The Makings of a (quasi) Runner

It all started last October...

My sister has walked a few half marathons in her day and she has always tried to get me to do one with her. Shortly after learning that a half marathon consists of 13.1 miles my immediate reply was always, "No are you crazy?" Well, last October I was getting inspired by people that had completed this feat and decided that I was going to run a half marathon!! Called up my sister and said, "I'm going to do a half, are you in?" Of course she said yes, we are related after all...spontaneous decisions are second nature.

So our journey began. The race was set for Jan. 28th 2012 and I had about 3 months to get prepared. I started off by using the Half Marathon Trainer app for my iPhone. 

This app provides a 12 week program to get you to the point where you should be able to run the full 13.1 miles. You run 6 times a week and rest 1 day. They break down the runs by time and pace. I used this app for 5 weeks before I just started using Nike+ Run on my iPhone. The one thing I didn't like about this app was that it didn't give you distance goals, it was mainly just getting you to the point where you could run non-stop for a certain amount of time.

I have to give myself some credit, I stuck to my training pretty well until around the middle of December. I was running almost every day, increasing my endurance with the only thing really holding me back were some occasional foot pains.

My sister and I even went onto NikeID and designed our very own personalized running shoes! We were all in and ready to dominate. 

My shoes

My sister's shoes

Well, it all started going downhill when my sister informed me that the neuroma in her foot had been acting up so much she went to the foot doctor to find out that now she had 2 neuromas in that foot. A neuroma is like a pinched nerve or a nerve tumor...very painful I've heard. Contrary to the doctor's orders, my sister said she was still going to do the half, she was just going to walk it instead of trying to run it.

I had mixed feelings, she told me that I should keep on training and try and run it, so that was my plan. Unfortunately with Christmas and holiday foods, my training slowed to a standstill. The last week of the year I was talking with my younger, yet wise beyond his years, brother and he told me to just walk the half with my sister and then when her foot is better we can try and run another one. This thought had come across my mind previously, but I really didn't want to seem like I was quitting or taking the easy way out. After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that my brother was right. I started this whole thing with my sister and I wanted to finish it with her too.

Sooooo, as you can imagine, after I made the decision to walk the half, my training went from a standstill to nonexistent. As race day came closer I was going through numbers in my head and to finish the race in 3hrs, which my sister insisted would be possible, we would have to walk roughly a little over 4 miles an hour!! That is some pretty fast walking. 

Jump to race day! It was freezing, but we were up bright and early to take on White Rock Lake! As my sister and I were waiting in the car with the heater on before we had to line up at the start, we could point out the "hardcore" runners as we called them. You could totally spot them because they were barely clothed. Right before we lined up, we spotted a girl who we referred to as "the naked girl" who was wearing a teeny tank and shorts, you could see the goose bumps on her arms as she was hovering by the space heater outside.

And we're off!! We start out jogging to get out of the crowd, but soon after my sister insists on starting our walking adventure. I try and get out of dodge of the runners, but apparently they can not go around you, they must go right through you. They're almost as bad as the bikers..."LEFT". Anyways, we are all good until about mile 7...then the numbness of your lower body starts to really be apparent and you realize that there is still half of the race left. By this time my foot is killing me so I know my sister's foot must be almost unbearable, but we push through the pain. At about the 2 1/2 hour mark we still had 4 miles to go. I knew what I had to do at that point, I had to go on without my sister in an attempt to finish this thing in under 3hrs. Let me tell you what, that last mile seriously seems like forever long.

Finally I get to the finish, unfortunately not in my 3hr timeframe, I think my official time was 3hrs and 16min. I pass the finish line to hear my name announced and then I get handed a small piece of paper with an "I'm sorry." THEY FREAKING RAN OUT OF MEDALS!!! The paper stated that because there was a larger than expected turn out I can expect my medal in the mail in about 3 to 4 weeks. 

So I limp over to the finale picture area, defeated, no medal and smile. I finished this bitch. My sister finished about 15 min. later, come to find out she tripped and "went flying through the air" according to her...wish I was there to witness that. :-)

Before the race

After the race (my sister's glove got torn in her fall)

So after this experience I have decided that I'm going to stick to 5K's...much easier and much more practical lol. I have kind of gotten off the running kick in the weeks right after the race, but my goal is to finish a 5K in 28 minutes. I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

On the bright side, look what came in the mail on Thursday!!! Better late than never right!!??

My journey to become a runner may not have been super smooth, but not everyone can say they have completed a half marathon! 1 is good enough for me! Ha!

It's Been Awhile

Hello, remember me? It has officially been over a year since my last blog post...


I am notorious for starting something and never finishing/quitting it after awhile. I wouldn't say this is a bad trait...I like to think of it as getting a great idea and then trying it out to see if it works. Unfortunately, it seems like I can never quite commit to something...I'm working on that.


So let's see what has happened since we have last spoken. I have finished my MBA (thank God!), got a promotion at work (that was actually at the end of 2010), moved in with my boyfriend, read a few great books, become an Auntie to the cutest little girl ever, ran/walked a half marathon (that's a whole story in itself), had some good times with friends and family, and I'm continuously trying to improve on this whole quality of life concept.


