Spring Race Countown

I've been absent from the blogging world for some time but I wanted to make sure I came back for Training for Tuesday !

Training Linkup: The Richmond Edition

In case you didn't get enough training talk yesterday, here's some more !

The Evolution of My Blog

I touched on wanting to give my space a makeover recently and I've been making some small alterations here and there.  I've added a Best Of page and also some insight into my future goals. However, I still can't shake the feeling like my blog isn't the best blog it could be.  I want it to be better.

What do you do when you're trying to figure something out in 2015 ? You google it. After spending an afternoon scouring a zillion many blogs, pinterest, and bloglovin', I've come up with a list of goals:

1. Download a blogging planner - plan my posts
2. Create more posts ahead of time - schedule them for when life gets hectic
3. Work on the photos/gifs in my posts - get the pictures off my phone and on the blog !
4. Create more interactive posts - I want to create conversations, not just tell you stories everyday
5. Find my niche - I don't want to pigeonhole myself anywhere but I also don't want to be so random that coming here gives you a sad.

I'm putting these goals up so that I can see progress AND hold myself accountable.  Because part of the blogging community is growing and changing and learning from each other. 

Are there any goals you would add to the list ?

Happy Birthday !

Can you believe that 1 year ago today, From Zero to 13.1 started ?! I mean, have 365 days seriously passed already ?

Wow.  Just wow.

Did you miss it ? Don't worry, the posts didn't go anywhere so you can click through them and catch up !  I will say that after looking back at the posts from last year vs thinking about everything that's happened, I'm going to make a point to be more open.  I feel like everyone has a tiny, microscopic glimpse into who I am based on what I've posted and that's cool and all, but I feel like there's SO MUCH MORE we could talk about, explore, and learn.  

I didn't die

I know, I know....I'm a day late.  But better late than pregnant never, right ?! [For those of you who missed the golden girls reference, please leave this post, go here, watch the episode and then maybe I can forgive you.]

Let's get right down to it: my 5K on Saturday.

I woke up at the most insane hour of 6AM.  Thankfully I set up everything the night before because I knew I would be in zombie mode.  I dragged my feet to my car and drove to the boys place so we could take one car and also because I hate driving/parking in downtown and honestly, I don't function before 9AM.  I then spent the next hour trying to come up with every excuse in the book to NOT run.

(Sorry for the feels Dr. Who fans)

Once I got over my anxiety (and by "got over" I mean I could hold a conversation with friends without wanting to burst into tears), it was okay.  We took some fun pictures and they laughed at my shirt.  Don't hate me, but I don't actually have a good picture of it.  I was slightly worried about not coming in last in front of all my friends ! Oops !

(My eyes are closed but oh well !)

(at the starting line before I hid myself in the anonymity of the crowd)

I adore these people.  I only get as nervous as I do running around them because they are just hands down some of THE most awesome people I have ever met.  But back to my story.

Here's a quick rundown of what happened after that picture:

• Can't get a GPS signal on my watch.
• And they're off !
• "Shoot, Guess I'll just run until it picks up." (I should mention that my watch times my 3:30 run/1:00 walk intervals which it can't do when I'm trying to get the GPS to work)
• Running
• Feeling awesome !
• Nice view of downtown !
• Watch still hasn't picked up GPS
• "How long have I been running ?"
• Get GPS signal
• Start running 3:30 interval.
• "Pretty sure I'm gonna regret this when I'm done."
• "Oh, some uphill, no big - OW !"
• "Am I ever going to go downhill ?!"
• "Thank you directing traffic person !"
• My IT bands just noped the fuck out
• "I'll take 'What is Breathing' for One Million Alex."
• A montage of pain and confusion but I'm walking it off.

• "I have to be done soon"
• Brian comes backtracking and finds me.  I must have had an epic look of relief on my face because he started laughing.
• Meghan and Rita and Matt and all the awesome people show up to run with me.
• Less laughing/talking, more running.
• More Ow.
• Meghan teaches me how to breathe: instant relief
• Running fast !
• Yelling !
• Finish line !
• Run Walk quickly away from people and try not to throw up.
• Drink water and become normal again.

So in summary, I ran longer than I have in about 5 months, it hurt like hell (but I recovered almost instantly which was cool) and I finished sub 30.  When I looked at my watch it only tracked 2.6 miles which makes me figure I ran for about 8 minutes between a 9-9:30 pace before I took a walk break.  Bonus points for being able to go that long, but I feel like it would have made the whole thing easier overall if I had stuck to the original plan.

(The results)

I'm currently trying to figure out my next few races.  I've got just about 3 months to get ready for City of Oaks.  Let's do this !

