5 Ways I am Celebrating Halloween!

In honor of my one true spirit animal, JACK SKELLINGTON, We are celebrating the first of his favorite 2 holidays! I am actually in Texas with the family so this will be a bit of a different celebration than normal. 

1. My christmas tree is up
YUP! You read that correctly. All Halloween stuff is still up but so is the Christmas Tree! I wouldn't have time to put the tree up until mid-November which is just not right. So the tree went up on Tuesday. Next to it are a lot of ornaments(still in their packages), which I am just putting up a few at a time. Jack Skellington would be so proud :)

2. I ran the LA Rock n Roll
Pinocchio was my big costume of the year and I rocked that race so it was worth it! 

3. I am going to Midnight Yell tonight
As I said, I am in Texas. My boyfriend and I are in College Station to to the Texas A&M vs Louisana-Monroe football game tomorrow. My grandfather used to work for them so we are going to use their tickets. We are going to one of the big student celebrations before the game: Midnight Yell. Should be fun and I am assuming everyone will be in costume. 

4. Football game tomorrow!! 
That is the main reason we came. See below for what the stands will look. It has been YEARS since I went to a game-easily 13 years if not more. I love me some good college football and Kyle Field will be an amazing experience. 

5. Discounted Halloween goodies on Saturday night!
Yes, after the football game, we are going to go to Target and get some discounted goods! 

What are your plans for Halloween? 

Overall, the race was great for me as I hit my goal but there were lots of things that I did wrong! So let's get to it. 
Went to bed around 9 and work up at 5:20. Ate breakfast, got ready and was out of the door and in my car at 5:55. No traffic and the instructions on the website were great. I couldn't get to the garage I wanted so I settled for offsite parking for 10 bucks! Parked at 6:15 and Was at the start line at 6:20! DRIVING WAS THE BEST DECISION! 

Checked my bag and met up with Mari. I had 2 pee stops in between (OJ, tea, water and powerade was a lot) and we started off In Corral 11. She was running for fun so I took off right at the start. 

I definitely made a good decision starting with faster people. They were flying but I was actually keeping up with them. Everyone spread out real quick and I hung out on the side of the road so I could intervals. 

My costume had issues right away. My hat was coming off from the wind and my collar was a mess. Also my bra strap kept falling down (probably because I had my emergency fuel in it) and my suspenders were everywhere. Ugh. I can't believe I dealt with that hot mess for over 2 hours! 

The only problem I encountered was with the 5k people. Many were walking so I had to weave more than I wanted to but overall it wasn't that bad. I almost ran straight into someone because she saw her husband and just stuck her arm out to the side. I had to put on the brakes fast and luckily no one hit me! 

I am trying to learn to run based on feel and I felt great and looked down and was averaging around 9:20 running pace which is fast for me. I was trying to hold back as best as I could. On my walk breaks, I felt ready to go but forced myself to stick with them. I did not want to crash and burn. 

I also had to pee so I was just counting down the blocks until we were in the coliseum. Turning onto Exposition was a bit crowded because it is narrow with the train tracks but I was able to get through okay. 

Finally a bit before the 5k mark was bathroom time. Working in the coliseum has it perks-I knew to go in the out exit as the stalls are closer and less crowded. I have been practicing on peeing In under a minute and pretty much kept to that! However when I looked in the mirror, because it was so humid-my sunscreen was all over my face so I had to wipe it off. Precious seconds but total it was about 1 minute added. 

I had my first fuel in the coliseum and was starting to struggle. Miles 3.3-5 were my toughest and I'm still not sure why. I think the heat was getting to me already. 

I hit the water station around 5 and took a margarita shot blok and felt much better! I think it was actually my lack of salt! I need to buy more of those because I'm out of them now. 

Heading to the 10k and I felt great and crossed that marker in 1:01!!! Coming around the corner and you can see the fast finishers on pace for a sub 1:20 and it is AMAZING to watch them. The crowd support was much better so I was in a good mood. I was almost 2 minutes under pace and felt good. I didn't feel like I was moving fast but my watch said I was moving at a 6:50 pace!!! (I still think it was wrong because that's insane! 

As we headed through the 2nd street tunnel and put towards the crazy bridge, the sun came up and was right in my face. Even with sunglasses, it was still pretty bright. 

I got to the Gu station and finally got to try the salted watermelon flavor and fell in love. FINALLY a Gu flavor I like and enjoy! Let's hope they make it a regular one. 

