I've become a permanent resident of Taper Town

Tapering is a very strange thing. A trip to Taper Town can put you through a whirlwind of emotions.

At first you feel like...

Then you're kinda like....

with a side of....

  paired with....

which can lead to this...

As you can see tapering can be weird...and with the Heartland 39.3 series my taper has been extra weird. I tapered for 2 full weeks before Rock the Parkway, and to be honest it wasn't horrible at all...after tapering for the KC Marathon in the fall I was prepared for an onslaught of wacky behavior...and for the most part kept it under control this time around. 

 Luckily the only symptoms of the taper crazies I experienced this time was wanting to eat all the time and stressing about the race ;)

Now I am technically tapering again (or still tapering?) for the Garmin half this weekend. Having 2 races back to back weekends has made things a little tricky...

I spent the last week trying to balance recovery and tapering all the while trying to keep a tight hold of my sanity. 

Post race recovery is usually my favorite...

but with back to back races (and another half 2 weeks later) my recovery needed/needs to look very different. On Saturday after the race I allowed myself to indulge a little (think Sonic)...but I also knew that I needed to focus on recovery so I would be ready to do it all again in 7 short days...

And I also needed to (continue to) carb-load...

The term carb loading sounds kind of like a feasting free for all...which in a way, it kind of is...but balancing recovery and prepping for another race meant I needed to make sure I was getting enough protein in my diet along with the good carbs...which unfortunately didn't mean drinking all the beers ;)

At this point if this post seems really disjointed and confusing...please just blame it on the Taper...and be prepared for more randomness below ;) 

While I have shed a few tears this week...totally unrelated to running...they were definitely linked to the emotional roller coaster that is the taper (and exhaustion)...because I NEVER cry...unless I see someone else cry...I am a sympathetic crier (yes...that's a real thing)...other than that I have been feeling okay. 

I do have to say that I am not quite as nervous or as anxious about this weekend's race as I was for RTP...I mean don't get me wrong...picking up my packet yesterday gave me butterflies in my stomach....I slept pretty crummy last night...and my naturally competitive spirit is HOPING that I can do a sub 1:45 again...but other than that I am as cool as a cucumber ;) 

Last year's Garmin half was definitely my favorite of all 3 in the series... mostly because it was my fastest and I didn't feel like crawling in a hole and dying afterwards like I did in the race before :)



This year I am hoping to have a similar experience...minus the second half thunderstorm and hail greeting me at the finish line.



It's not looking too promising though...

I guess it will just be my motivation to run faster :)

 

Even if the weather is crummy... at least the shirts are about 4 million times better than they were last year...

and the medals are awesome...it's all about the bling right? ;)

Hopefully, the next time we talk I will be as excited as I was last week about RTP and bragging about another sub 1:45...and going out on a limb here...maybe a PR? Yep...that's me going too far yet again...I can't help it :)

Race photos aren't always terrible...yes they are

Do you look as good in race photos as I do?

Do the photographers always seem to catch you looking your best?

 

Do your thighs seem to triple in size as you are pounding the pavement?

When you cross the finish line do people mistake you for Miss America?

It's safe to say that Saturday was not my most photogenic moment...but luckily, the photographers were able to snag a few photos that weren't awful....

See I am not always a horrible looking ogre when I run ;)

Catch me when I am not running and the result isn't half bad ;)

This guy always manages to look extra bad ass when he runs...maybe some day he will teach me his ways ;) 

Do you look good in race photos? 

Can you teach me your ways?

Since it's Wednesday I am linking up with Diatta over at Femme Fitale Fit Club for her weekly Workout Wednesday! #WowLinkUp

The Parkway Has Been "Rocked"

Hello! So the last time we spoke I was kind of like this...

I was feeling excited, terrified, confident, unsure, and every other contradictory emotion you can think of.

On Saturday I ran THE race...the race that left me feeling disappointed one year ago...the race that I have spent the last 12 weeks working harder than I have ever worked before...and the race that I had set a HUGE goal for.

Over the last year I have run 7 half-marathons. Each one very different...some faster than others...some much slower than others...but this race...my first half-marathon has always been the most important to me. Last year I didn't run as well as I expected...and I was left feeling kind of unfulfilled. And ever since crossing that finish line last year I knew that 2015's Rock the Parkway half would be my redemption race.

