completed my 2nd Half. 2 Half's within 2 weeks! Was it hard? A little but I still enjoyed it and beat my time by 7 seconds. Not amazing but good nonetheless especially with the hiccups I had. 

1.) During the 10 second countdown to begin my right contact started feeling funny. As soon as we took off to run it fell out! I caught it and didn't want to stop because I was running with the 2 hour pace group but decided to stop anyway off to the side before the contact got too dry but because it was windy I couldn't get it back in so I just threw it away and charged on. Remember this is just like 1 minute into the race. How great that I now have to run 13.1 miles half blind. 

Almost to mile 3. That's a genuine I'm feeling good smile!

2.) I lost the charger cord for my mp3 headphones a couple weeks ago. I brought a new one online but it was the wrong one and I can't find the type anywhere in store. So the last time I charged my MP3 headphones was probably about 3 weeks ago. It last about 10 hours so I knew it was on it's last minutes before I started the race. Therefore I did buy new headphones and brought them with me. Around mile 4 my MP3 player died as expected. The unexpected is that I couldn't get my new headphones on to save my life. I tried for at least 1 mile to get them on. It sucked. So I had to just run for the remainder of the half with my phone blasting. Oh well. Worked out. 

3.) Disaster struck around Mile 8. My stomach was not having it. So I had to walk a lot during this mile to calm my tummy down and avoid a port-o-pottie stop. *shivers*.  By mile 9 I was feeling better again. Stomach wise.

4.) From about mile 9 until the end my left foot was killing me. I had to walk a little more and really push myself. It really sucked. But there I am pushing it those last few seconds to the end!

So those were my 2nd Half Marathon hiccups. Other then that, I enjoyed the route - though my one good eye. Beautiful scenery. Pretty much flat route. One tiny hill. And then we went uphill a little during mile 7. 

The first half, despite being half blind, I was really feeling good and keeping a great pace. 

But the second half slowed me down and I was in a lot of discomfort. 

I am loving my new charm :)

This medal is so heavy!!

Favorite part was the bubbly at the end and the amazing 10 minute massage I got. 

This pic was right after the half. I look and was soooo tired and in pain! My official time was 2:09:42! My first half I finished in 2:09:49. 

My treat for running 13.1 miles (and then having to walk 1.1 miles back to my hotel) was a CRONUT!! Croissant + donut. I have heard about them and you can't get them everywhere so I was happy to find out there was a place in Tampa who had them and it was delicious. I had the cinnamon sugar cronut. Jay got the vanilla filling cronut. Good too!

Anyway 2 halfs in 2 weeks... people are calling me a maniac. Just maybe I am... Not time to really rest. I don't plan on running again until Wednesday or Thanksgivings morning!

Are you a half fanatic?

xoxo, Preshii

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By this time next week, I'll be a half marathoner!!

Here's my training plan for the week and a recap of last week's running. 

Last week and this week are pretty much taper weeks!

This past week, I got in 3 runs and 1 cross training day. 

Monday & Wednesday were rest days, and Sunday was an active rest day because I did a lot of walking! I was suppose to go to the gym Wednesday morning but somehow I didn't quite make it.

Tuesday I was suppose to do 4 miles but my hip was bothering me so I only did 3. Can't risk getting injured at this point in the game!

Thursday I did 4 miles instead of the scheduled 3 so I basically switched Thursday's run with Tuesday's!

Friday I cross trained. I did my first Nike Training Club workout and it was intense but I loved it! Looking forward to doing another one this morning!

Saturday was a "long" taper run of 5 miles. I got caught in a little drizzle but I pushed through. I don't mind a little bit of drizzle but if it had down poured like it did once I got home I would have stopped and called the boyfriend lol! Can't risk getting sick either!

Sunday was suppose to be 2.5 easy miles but the time change through me off. You'd think with the extra hour I would have made sure to workout but yesterday morning was focused on getting homework out the way and cleaning up so that this coming week my focus can be on mentally preparing for my half. Then Jay and I went out to this event called Fiesta In The Park at a local park where I walked about a mile or two exploring all the different venders. Then we went to the outlets and the mall and that was probably about another mile of walking. So at least I was active!

Now for this week. The week I've been waiting for! Here's my planned training schedule.

Monday: 30 minutes cross train (Nike Training Club App)
Tuesday: 2 mile run
Wednesday: 30 minutes of cross train +  20 minute run 
Thursday: REST
Friday: 20 minute run
Saturday: REST (active - walking around the Expo of course!)
Sunday: RACE DAY!! 

I'm going to do beginner cross train workouts on the NTC app because I don't want to get too sore. But I'm sure if my last cross train is on Wednesday, by Sunday my muscles will have recovered!

How is your training the week of a big run??

Do you go hard, do you taper, etc?

xoxo, Preshii


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