Cowtown 5K and Half Marathon

Two races in one weekend?  No run training since December?  Hey...why not?

These were my exact thoughts going into my 5K and Half Marathon race weekend in Fort Worth, TX....

Okay, so I had this AMAZING post written out and apparently my computer didn't save it.  I really don't have the energy to write it all over again, so I'll just explain it through my pictures!!



Our flight had gotten cancelled because of the snow storm from hell

They got us on the PLANE!!

Roger from Southwest got us rerouted from Omaha-Orlando-New Mexico-Dallas

We were alright with the stop in FL..we went from negative temps to 81!

We thought my sis-in-law needed some bling before we got to TX

Who doesn't want a shirt with wolves?!

During the weekend we ate at a food truck park!  Have you heard of these places?!  Well, they're pretty much the coolest thing EVER!!  My sis-in-law and I ate at the Gluten-Free truck..we both have sensitive tummies!

We didn't eat here, but had to take a pic..my dad belongs to the German American Society!

Picnic with my aunt, sis-in-law, and brother

RACE DAYS!!

Before my half..had my EnergyBits with me and took them at mile 8.  

The half and full racers!  My uncle, me, and sis-in-law did the half.  My brother rocked the full!

If you do one of the races (half, full, ultra) for 5 years in a row your medals form the Texas Star.  My uncle just did his 5th this year...here's his star!!

This may be my motivation to come back to this race!!  Other than having to deal with two snowstorms from hell while we were trying to travel back and forth from Texas, it was an AMAZING weekend.  The course was awesome, the crowd was fantastic, and not to mention hanging out with my family was great!  

Have you run any races recently?  What's your favorite?? 

Pre-Cowtown Jitters

It's finally here...race week!!!

Of course it can't come without some impending problems....like Winter Storm Q (yeah, apparently weather guys up here were getting upset that our big storms don't get names..) that's supposed to drop a foot of snow the day I am supposed to leave for Texas.  While writing this we decided to leave a day early to just not play with fate or Mother Nature (she's a real testy lady). Also, if I haven't mentioned my training for this half marathon has been (put on your ear muffs) a total shit storm.  I've been teaching cycling classes 4x a week, take college classes 4x a week, and do crossfit 4-6x a week.  Plus last week I got the 'end of the world, I hate my life, put me down now' stomach flu.  I was pretty much on a Gatorade diet from Tuesday-Sunday.

I'm hoping some serious adrenaline will kick in and my new strong muscles will carry me through the 5K on Saturday and 13.1 miles on Sunday (did I mentioned I signed up for the Cowtown Challenge..yeah it comes with a sick medal)!

I have no plans or estimated finishing time for this race, just because of how poorly this training has gone.  I just want to go out there, maybe without my watch (?!), and hopefully fall in love with running again.  I want to enjoy the company of my family and the scenery of Fort Worth (yes, I'm serious..I LOVE Fort Worth). I'm kind of excited just to have fun and no pressure on this race!!

I plan on using ENERGYBits about halfway through to help me finish this race!  I'll let you know how it goes!

Do you have any big races or events coming up? How do you deal with obstacles that come up? 

2012 Look back and even more to look forward to in 2013

As the New Year approaches I tend to look back and think back on what I did and what I can't wait to do in the coming year.  There were SO many great things that happened in 2012, but the biggest thing also led me to my number one plan (I don't like resolutions because I nail down things that don't have an end date).  After being chosen to be a ENERGYBits Brand Ambassador, I was able to connect with some pretty amazing people!  One, in particular, was Sloane Pitman.  A bright young, fit freak like myself. After reading her story, I realized we had more in common than just fitness.  We both battle with our relationship with food.

(FYI- THIS IS WHERE I GET A LITTLE MORE SERIOUS..Skip these next paragraphs if you don't like serious talk and feelings..)

Ever since I can remember I've always had a little "extra."  I've never been overweight or anything, but I've never had a flat stomach or felt 100% comfortable in a bikini.  So starting at a young age I would try and run extra or cut back on food.  Other times I would have a bad day or stressful week, so I'd binge and feel like even more crap.  I'd always tell myself that I'm going to stop and just eat healthy, then the "fluff" would definitely come off and I'd look like all the girls in the fitness magazines I read.  Well, strange thing happened...it never really happened.  I'd eat healthy, but then I'd indulge a little around birthdays or holidays, enjoy a cocktail or two, and I'd be right back at it..trying to analyze everything that went into my body, counting every calorie, measuring EVERYTHING.