Right after the Gu station, we went through a water misting station which felt great. I knew it was pretty warm and I felt dehydrated already. I go see the bridge in the distance and I was about 2 minutes ahead of pace so I knew if I could make it through the bridge, I would break 2:15!

Here is where I ran into trouble: my middle toe on my left foot KILLED! It felt like it was being ripped from me. I trimmed my nails the night before so o had no idea what was wrong. It stopped hurting and went numb so I kept going. Turns out it was a blood blister under my foot! Eek! 

Got to the hill and ran until I couldn't and did lunges. The bridge literally goes on for almost half a mile. At the top of the bridge was a water stop and a nice man with a massive bucket of the spray I use on my legs. Reapplying helped a lot!

I knew climbing the bridge was all I needed. The rest was downhill so if I could hang on, I would make it. 

With the weather, I never got to the point where I had extra energy in the tank which made me a bit sad. I could feel myself fading as the race went on and was worried I would fail rifht at the end. I had to walk more than my intervals because my legs were tired  

I dug deeper and knew if I could just hit the mile 12, I would know how I was doing. I was still 1.5 minutes under pace so I knew I had this. I dug deeper, pushed harder and used the crowd support to go towards the finish line and cross in 2:13:43!! I DID IT! Surprisingly, I did not cry. I was just in need of water. 

What's interesting is that I felt like I was going really slow in my last few miles but in reality, they were still under 10 minute miles. 

We got so much stuff-banana, power bars, gatorsde, milk but no bag to carry anything! Come on RnR-we need bags. 

I was covered in sweat and I got sweat In my phone and couldn't make calls. I had a stranger swipe my phone so I could talk to my boyfriend and had to go to the medical tent to get a towel to wipe it off. 

I was exhausted and feeling sick. When I finished at 9:30, it was already 70 degrees and sunny and humid. My hair was so covered in sweat it was as damp as when I got out of te shower. Everything I ate or drank, besides water, made my stomach kill. 

Afterwards I met up with some friends and we hung out for a bit. We waited for mari to get her cali combo medal and it took 45 minutes! Come on RnR-get it together! They need wristbands and separate tents (like Rundisney does with challenge medals) because that line was a mess all day. 

I eventually made it home and still couldn't eat anything. All I could have was water. I rolled and then took a quick nap and woke up and had FIVE glasses of water before showering. Then we went off to Disneyland to celebrate and walk!

I will note the whole left side of my body was a mess after the race. The crazy blood blister (which hasn't hurt at all since it happened), 2 blisters from my socks (which never happens), my hip and my calf were hurting! I've finally recovered days later but wow, my body did not like the experience much. 

The sickness I felt was really unusual but at the same time, I've never run that fast and that far in my life  I have no doubt my body freaked out a bit. But after I had tons of water 

POSITIVE:

• Parking was a breeze
  
• Bag check was fine
  
• Salted watermelon Gu was everything everyone else has said
  

NEGATIVE:

• They don't check corrals when you enter but when I started running it was fine
  
• All of the stuff at the end-we need bags and towels!! 
  
• The heavy medal tent mess
  
• My costume did not cooperate
  
• My blood blister 
  

What's next? Well I don't plan on racing a half marathon for a while. It hurt haha. However my next short term goal is a sub 1:00 10k. I hit 1:01:40 on Sunday and I had a lot of gas left in the tank. I would love to shoot for that in Dec but it'll depend on how I feel after my first dopey simulation over thanksgiving. I would love to shoot for it and it would be a great way to end the year on a flat course, close to the beach. 
And I looked up the McMillan calculator a 59:59 10k corresponds to a 2:13:43 half. My EXACT time! 

Will I do it next year? Probably not just because I'm aiming for a Fall marathon and my top choices would be NYCM or Marine Corps. However if I don't get into any of those, then maybe! I was disappointed not as many people dressed up as the past year but it was still fun. 

Anyone else run LA rock n roll? 
What is your next race? Wine and dine in less than 10 days for me! 

Hi all! 

I love the Rock n Roll Expo, I always have a good time and there is a lot going on. 

I left work early and got to the Expo around 3:45. I walked right up got my bib, changed my corral (all I had to do is say, I wanted to move up so I went from 16 to 11), and my shirt. 

I hit up the following booths:

• Garmin to ask if I can have my intervals on and laps of a mile (nope!)
  
• Powerbar samples
  
• Sports Authority coupon
  
• Alaska Airlines for a free flight drawing
  
• Grid X for a new intense roller
  
• Skechers to ask when the new version of my favorite shoe is coming out (by the end of the year!)
  