Other noteworthy things of the weekend:

• Had my chiro appointment for my IT bands after the 5K - ice has been my best friend for 3 days
• Did a lot of laying around with the monsters. Mostly because I couldn't sit/stand/move without pain (BTW - so worth it)
• Finally saw Jaws for the first time ever.  Didn't freak out or have nightmares.  Major points for me.

There you have it ! I'm excited to run again tonight after taking yesterday and Sunday off to give my legs some time to recover.  Based on the 8:30 minutes I actually ran without stopping on Saturday, I'm going to see what I can actually do.  Time to start pushing my limits a little bit !

Hope everyone had a good weekend  (and a good Monday !)

Running Randomness

At this point in my running career, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm going to hurt.  

I'm currently sitting here, typing this for all of you, trying to ignore my legs. Because we're currently not on speaking terms this morning. They woke up (late, I might add) and were all "We're sore ! We're gonna put this knot in your calf ! Hey, we're throwing some shin soreness in there but don't worry because your IT bands are still going to hurt like always ! Nah nah nah nah nah nah !" and I'm all like

and as soon as I'm done laying some fun random running updates on you, I'm making a date with the stick (That's what she said ! Ah !) and going to town with the RockTape.  Hopefully my legs appreciate the attention because they're going back to work tonight.  I found a 3.1 mile route that didn't murder me and I'd like to try that again tonight.  

I have another 5K on Saturday ! I'm actually more nervous about this one than the last one.  Mostly because everyone I know will be running it.  I keep making jokes about how when they're all done, they can come back and get me.  It's funny but at the same time makes me pretty sad that I'm slow enough that all my friends will finish the race, probably walk around for a little bit and still be able to run back, get me and run probably another mile with me while I finish.  This will be the ultimate test of self confidence for me.  I just have to think about putting one foot in front of the other and finishing the race.  It's going to be hard to ignore how slow I'll feel, but the most important thing is that I finish.  I don't have a time goal or anything, I just want to feel like I did my best.  Or as best I can do with doing 3:1 run/walk anyway.  I could chance running the whole thing but I don't think that's my smartest move right now.

After this 5K it's time to buckle down and focus on preparing for the half marathon.  I need to focus on being consistent with how often I run, increase the mileage and avoid injury.  The biggest challenge for me is going to be my diet.

I eat like crap.  Chocolate is the main staple of my diet.  I survive on Goldfish and M&M's.  I'm lactose intolerant and despise fruit (bananas are okay).  I think it is absolutely okay to eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and I learned this weekend that it can also be dessert !) I don't know how to cook and am usually too lazy to go food shopping.  I don't know what food to eat to help with training.  I am THE pickiest eater you will ever meet. Also I'm lazy. If it takes more than 10 minutes to make and I have to use the oven or stove, well it's just not happening.  Cheap, easy, plain jane recipes (especially smoothies) are welcomed and encouraged if anyone has any !

I will leave you with this:  I should be getting my new shoes soon !  

I have been drooling over these babies for over a month now when I first got to try them.  And soon I will own them and it will be awesome and I'm so excited I can't even wait.

Can't wait to get back to Meredith College again tonight to run because last night's run went so well !  So there's your random running updates from me.  There will start to be more of these because, after all, I started blogging so I could share my progress.  As always, thanks for reading you guys !!

Tuesday randomness

Yesterday sucked.  It wasn't all bad, but an unfortunate event otherwise known as a performance review, sucked out all the happiness I could have had for the day in order to maintain my composure and not get myself fired.  I honestly spent most of my day confused and angry.

I did however, have a meeting with the director of MALS (Masters of Liberal Studies) at NC State and that made a world of difference.  Mostly because it made me remember that I'm not meant to be behind a desk, selling my happiness and sanity for a paycheck.  

So I'm working on rethinking my future and a few major life changes that will hopefully happen. I've made leaps and bounds in the past year about putting myself first and thinking about what is and will be best for me, not only in the short term, but long term goals as well.  In the last year alone:

• Moved to Raleigh (I was originally in Durham and hated it - no offense to those that live there and love it !) and did a giant apartment upgrade for me and the mutts
• Quit smoking after 9 years
• Joined a gym and got a personal trainer
• Started running
• Started training for a half marathon
• Got a job that allows me to be financially independent (regardless of my personal feelings about it currently)

the list can go on and on.  After feeling really down yesterday, I think it's best to remind myself of all the amazing things happening and how much good I have.  