It wasn't until after I read about Sloane's "freEDom" (freedom from eating disorders or disordered eating) and I was thinking really deeply, this past week, about what I really wanted to change in myself.  The number one thing that coming back was I wanted to eat and feel good, eat a piece of pie at Thanksgiving and not regret it, or have a margarita and not secretly hate myself for it because I knew exactly where it was going.  So this year instead of a weight loss or fitness related goal for 2013, I'm going to NOT diet.  Does this mean I'm going to stuff my face with whatever I want?  No, it just means I will eat what I know my body needs to complete what I demand of it and not worry if I indulge a time or two.  I want to get back to being able to go out with my friends and enjoy myself, instead of stressing so much and staying home to avoid temptation.

Okay..feelings and seriousness is over, so here's my main highlights from 2012 in pictures :)

My first duathlon

My 5th Full Marathon

I started CrossFit

My first Warrior Dash

I lost my best friend

My first vacation since I can remember that didn't involve a race..or any agenda

My first triathlon

My first Ragnar! RagnarGR

My first CrossFit Competition

Sub 25min 5K with my amazing cheerleaders

My boyfriend got to come for the first time to one of my races!  (he was a collegiate baseball player)

Being chosen as an ENERGYBits Ambassador

Being chosen as a Girls Gone Sporty Ambassador

While that's great and all; I CAN'T wait for what fate has in store for me in 2013...Here's a few things I have on my schedule and I'll see what life decides to throw in between..

3rd Half Marathon (February)

2nd Duathlon (April)

GRADUATION (May)

CAMPING post-graduation in Colorado (May)

4th Half Marathon (June)

2nd Triathlon (August)

Ragnar Las Vegas?! (October)

What're your highlights from 2012? What's on your goal list?  Do you have any plans for 2013? 

Back to Endurance Racing...

Also, in my exciting news: I have signed up for more races!! The last two "endurance" races I had done were: my 5th marathon in June and my first sprint triathlon in August. I have done a couple other shorter races (5K and 10K) because I am trying to focus more on my speed and strength. Plus, if you've never done a distance race; it is MENTALLY TAXING. I LOVE my marathons because they have taught me how strong I am physically and mentally, but by the time that 5th one came around I was ready to be done for a while. I really liked the triathlon for the same reason, but it was a little easier mentally because by the time I was sick of one event it was time to move to the next one. I had decided I needed a break from endurance racing, especially with my last year of college and a part-time job approaching. I switched gears to shorter distances and fell in love all over.

I had done cross country in high school, but only as a way to stay in shape for soccer. After running my first 5K since high school, I wanted more! I enjoyed getting to run fast and not having to save anything in my tank for multiple hours of running. Then, this week my sister-in-law (who got me to do my first half, my first marathon, and all the marathons and half's since) called me about the Cowtown Marathon in February in Fort Worth, TX.


My rockstar sister-in-law and me after completing RAGNAR
(2 Days of relay running, no sleep, and no showers)

 She said her and my brother were going to run the full and that I should think about doing it. Well, I know that mentally I am not ready for a full; I still need a little seperation period before I put myself through the ringer again (not that I don't enjoy it). Also, we figured it would be a perfect family reunion because a majority of my mom's siblings and my grandma live in Fort Worth AND are runners (yes, my entire family is crazy). I met her in the middle and said that I would do the half because it would require some training, but I wouldn't have to worry about getting a 20-mile run completed while I'm studying for finals. SO, what does this have to do with ENERGYBits??

Well, I am going to be using ENERGYBits as my source of fuel before and during my training and during my race! In case you didn't know, endurance racers have to refuel during the event because eventually your body burns through your energy stores and wants to start taking it out of your muscles UNLESS you give it more energy to take from. I have tried GUs, other gels, blocks, beans..you name it; I've consumed it. Unfortunately, I have one of the most tempermental stomachs and EVERYTHING has done unimaginable things to my digestive system during a race.  I will keep you updated on how these little bits will push me through my runs and workouts!!

People have started asking me if I will be putting CrossFit on the back burner now that I'm adding in more races.  The answer is NO NO NO!  One because I am obsessed/addicted (whatever word you want) to CrossFit.  It has made me stronger and faster as a runner, so I won't stop!  If you need some more evidence that lifting/strength training will improve your running; take a look at Blonde Ponytail's blogpost about running and CrossFit. 

For now here is my upcoming race schedule:
October 28th- 5K
November 22- Trail 5K
February 22- Half Marathon

Is this likely to change?  MOST DEFINITELY. 
Do I have times in mind?  YES, I'd like to PR on all of them.  For the 5K that means anything under 24:30 and for the half I'd like to be under 1:55.  I will keep you updated with my training schedules (once I figure them out) and how EnergyBits is helping me push through and improve my training!!

Are you registered for any upcoming races?  Do you take anything pre-workout?