• ProCompression where the guy said they are coming out with tights by the end of the year
  
• Nuun to try some samples (still dont like them!)
  
• Turkey Trot to get a discount code (sign up to run with me!) 
  
• Naute for new running sunglasses 
  

It was not crowded at all so I was in and out within an hour and got great purchases! I wrote more about my new roller yesterday as part of the Tuesdays on the Run linkup so make sure to check it out. It is still awesome even if it hurts A LOT. 

Do you like going to Expos? 

Hi all! Another Tuesday, another Tuesday on the Run hosted by our favorites: 
April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Erika from MCM Mama Runs, and Patty from No-Guilt Life.

This week's theme is Favorite New Running Product. After a great race this weekend, I wanted to review the thing that helped me the most in last minute preparing: a new foam roller. 

At the LA Rock n Roll Expo, I was in the market for a new roller. I bought one last year there that I love and I also have one from years ago. It is starting to bend so I wanted something steady and hard that I will be able to use for a long time. 

I ended up buying the GridX Roller. I got a discount on it at the Expo so it was 42 dollars with tax. They also gave me a strap so I can carry it around. 

This is their newest version of the roller as it supposed to be twice as firm. It has 3 types of surfaces: a flat one (supposed to represent a palm), long ridges (represent fingers), and short ridges (represent fingertips). 

It HURTS to use. There have been times when I have gotten tears in my eyes-no joke. However, it works and it does loosen me up faster than my other rollers. 

Not going to lie, I found new "sweet" spots in my legs and I am dreading going to use my roller now as it works so well. It hurts so bad, but feels so good! I am hoping it will help me with my recovery this week. 

They have a whole line of products I want to explore and see if anymore would be of interest to me. 

What type of roller do you use? 

FULL RECAP of LA Rock n Roll coming later this week but I wanted to check in and let everyone know! I DID IT! It was hard, I am sore and it was HUMID but I did it! 2:13:43!! Now I just need to submit my time today for Princess and Tink and I can move up even more in the corrals! :) 

Who else raced this weekend? 

Hi all!  Linkup Friday!! Thanks to our amazing hostesses: the DC Trifecta Bloggers (Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Mar from Mar on the Run, and Cynthia from You Signed Up For What?!). The theme this week is 5 reasons to run...


In honor of my post earlier this week about my race goals and announcing my costume, I thought it would be  a good idea to talk about why it is so awesome to run in costume and also add in a couple of tips so you won't be miserable. 

As you know from my past Race Recaps, I LOVE costumes and get sad when I don't run in costume. So here are the reasons I love it:

1. IT IS SO FUN
Costumes create such a fun atmosphere- they create a buzz in corrals and also while running. 

2. Crowd support
I love when people call out your costume name while running.It is the extra boost needed sometime.

3. Pictures
Let's not discount this! The pictures that are taken come out so well when you're in costume! So much fun, especially at a rundisney race when you stop for characters

Now for 2 tips on racing in costume:
4. Make sure to use material that is good for racing
Costumes should always be based around drifit/wicking material and should not be a Halloween costume. It will ensure you can run comfortably. Make sure to not have too many props as it can be annoying to have to deal with them. Also, make sure to dress to the weather. I have seen many people run a race in long sleeves and pants when it will be 80 degrees and humid during the race. That is not a good combo! 

5. Test them out
Yup, I have run in tutus around my neighborhood. If you don't want to do that, make sure to at least do a bit of a jog in your house ot see how it holds up. Make sure to try out all parts of your costume, so you dont have a miserable run and can enjoy the helpful hints above.

So that's it for now. Just prepping for my race on Sunday (even though I have a headache and I'm getting a cold!). Who else has run in costume? Do you like it? 

It is race week and I am ready for this race. It is supposed to get warm during the day but still cool at night so hopefully it won’t be too humid. Only time will tell. 

Plan: Race start time has moved up to 7:00 AM so I plan on getting up around 5:15 and heading out around 5:45-6:00. I want to get to the race course around 6:15-6:30 as the corrals are small enough you can jump in right before the start time. Now onto goals!

I also want to switch my corral placement when I get to the Expo. When I registered, I guessed I would finish in 2:34 (an old PR) but since I am gunning for 2:15 and have a 5k PR of 29:50 and a 10k PR of 1:02, I am pretty close to that goal. I want to make sure I am with fast people to push me along. 

The course is very flat (downtown to USC and back to downtown, through the 2nd street tunnel). There is a crazy hill at mile 10. Everyone slows down here so my plan that I used last year, I will use again. I do long lunges up. I can move fast and it does not tax my legs as much. After that, the bridge is flat and the downhill will be nice on the way back to the finish.