I will say that the best part of yesterday was how amazing and wonderful the 3 most important people in my life were.  Tour guide, confidants, cheerleaders, etc, I know I can count on them for anything.  If it wasn't for them, I would NOT have the energy, drive, or hope to keep my head up and not let stupid things get me down.

MOVING ON !

Time to put all that negativity from yesterday away, keep the drive and fire it lit under my ass and focus on the fun things !  Like soccer...

Sorry all, it's not my forte.  I can talk to you for days about baseball, but you lose me during soccer.  I'll just say "Go sports !" and leave it at that.  (I really just wanted an excuse to use this IT Crowd gif that I found this morning - don't judge me)

In the wake of the mixed emotions presented in today's post, I wanted to leave you with some fun YouTube videos because they're pretty awesome and everyone needs a laugh:

This one is about a year old, but I still get a good laugh at it every time:


What're your favorite YouTube videos when you need a good laugh ?

Now it's time for this girl to go polish her resume and partake in $2 Tuesdays at Gigi's cupcakes.  Cupcakes can be lunch right ? Right.  Thanks for reading !

Makeover & New Goals !

As if you couldn't already tell my blog underwent an AMAZING makeover.  The biggest thanks in the world to Natalie over at Revel And Design. You wouldn't be looking at the awesomeness you see before you without her.

That being said, I'm going to work on updating some things this week and making this EVEN BETTER !  I've been reading some things in other blogs and also hearing it from people directly about putting yourself in a niche with your blog.

So I'll be working on making this a little more well-rounded.  I think it's important to include more than just my training plan and accomplishments because I think everything will just get real old, real fast.  Mostly because I've realized that training for the half marathon is intertwined in my life a lot more than I let on.  I'll give you a minute to digest the fact that you will actually get to know me a little more than just how slow/fast I ran on any given day.

Are you still with me ? Good. For now I'm going to stick to what I've been doing until I can get enough things set up, pictures together, ideas formulated and executed, etc.

Now that you know my goals for ole bloggy here, let's talk about my running goals. First, a little recap from the past 2 days:

Sunday:
Time: 35:12.7
Dist: 3.50 mi
Avg. Pace: 10:04/mi
(Creative Loop around my apartment)

Monday:
Time: 30:12.0
Dist: 3.04 mi
Avg. Pace: 9:56/mi
(Hibernian run-less hilly route I found)

These times are INCLUDING walk breaks. So I started looking at my runs and my average pace and attempted to do math.  When that didn't work, I used the internet, and confirmed that I run about a 10:00/mi.  My goal for the City of Oaks Half Marathon is a 9:00/mi.  I have 4 months. That's more math that my brain doesn't feel like doing, but it seems like I can make it a reality. I just have to push myself and focus.  And to do that, I made myself a little bet.

Tonight I'm going to run 3.5 miles.  If my average pace comes out below 9:56, then I'm going to run a 5K on Saturday to give myself a timed race.  If I don't average below 9:56, then I'll keep working and look for one again in a week or two.  I still plan on signing up for Raleigh's Finest 5K in July, but I want to have little races here and there to track my progress in a way.  I just really want a starting point, a place to go "Okay, this is where I started, where I need to push from and what I can compare myself to at the end." I feel like this is the best way to get over all the negative energy in my head and start focusing on not comparing myself to other runners.  Cross your fingers for me ! I'll be following the advice of RuPaul, "Good luck ! And...

Thank you for reading !

Fun With Music !

It's Tuesday ! I've never been a fan of Tuesday's because they always seem boring to me.  Meh, it's a good excuse to tell yourself you're still a rockstar. Hell, it gets me through the day.

Details from last night's run:
Time: 32:40.4
Distance: 3.09 mi
Avg. Pace: 10:34/mi

I started out doing 2:1 and towards the last 3/4 of a mile, my right IT band went "NOPE !" so I took it back to 1:1.  I would like to thank ice and Rock Tape for keeping me functional last night and today.  Overall not bad when it felt like a thousand degrees. This really makes me hopeful for the future and my training if I can do a 10:34 pace in this heat/humidity INCLUDING walking. Yay !