With that said, I think I will start blogging again. If anything, just to write my thoughts down...now that I am done with my MBA I have a lot more time on my hands...instead of doing productive things like cleaning the house or learning to cook dinner every night, I think I will resort to random things like updating a blog. Sounds about right! 


So my journey continues...as I get inspired to become a blogger once again! (for now at least ;-)

Updated Finally!

Well, I haven't written in a bit. I had a really crappy week last week so I guess that drained me to the point where I couldn't even write anything interesting because I was so defeated. Always a fabulous feeling. This week has started off ok...I have a positive energy right now. I have been working out quite a bit lately and I love the feeling of having a good work-out in. Somehow...I still managed to gain like 4 pounds according to the scale at the gym. I think it was wrong though. ;-)

So I downloaded this fabulous app for my iPhone after talking to one of my co-workers about it. It is called Couch 2 5K. It basically trains you to go from not being able to run for very long to being able to run 45 minutes straight! Um...I've never done that so I am super excited. I think the longest I've been able to run is like 15 minutes...sad I know.

It is really cool because it will tell you in your ear plugs when you need to run, walk, etc. Plus, you can add songs from your iTunes so it will play music along with it. The total cost for this fabulous personal training program was $2.99. I know, a little steep when it comes to apps, but I totally think it is worth it. I just completed day 2 of week 1. The whole program takes like 9 weeks at 3 times a week. Not bad at all!

I still haven't gotten my grade back yet for my stats test that I took over a week ago...it is frustrating me. Evan thinks maybe he is trying to figure out a curve...that would be nice. I have one test left to take this week on Wednesday, economics. Eek! It is worth 50% of my grade, so I can not take it lightly. I am so glad this semester will be DONE after Wednesday though! Excitement all around!

So, for dinner last night, not only did I make Evan dinner, but I also cooked for my mom for Mother's Day. I tried a great recipe that I found on All Recipes, like the other ones I've made. It was pretty good, I think I would add onions next time, but I liked it enough to repeat. :-) Here is the recipe (of course adjust according to serving size):

Chicken, Asparagus, & Mushroom Skillet
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 25 Minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons white cooking wine
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced
1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

Directions
1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high; stir the parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and wine into the butter mixture. Add the chicken; cook and stir until the chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 10 more minutes.

2. Add the asparagus; cook and stir until the asparagus is bright green and just starting to become tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook an additional 3 minutes to let the mushrooms release their juices. Serve hot.


I hope you will try it! It is very good! Well I am going to go do some studying now for my test. I cannot wait until I have 3 weeks off between semesters to relax! Not to mention, I am going to Iowa to see where Evan grew up the beginning of June, so I am looking forward to that as well! Plus!! My baby niece is coming next month and I couldn't be more excited!!!!!!

New Ideas

Ok, so I didn't get my whole test done today and I'm ok with it. I feel like I did get a good amount done and I still technically have 2 more days to work on it as well. So I think I will be fine as of right now. Ask me at this time tomorrow night and I might have a different answer for you.

So I have been trying to broaden my horizons and read other people's blogs and get more known in the blogging world, if you will, and I have found there are so many people that are just like me out there! Well, at least seem to be from their pages, you never know with the Internet I suppose. When I say, just like me, I mean, young women with careers and in grad school, trying to make sense of it all. My boyfriend should make fun of me less for being a blogger now that I have found blogging is the new social media bandwagon to get on. lol.

Why do I blog? It is like a release for me. I enjoy writing when I can choose my topics and don't have to conform to any certain writing style. I have always been the girl to keep a journal...writing randomly about boys, my life, feelings. You know, all the really dumb stuff that young girls go through. :-)

Well anyways, I have been inspired! I feel completely out of shape and have absolutely no energy. Evan and I played darts the other day and my arm physically hurt after playing two games from throwing those little darts at full speed. By the way...I totally won the last game ;-) So I have decided to start a more healthy lifestyle as far as eating and being a little more active. I have a gym membership and I have been so swamped with school stuff the last couple of weeks that I haven't gone. I don't mind working out, I actually really enjoy the feeling I get afterwards. I just need to make it a priority to fit it into my schedule.

As far as food intake goes...I really need to start being more aware of what I'm eating. I want to be more healthy. I have always been a huge caffeine person when I need that little extra kick to get me through the day. Last week, I tried a different approach. I wanted to eat healthier foods that would give me energy instead of relying on caffeinated drinks. So I will continue this process and hopefully stop eating bad-for-me foods on a regular basis. I know I have a scatterbrain mind...and I'm sure my boyfriend is thinking that as he reads this, but the more aware I become the more I will try to make a change. I may come up with all these ideas and plans and follow through on maybe half of them...but I'm trying to find something that works best for me and my schedule.

On a completely different note...my apartments are so annoying. I have been staying with Evan a lot at his house and it has been so nice to not have to listen to annoying neighbors. You can hear EVERYTHING in my apartments...people slamming the doors, running up the stairs, talking, it is just annoying. Not to mention all the door-to-door sales people and random survey people. I don't even answer the door, that is just creepy. This one guy knocked on my door today (using the 'shave & a haircut knock', mind you) and I looked through the little peep-hole and he was holding a clipboard lol. I was thinking...man, what a crappy job.