My goal is to try and conceal my speed in the beginning (around 10:45-10:30/mile) and slowly fuel and hopefully maximize my carb stores. I have a playlist planned that is 2:15 exactly and then ends with Let It Go after (so I know it is okay to try hard and not reach my goal). I prepped the playlist to build and also have my fast songs at the end where I can let it fly after the Bridge Hill. I am hoping for a few sub 10:00 miles at the end where I plan on fueling like crazy as I need it-maybe switching to every 2 miles as I need.

 I need to hydrate during the run as much as possible, especially if it is humid, so I don’t get cramps.

A-    sub-2:15 (2:14:59)
This is what I want so bad and I have been training for it. My New Years resolution of going sub 2:30 was a huge dream back in December but as I have gotten faster, I want to push the limit. To reach this goal, I will need to average 10:15/mile including stops and bathroom breaks. I plan on taking 1 bathroom break in the Coliseum (real bathroom) and hoping it will take less than a minute. It will be tough but I am up to the challenge!

B-    sub 2:20
My old goal time was 2:17, which is what rundisney predicts I can do off of my 1:02 10k time. I want to try and at least reach that.

C-    sub 2:30
just trying to beat my old PR of 2:34 and finish. I will still be very happy with this race time.

D-   finishing
This may come up if the weather is hot and humid but I plan on trying my best no matter how the morning starts. 


Also COSTUME TIME! I will be running this race as PINOCCHIO! I was this for Halloween a few years ago I think it's a fun costume so I am excited to race in this weekend. 

If you see me, come and say hi! 

Anyone else have race plans for this weekend? 

Make sure to follow me on social media, I will definitely update twitter and instagram with race pics :) 

With wine and dine coming up, Dopey long run distances increasing, as well as needing one final long run before LA Rock n Roll Taper begins, I decided to do a 15 mile run at night last week. To make sure I was properly taxed, I spent the morning doing homework so I could see how a full day before running would do my body.

My last 15 miler in December was a horrible experience so I focused on carbloading this time. I did had a horrible run-right under 3:00 hours which will not do well for my time goals. I was thirsty, did not fuel until mile 9 (which is where I hit my wall, just as I did in my last 10 miler when I did not fuel correctly), and I had horrible cramps. Not to mention, my legs were very tired.

POSITIVES:

• Side bar but my homework session ROCKED! I am so much more relaxed and at ease with how much I got done. Outlining papers is AWESOME! 
• We did a huge carbload breakfast at Souplanation-I may have over done it but it was really my only meal of the day. 
• I only had carb based snacks-fruit and granola
• I had English Breakfast tea, a bit of powerade, hot cereal and felt good
• I liked running the dark, it was my most peaceful run I have had in a long time. 
• There were ton of people out running so I never felt unsafe. I still ran with one headphone out to make sure I could hear everyone
  

NEGATIVES:

• I did not drink enough water during the day. I only had 2-3 glasses but it was really warm. I need to fix this by taking in tons of water the day before the race.
• I did not fuel well, at all! Mile 9 was not enough. Also, I tried the chocolate cherry Shot bloks. I thought they would be cherry flavor with a slight chocolate taste. They actually tasted like pure chocolate and a cherry cough drop. It was so horrible and I almost threw up-no joke. 
• I was dehydrated during run-when I finished, my pee was bright yellow (TMI but true). I should have had much more water than I did since it was so humid (around 75%). I am convinced that is what caused my cramps
• I did not eat a banana, as soon as I started eating one on water breaks, my cramps went away but came back. 
  

LESSON LEARNED:

• Music really does make me go faster
• I need a headlight for running in the dark
• I need to drink a ton of water the day of
• I have my carbloading dinner-leftover pasta from lunch, hot cereal and a banana, and then a small snack before we start
• I need to eat bananas like crazy
• I need to stick to my fuel plan no matter how I feel-alternate 3 miles between shot bloks and Clif Shots
• I need to make sure to roll and stretch before the race
  

Even though I had a bad run, I am positive. I learned A TON and I feel secure in my training. I had a great training run on Thursday and I know a sub-2:15 half marathon is in me. I will write more about my LA Rock n Roll Half goals next week but I staying positive. I learned SO MUCH and I will keep learning things. Maybe 15 miles is just not my distance. I also look at it as just a bit over a half marathon and for some reason, that starts to doom me.