For today's post, I wanted to share my running playlist with everyone.  It really has no rhyme or reason other than they are all songs that keep me putting one foot in front of the other. After using this for about 2 weeks now, I've learned what songs are good for what part of my run and what songs I should avoid sometimes.  I'll let you in on a few of my secrets ;)

• If anyone has problems with pacing themselves right off the bat, might I suggest a little Lana for you ? It's melodic enough to get me moving but slow enough to keep me in check. 
• The band Smallpools is my current favorite band to listen to while running. They have a total of 4 songs (so far) but they're good for hills and maintaining a faster pace (2 things I definitely always need help with) or just cruising along. Two thumbs way up for these guys. 
• William Control, Misfits, The Ataris, The Cure, The Clash, Ramones, and The Romantics: These are my personal favorites for maintaining a good pace. All of these have a very prominent beat for me so it's easy for me to fall in line and keep one foot in front of the other.
• Everyone loves hills ! My go to songs for hills:
•  "She is Beautiful" by Andrew W.K.
• "Never Wanted to Dance" by Mindless Self Indulgence
• "This Is The New Shit" by Marilyn Manson 
• "Shipping up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphys.
• [Contrary to what I originally thought "The Beautiful People" by Manson does NOT fall in this category. I found this out the hard way when trying to push up a hill while this song was playing.  Amazing for downhill - not up. Remember that kids.]
• I have a few in here that I consider my "pump me back up" songs. These songs come in handy when I need to start running again after I took a walk break, or I feel like I can't push myself anymore. They're my "You Go Girl !" songs:
• "Sissy That Walk" by RuPaul
• "Burn" by Ellie Goulding
• "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Stirling (Ft. Lzzy Hale)
• "Can't Hold Us" by Pentatonix
• "The Monster" by Eminem & Rhianna
• The rest of the songs on the list are ones that fall into one of these categories but usually are just in there because the beat works and it keeps me moving. I don't love them any less !

What are some of your favorite songs to run to ?! This is an absolutely judge free zone so share away in the comments ! And so you don't have to go track down each song on youtube:





Thanks for reading !

Transformation Tuesday

In the internet world, it's #TransformationTuesday !  I decided that I would use this post to serve as the starting point to look at for any future Transformation Tuesdays.

Yesterday was not my best run. I got way too in my head and put way too much pressure on myself before I even left work.  You can see my stats at the bottom of this post. HOWEVER ! I do not want to turn into Negative Nancy so I will focus only on good things and will use New Girl gifs in place of bad things because it makes them not seem so bad.

First of all, the biggest thank you in the world to Brian for running with me yesterday. Unlike the last time we ran at Hibernian together, I didn't trip and fall and die. Major points to me but even more major points to him for putting up with my crazy. And also for joining in on "PARKOUR !" (I direct you back to this list if you're confused).  I should mention that with the exception of the couple times I've run with a seasoned runner, really the only "coaching" I've ever gotten is, "DE PINTO ! YOUR BUTT BETTER CROSS THIS LINE BEFORE THIS STOPWATCH REACHES 16 MINUTES ! DON'T MAKE ME FAIL YOU !" (That was my gym teachers in high school during the mile and yes, I walked it.)

Overall last night there was a lot of walking, a lot of trouble breathing, and some really good coaching. My biggest mental problem is that my head is way more ambitious than my body. The same thing keeps going through my head:

Which makes me want to do better than I am while simultaneously making me want to give up and collapse into a tiny ball on the pavement. But I digress.

The first mile is always pretty good at Hibernian because it's mostly downhill and I'm super pumped and so ready to go ! I tend to go out too fast and don't save anything for Raleigh's awesome terrain during the last 2 miles.

So now, my brain is trying to tell me that I'm super awesome and should be doing so much better and to go faster and run harder and my body is basically saying "STOP MOVING YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME". I am my own worst enemy and I will fully admit that. I had to walk for a little bit to get my breathing right.  After what seemed like walking forever (it was maybe a 1:00-1:30) I was still mentally doing okay and started going again, trying not to push as hard as quickly. It was after I had to stop again (and once more after that) that I got upset with myself and really just wanted to give up. The only 2 thoughts I had were, "Maybe I'm not cut out for this," and:

I made it back to Hibernian though.  I put one foot in front of the other (whether walking or running) and didn't fall down, stop, or die. I could very easily give up, call it quits, complain about how I'm never going to win at running the way that all my friends do OR I could keep working.

Things I learned last night that I will continue to focus on:

• Stay more upright - when I start to have trouble breathing I tend to hunch over and that is basically the opposite of helping
• Back off on the hills - I may be taking shorter steps but until I can run without stopping, I need to slow down
• Focus on my breathing - I tend to only do this once it's too late and start breathing too shallow.

My biggest goal right now is making this my new mantra:

In reality I've only been running for a year (not continuously either) and yet I always find myself comparing my progress to people that have been running forever.  It's one of the biggest things I need to overcome and stop doing. I need to start focusing on doing MY best. 

Spin class tonight ! I plan on using it as an opportunity to work on focusing on my breathing.

Thanks for reading !