Sara Runs the Cape

After last week's kind of...crappy 10 miler, 11 miles seemed somewhat daunting. Not to mention that I had to work this weekend, which meant that I was going to have to run at 4am. Not the most ideal time for me. I need my beauty sleep! So when I got out of work at a reasonable hour yesterday and the sun was still shining I knew I had to take advantage of the day. I rushed home, got my KT Tape on, strapped on my Garmin, and I hit the road. I decided to listen to Serial again as I ran, I found it put me in the zone. Nothing like listening to a crime drama to help you ignore how long 11 miles really is.  Here are my thoughts, mile by long mile.  Mile 1 : Dang, it's way colder than I thought. I should have worn 2 long sleeve layers. Okay...DON'T turn on Bay Lane. Don't turn on Bay Lane...okay, good job. Keep on keeping on.  Mile 2: Feeling good...feeling good. Keeping telling yourself that.  Mile 3: Adnan totally didn't do it! There's no evidenc...

AHHHHH! The sound of Friday! The end of the work week, 2 days of relaxation ahead...oh wait. That is, unless you work in healthcare. I am lucky enough to have my dream job. I love what I do and I feel grateful every day that I get to go to work and help people. But I hate working on the weekends. It does mean a random day during the week off though...so I guess there's that?  Today happens to be my day off, which is delightful. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I got out there and ran an easy 5 miler along my favorite route on #NationalWearTheGibblersDay. I got some strange looks from passer-bys in my rainbow striped socks, but I gave them a polite head nod and a big ol' smile and was on my merry way.  #TheGibblers ready for some action. I also decided to drive my route for Sunday's run to try and prevent another debacle like last week. No more getting lost and ending up 2.5 miles from my car! Well...11 miles look LONG when you drive it. Very VERY ...

What a strange week. After my 10 mile run on Sunday, I was a little nervous to see where my legs would take me, considering how tired they felt last week. But I went out on Monday and I felt FANTASTIC! It might have been because the sun was shining and it was 50 degrees out (which is RARE for New England in February) but gosh, I felt good. And then I came home to find a wonderful package from Momentum Jewelry, which just made my day! I love it when my packages arrive earlier than expected. If you haven't heard about Momentum yet, check them out . Seriously. I don't know how I went so long without one of their adorable and inspiring bracelets on my wrist. How cute is that?! Wednesday's run flew by and again, my legs felt really good. I don't want to jinx it though, so that's it about my legs. *knock on wood* I've been getting really sick of my running playlists recently and I was talking with a coworker and she suggested a book on tape. I thought that soun...

I did it. 10 miles in the books. Double Digits. I never thought it would be possible, quite honestly. 10 seems like a HUGE leap compared to 8 or 9. Maybe that's why stores always sell things for $9.99 instead on $10 because it looks so much better. Anyways, I completed my first double digits training run and I am so incredibly proud of myself, but things did not go as planned. My legs were still incredibly tired. I don't know if at this point it was more of a mental thing than a physical thing, but I felt like a slug at some points. I actually had to walk for about 30 seconds because I was so fatigued. The walking seemed to help and then my jam came on my playlist and I was off. And then there was the fact that I made a wrong turn very early in my run and was thrown off the rest of my run. I had carefully planned out where I was going to go to hit the 10 miles and then all of a sudden I had no idea where I was! Well, I had a vague idea and I couldn't hate the view. But...

This week has been a learning experienced for me. The end of week 6 is looming large in my future with a big 10 miler tomorrow. It's the first time I've ever done double digits. Like...ever. Needless to say, it's been circled on my calendar and it's been something I've been gunning for since I decided to train for a half marathon back in November. Up until now, training has been relatively bump free. I had some IT band pain pain mixed with patellofemoral pain in my left knee, but I've added stretching and strengthening exercises to my routine. Not to mention enough KT Tape on my left knee to make me feel like a robot. This week was tough though. I struggled through tired legs, crappy runs, and a general lack of motivation. Despite it all, I learned quite a bit. 1. Pace is Important!  It's all well and good to run a 9 minute mile, but to try and sustain that pace for 5+ miles for a training run is not realistic and just plain dumb. For me, at least. I...

The struggle was real today. I had a 5 mile progression run on my training schedule today, which I was super jazzed about yesterday. I couldn't wait to run it. I don't know what's gotten in to me, but literally everything I do is either wedding related or running related. Which is fine by me. I woke up this morning though and doubt started creeping in to my head. Like...do you really need to go run? Or, what's 5 miles in the grand scheme of things? And then I had a tough day at work which is usually great motivation for me to run, but I just wasn't feeling it. And then I forgot to pack my sports bra. So I ended up driving home and going back and forth "you really should go...aw, but I don't want to!" It was maddening! I pulled in the driveway, stepped out of my car, and realized that on the Cape in mid February you don't get many 40 degree days so I ran inside and got ready. And let me tell you, I am SO glad I did. Even though a car swerved T...

Happy President's Day! For me, that means a rare Monday off and an even rarer 3 day weekend. It also meant another chance to run outside after being relegated to the treadmill yesterday. After the obligatory check of all social media outlets while lying in bed and a quick check of the weather (8 degrees! A regular heatwave after yesterday!) I ate my peanut butter toast, drank some water, and was ready. Well, sort of ready. It took me 10 minutes to put on all of my layers and the waddle out to my car because I had so much stuff on. But, better cold than on a treadmill I say. I decided to run my favorite route since it was a sunny, brisk day. It took me right past the ocean, which I think is ALWAYS good for you. I realized as I was running, that I was basically following the course for the Hyannis Half Marathon at the end of May. And I thought to myself...hmm...I could run that. I live here. I could train on the course. I wouldn't have to stay in a hotel or drive supe...

I did everything right. I planned out my outfit the night before (all 4 layers of it). I cut my KT tape. My hat and gloves were by the front door. My messy pile of clothes ready to go!  And then I woke up and was assaulted with horrible news from The Weather Channel. It was currently -7 degrees outside with a -25 degree windchill. I debated still running outside for a hot second and then decided against it. It looked like the treadmill was in my future.  I will usually do almost ANYTHING to run outside and stay off the treadmill. Rain? No problem! Snow? Bring it! -7 degrees with a -25 degree windchill? Fine, you win Mother Nature, you cruel unfeeling bitch. You win. -7 is a real thing in New England. Gross. So, in the end I trudged to the gym and got my butt on the treadmill. I might or might not have watched The Today Show the whole time while thinking about the pancakes I was going to make with my Valentine when I got home. But, I made it! This week was ...

Why hello there! Never in my life did I think I would start a blog. Never. I'm not exactly a writer. But  alas, here I am. I have been thinking about blogging for awhile now, mostly since I decided to train and run a half marathon. I don't really know why. Maybe it's because a half marathon is so new to me and I thought the only way to really get down how I feel is to blog about it. Or maybe my fiancé is just so sick of listening to me talk about running 24/7 that I needed another outlet! So anyways, that's me. I hope to blog about my general musings, my ups, and downs when it comes to running. Most people might run alone, but there is a great running community so I would love to hear from everyone!