The Light at the End...

So here I am...Thursday night, 11pm, sitting at the table with all my notes surrounding me, test in hand, caramel latte (courtesy of McDonalds) to keep me going, ready to take on the hell that is statistics. Only 16 pages stand between me and the finish line to this damn class. Sadly, as I thumb through these 16 pages I see foreign letters and numbers that mean nothing to me. Ok, so I understand that I am getting my MBA, and to become a Master of Business Administration, if you will, one must possess a broad knowledge and understanding of multiple facets of the business world.

but really....

I don't think I will ever use this information again. I mean, is my future career really going to ride on whether I can figure out the regression equation of a series of numbers? I think not. I'm sure some careers do, but I will never apply for those jobs or strive to get a job that does. I'm not saying that I don't agree with the fact that it is important to learn about different areas to get a broader knowledge base, but it is such a pain in my butt.

The funny thing is, I can plug all my numbers into the formulas and come up with an answer...but honestly, I have no idea what this answer means or how it is relevant to the real world and figuring out details about actual stuff. Hmm.

Well, better get back to it. I am going to try and finish this entire test by tomorrow evening...it will be tough but I have done a stats test in 1 day before and lived to tell about it. I joked today at work to a co-worker about drinking four 5-hour energy drinks to gain 20 full hours of energy...then having some Red Bulls in-between for an extra kick. Then I told him, if I wasn't at work Monday morning it would be because I had gone into cardiac arrest and was in the hospital. Don't fret, I wouldn't do that. :-)

A Brief Sigh of Relief

So...I got a B on my Eco test! Yay I know! Evan was with me when I checked my grade and there were all these random numbers and I couldn't figure out my grade but finally I saw it...81%! Hey...I'll take it! So what did we do you ask? Well we went out to celebrate at the fine dining establishment of Red Lobster. Don't hate...that place is delicious as Evan would say, and I will have to agree. Those biscuit things are just like heaven...and we got the fabulous chocolate-filled cookie dessert. Yum...needless to say, I was STUFFED when we left. :-)


So now that Eco is out of the way for a week or so, I need to focus my mind on Stats...which is why I'm blogging. Ha. No, but I am going to knock a lot of studying out tonight. I cancelled on girl's dinner tonight to do so. Plus, The Hills and The City premieres tonight! I will have to say I am addicted to those shows and all of the drama that comes with it.


So I made Sloppy Joe's on Sunday and they actually turned out GREAT! It is a great meal for a weeknight because it was super simple and tasted really good. The recipe adds brown sugar in it and it is the perfect balance between sweet and tangy. So here is the Recipe, courtesy of All Recipes, enjoy!


Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
Prep time: 5 min.
Cook time: 30 min.
Servings size: 2


Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 hamburger buns, split

Directions

1. In a saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve on buns.

I doubled the recipe and Evan could have eaten more, but there wasn't any left. So I recommend changing the serving size accordingly. I highly recommend it though, it was so simple and great!

So I joined this blogger Web site 20 Something Bloggers. It is pretty cool so far, I haven't really gotten a chance to figure it out completely. :-)

I better get started on studying...fun fun fun!

Winding Down

I feel like I don't have a lot to talk about. I don't think this week was extra-ordinary or anything like that. I honesty have been trying to chill out a little bit. I am still waiting to hear back about my economics test...I keep checking just preparing myself for the worst and every time there is still no grade. I'm sure that will update sometime early this week. Let's expect the worst and hope for the best...that's all I can seem to do at this point.

Tonight for Sunday dinner I am making Evan and I the classy meal of 'Sloppy Joe Sandwiches'. I've always hated that name...and frankly always hated this meal...I think it was because back in the day when I was a kiddo, my mom would always make them and leave out any of the ingredients that probably cause good taste...let's just say that cooking is not my mother's greatest fortes. I will post the recipe if I think it is worthy. I wouldn't want everyone to try out something that was not good. :-) I am also making little strawberry shortcakes for dessert...but that is easily done.

I have an overwhelming feeling of stuff that I need to get done piling up on me. It is hard to balance everything at once. I hope that people I encounter everyday see the hard work I am doing and know that I am really doing the best I can. This weekend, I've been off work and I really have done nothing productive. It is a good feeling but I know there are other things I should be doing as well. I guess that is the dilemma everyone has....what does economics call it? Oh yes...opportunity cost...who says I haven't learned anything in that class.

I have one test in statistics left...it is this Friday and I'm off work. I originally took the day off to drive up to Oklahoma for my sister's baby shower on Saturday. Then I realized that my test is available Friday morning and due Sunday night...needless to say I will have zero time to work on it this weekend. So I have decided to take on the task of completing it in one day (Friday) and then waking up at the butt-crack of dawn on Saturday and driving up to Oklahoma so I can be there before the shower starts at 11:30. We will see how it goes.

I think I will go and study a bit before dinner starts. I bought a super-cute spiral notebook today at Target to write down all of the recipes I try and want to try so I have them all together for future reference. I like this cooking thing...it is nice.