So this year when I signed up to run it again, I decided that not only was I going to redeem myself (and the race) but I wanted to set a pretty big goal. I wanted to run 9 minutes faster than I had the year before. I am not sure what significance 1:45 has...except that it is a nice round number (and a big PR)

So for the last 12 weeks I have been focusing on and working toward one thing...a 1:45 half-marathon...The first 11 weeks I felt SO confident. I busted my butt 6 days a week and worked harder than I ever have in my life. I felt good...correction, I felt great....However, in the week leading up to the race, thanks in part to the taper, I had begun to doubt myself. I questioned whether or not I could run 13.1 miles at an 8:01 mile pace...I kept wondering if I could have done more, did I over-train, under-train...what if I didn't reach my goal, what if the race sucked as much as it did last year...then what?

Turns out...I didn't have to worry about the "then what?" 

I've been trying for 3 days to come up with the perfect words to describe this race, and I just can't. So all I am going to say is that I am beyond ecstatic and have taken up permanent residency on Cloud 9 ;)

I "rocked" that parkway and was left feeling satisfied. All of those negative feelings from the year before were forgotten!

While meeting/beating my goal time was amazing...the very best part was that I felt great during the race. Going into it I feared that the last few miles would be painful (like they were last year) but honestly, all 13.1 miles felt pretty awesome :)




I am most proud of my mile 9-13 splits. Last year the second half of the race was brutal. I had to stop and walk a few times...my average pace for mile 10 and 11 were 10-11 minute miles. This year I managed to run mile 13 at a 7:04 pace!!!! I couldn't believe it...I do owe some of that to the wonderful downhill finish...but it was also reassurance that my hard work had paid off. 

   
On Sunday while looking at Timehop I came across the picture on the left. Do you see the difference in those 2 runners? I sure do...the runner on the left was defeated and feeling down...and the runner on the right...well, she was feeling confident and happy. It's amazing how much can change in a year :)

I have a confession to make...

 

My race is in 1 day, 20 hours, and 18 minutes...

 And this is what I have been thinking the last few days...

 Why did I set such high expectations for myself and my performance in this race? 

All week I have been telling myself that I should have just signed up for this race and ran it for fun. I didn't HAVE to set a huge goal for myself...finishing a half marathon is enough...heck, just completing the Heartland 39.3 series is something to be proud of. Could I go into Saturday's race and run just for fun?

Nope...my competitive spirit is why I enjoy running races. I like training my ass off...I like getting a PR...I like setting goals and reaching them (or sometimes not reaching them...but coming close) And I like setting crazy hard goals because...

What if I do run a 1:45 half-marathon on Saturday? What if Rock the Parkway is a totally different experience than it was last year. What if I walk away feeling more accomplished than ever?

So basically...this.

I can't decide if I am excited or scared out of my mind for Saturday's race. I know for a fact that I trained harder than I have ever trained before...I know that I am ready to do this. I know deep down that I can run a 1:45 half...but I also know...that sometimes bad runs happen. I know that sometimes things don't always turn out like you expect...and I do know that sometimes no matter how hard you train...it's just not in the cards. 

But I am choosing to go into this race with a positive mind-set and telling myself that I CAN do it...but I am also reminding myself (daily) that even if I don't finish in 1:45...it's okay, because I tried. I worked hard and gave it my all.

And if I don't run a 1:45 at Rock the Parkway this weekend...I still have 2 more races after that...and if it doesn't happen in those races...I will sign up for another and another...until I succeed... because that feeling of success when you accomplish a goal is addicting...and I want that...I want it so bad that I can taste it! 

Weekend Update...Manic Monday Edition

It's Monday again...and you know what that means? 

 I have been crazy busy all day which is why I am just now getting around to this at 8:00PM! I know I should have logged off social media by now and I should be snuggled up in bed with my book...but I just CAN'T miss Tara's Weekend Update...it's my favorite :)

This weekend update will be short and sweet...while our weekend was jam packed...I didn't take many pictures (we didn't do anything exciting enough to warrant photos I suppose?)

Friday night we got a little crazy and went to SAM's club for protein powder  and then headed to Baskin Robbins for some fuel so we could head to Target to finish our registry. The ice cream was exactly what we needed...we FINALLY finished registering at 11PM when they threatened to kick us out because the registers were closing ;)

Saturday was full of errands and weird food. I needed a quick lunch and we were running low on food...I grabbed some pork tenderloin, edamame, and Italian dressing. It was actually quite delicious...

Saturday night we laid low and got caught up on our shows...my perfect kind of night!! 

Sunday I was up bright and early for my last "long run" before my half this weekend. This time around I am really enjoying my taper...no emotional break downs...yet :)

After my run I headed out to my parents for brunch. This little stinker was too busy playing "hot potato" to pose for a picture.

I kept saying her name and asking her to smile and she politely told me no ;) I always do what Finley tells me...so I put my phone away and gave up without a fight.