Next long run? I am pretty busy the next few weeks (LA rock n roll, taper week, wine and dine, avengers, recovery week, first Dopey simulation (3 miles, 4-5 miles, 10 miles and 20-23 miles)) so I won’t have a long run until Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving). I plan on doing that run at the Beach since they have water and bathrooms plentiful and I will bring along my powerade, fuel and maybe a banana too with me! 


How did your last long run go? 

Another Quick and Easy Meal! Since I am currently carbloading and Yam and Sweet Potatoes are getting in season, I thought this would be a fun and easy recipe!

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
BAKE TIME: 15 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

• sweet potato/yam
  
• garlic
  
• oregano
  
• cumin
  
• onion powder
  
• pepper
  
• bacon (optional-this time I did not use it)
  
• egg (optional-can help with holding it together. Mine usually stay together from th

DIRECTIONS:

• pre-heat oven to 350
  
• chop sweet potato/yam
  
• cut up in food processor
  
• transfer to bowl and add all seasonings
  
• pack into muffin tins
  
• bake for 15-20 minutes
  
• take out and they will hold their form. So yummy and easy to eat! 
  

EAT WELL

LAST WEEK:
Pretty good-I splurged in Texas (so much candy, ice cream and yummy food!) and that’s okay but I feel good. Before that, I ate as well as I could. I am a bit bloated but I know a few days of good food and I will be back to normal.

THIS WEEK:
I don’t have any food right now in my fridge so I need to come up with a few creative meals in the meantime. I will make pasta for Thursday and Friday night (gotta carb load!) and will also throw together something in the crock pot with veggies, bacon fat and some meat. I will add some rice to it for good measure-gotta carb load!

I have a few yogurts with added sugar (my secret weapon in carbloading) but I need a few more so I will grab those this week along with some orange juice (my other secret weapon). I also need bananas-I want to average 2 bananas a day from Thursday-Saturday to help ward off cramps.

SLEEP WELL
LAST WEEK: This is the first week I have averaged over 7 hours a sleep since I started school. There were a few days when I woke up feeling so refreshed. Thursday mornings are still rough after working all-day and going to class but I am hoping it will get a bit easier. While in Texas, I slept great however I did get woken up early from the little siblings but that’s okay!

THIS WEEK:
As it is a race week, I need to get as much sleep as possible. I am going to aim to be in bed at least 8 hours before I need to get up to help with sleep. I will also be leaving work a little bit early to get to Expo and have time to walk around and buy a few things (I want to try and find some good running glasses!) and still make it home in good time. On Saturday, I am tutoring from 9-12 and then going to a party at Devin’s before relaxing before race day. My goal is to get up at 530/6 so I will be tired on Saturday night to go to bed. The early rise will give me time to clean my apartment and get some homework done so I can have a bit of a relaxing weekend.

EXERCISE WELL

LAST WEEK:

• MON: Rest Day
• TUES: 2.2 miles. Legs were insanely sore 
• WEDS: Rest Day. Building furniture all week at work caught up with me and my legs were killing
• THURS: 2 miles at 9:43/mile! Crazy speed and I was not tired at the end. My legs are back! 
• FRI: PiYo Upper Body
• SAT: PiYo Alignment
• SUN: 1.9 miles with my siblings, and 5.1 at 11:06/mile
  

MILES: 11.2 miles-low but my 15 miler took a lot out of me

THIS WEEK: 

• MON: Rest Day as I am traveling
• TUES: 5k easy pace
• WEDS: Rest Day/Yoga
• THURS: 5k-a but of speedwork and then easy
• FRI: Rest Day/Yoga
• SAT: Rest Day/yoga
• SUN: LA Rock n Roll Half Marathon

**I am hoping my rest will pay off on Race Day.

BE WELL

LAST WEEK:

I got great news from my high school best friend-she is pregnant! I cried when she called to tell me-our high school group is growing!!

Texas was EVERYTHING I needed! pics below! 

Got all my work done so I could relax including getting ahead on readings. Since my professor keeps cutting readings the week of (after I have already read them), I am going to keep reading all of the articles but waiting until the week to review and write up my notes so I won’t waste too much time

Office furniture done!! Now to get it anchored to the wall and I will post pics next week J

THIS WEEK:

Setting up my office for real this time!

Race day-finally here for LA Rock n Roll. I am not going to reveal my costume until right before so people can say hi if they recognize me.

My boyfriend’s sister from London is coming to visit! She has been in school and I have never met her since we started dating 3 years ago. How crazy? I am very excited to meet her!

So for you, how was your week???