After brunch my mom and I spent several hours assembling wedding invitations. One of my goals for this month is to get them all done and ready to send out...we are halfway there! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

After we finished working on invitations I headed home so AJ and I could get our weekly grocery store trip out of the way. While we shopped I continued my search for SweetTart jelly beans...I am not sure why these are so important to me this year...but I NEED them! I went to 7 different stores throughout the weekend looking for them with no luck...I thought Easter was ruined...until my favorite almost brother in law sent me a text saying he found some at the grocery store near their house...and that he grabbed a bag just for me! An Easter miracle!!!

While Brian saved Easter by buying me a bag of SweetTart jelly beans...I still felt the need to drown my sorrows...since I still had to wait to for my jelly beans (that I was sure I needed NOW)...with some Orange Leaf. I think I may have gone a little overboard with the dark chocolate chips...my ice cream ended up weighing 10ounces...oops! 

Other than all of that super exciting stuff from my weekend...the only other news I have to report is....

Holy cow...the participant guide means it's really here. After 12 weeks of training it's time to race...

It's April, Fools!

I'm not sure why but this meme puts me into a fit of giggles..EVERY.SINGLE.TIME

But on a serious note...it's a new month and time to revisit the goals/intentions I set for myself and either pat myself on the back or make excuses for why I didn't succeed ;)

My first goal was a biggie...I wanted needed to get out of my funk. Winter made my mild case of procrastination worse. The cold weather makes me want to curl up on the couch all.the.time! Luckily, March was a much warmer month. The beautiful weather made it easier to get motivated. Plus, March was the peak of my training for Heartland 39.3 so procrastination really wasn't even an option. So I would say...yes, I succeeded...for this month :) 

Another one of my goals was to blog more. Well...11 posts this month speaks for itself :) For a few months there I wasn't blogging because I wasn't sure what to say. I thought every post had to be absolutely perfect. This month I kind of threw all that out the window. I blogged about what I wanted and didn't worry about it being perfect or exciting. I had so much more fun with it this month and in turn I ended up posting more! Yes...most of the time my posts were very random...but I enjoyed every second of randomness ;)

Another goal I focused on A LOT this last month was my goal to run a 1:45 half-marathon(s) in the Heartland 39.3 series. While I haven't run any of the races yet...I have to say I was 110% dedicated to my training. I skipped relocated 1 training run...but besides that I was spot on! I hit my paces, did my strength training, and was on point with my eating. I started my 2 week taper after my long run on Sunday and I have to tell you that last run was TOUGH ...my body fought me the whole way. I started my taper period extremely fatigued. I like to think it's because I gave it everything I had in training and it's my body's way of saying...I'm ready to race (but rest first!) 

I'm back on the wagon with my 2 books a month resolution. In fact I read 5 books!! Now don't get too excited, 3 of them were kids books...but they definitely count :) I have loved this resolution so far because I have really (re) found my love of reading again. The only downfall is I have a list of books I want to read...and it keeps getting longer and longer!! 

**As far as my daily journaling is going...I'm losing steam. I have something written down for every day...but some days I am writing 3 or 4 entries because I haven't written anything for a few days week. I'm trying to be better...I really am. I don't even have a good excuse for why I am not writing in it every day...except that I just forgot ;)

This post has gotten a little wordier than I planned, so I am going to keep my April goals short and sweet...

1) Run a 1:45 half marathon-I am running Rock the Parkway and Garmin this month so I have 2 opportunities to do this! Ideally, I would like a 1:45 in both...but one or the other would be just fine with me :)

2) Run 100 miles- In March I ran 155 miles...which is the most miles I have ever racked up in a month. It's not realistic to say that I will do that again...especially with tapering and racing so I will aim for 100 miles :)

3) Putting my phone away at 8:00- I know I have been saying this since the beginning of the year...and I have been a little better...however, I am still finding myself mindlessly looking at FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc all evening long and sometimes right up until I go to sleep. I want to focus more on spending time with others (or reading) and cut my phone addiction :)

4) Get a big chunk of wedding stuff out of the way! I need to assemble, address, and mail invitations...work on table centerpieces, book/decide on a few of the last little details, and basically put my mind at ease. There is seriously so much to do and I am living in constant fear that I am forgetting something ;)

5) Babysit my niece- Are you reading this Caitie? I need a day/evening with my lovie! Life has gotten so busy that I haven't spent nearly enough time with my favorite person on the planet :) 

6) Shopping day with my mom- I need a new outfit for engagement photos (no, we still haven't taken those!), dresses for showers and bachelorette party, and I just need to spend some time with my mom ;) 

Alright, those are my monthly goals intentions...let's hope I can keep get my act together and be as successful this month as I was last month!

I'm linking up again for #WorkoutWednesday #WowLinkUp