Sara Runs the Cape

Whoa. Where has the time gone? Where have I gone? I'm finding it somewhat challenging to train for a half marathon, be present in every day life, and maintain a blog. So I've (obviously) cut back quite a bit...but I'm back with an update about the Providence Half Marathon that I ran on May 7, 2017! I had 13-14 miles on my training schedule and I thought to myself, if I have to run the distance anyways, why not get some bling for my efforts? Am I right?! Enter Providence Half Marathon. I signed up for the race back in November or December when I first looked at my training schedule and picked this race because it was touted as a "fast and flat course" and a "major Boston qualifier" (obviously for the marathon distance) which led me to think that if a ton of people BQ then it has to be somewhat flat...Oh silly Sara. It was anything but flat. It was pretty. It was fun. But it was HILLY! There was one hill that literally took a HALF MILE to crest. No...

Wow it's been a busy couple of weeks! Training Weeks 4 and 5 are in the books which means there are only 11 more to go! Yay! haha...I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself. My race is at the end of May and we're only in the middle of March. So I've got awhile to go. But I digress. Week 4:  Monday: Rest day Tuesday: 5 miles Wednesday: 5 miles Thursday: Gym day! Elliptical and strength training Friday: 4.5 miles Saturday: Yoga Sunday: 9.15 miles Total Mileage: 23.65 miles Week 4 felt really good. I felt like I was really able to find my pacing again and maintain a steady state during all of my runs. Sunday was super cold at a "feels like temperature" of -5 degrees, but I made it through! Views like these don't hurt either! It was nice to run with all of the trees blocking some of the wind. Week 5:  Monday: Rest day Tuesday: 4 miles Wednesday: Unintended rest :( Thursday: Gym day- Elliptical and strength training Friday: 4.1 mile...

Wow, I had tried legs this week! But tired legs are an opportunity to learn about how you run under pressure and how to better pace yourself, so I took this opportunity to really pay attention to by body and work harder on my pacing strategies. So, what happened this week? Monday: 30 minutes elliptical, strength training Finally! A Monday off from work! That meant time at the gym in the AM before trivia in the PM. It was great to get in some strength training specifically focusing on my glutes and core. I definitely need it. Tuesday: 5 miles 1 mile warm up, 2 miles at tempo, 1 mile a bit slower...then :20 sec sprint, 2 min slow x4. Phew!! CRAZY! My legs were jell-o after. Oh! And I got a new Garmin Forerunner 235. It's everything I ever wanted and more. Hello Gorgeous!  Wednesday: 4 miles After Tuesday's session, I was surprised I could get any speed going at all. My schedule called for 4 tempo miles, which I really tried my hardest to do, but my legs were so ...

Week 2 and I'm feeling cool. I just wanted to rhyme. Although, I felt pretty darn good during week 2. Plus, the weather was basically perfect this week! 60 degrees and sunny?! Yes please! Here's how week 2 went down:  Monday: Another Monday, another rest day. I love trivia Mondays!  Tuesday: 3.75 miles 3 miles steady, plus :20 sec sprint, 2:00 min slow x3. It was an awesome day outside, just a little chilly and I felt great running! Plus, it was the first time in as long as I can remember that I started AND finished running when there was still a sliver of light. But I brought along my Knuckle Lights just in case!  Wednesday: 4 miles Rain rain go away. I had 100% planned on running outside in the rain. I've actually come to like it a little bit. But there was some thunder in the area and I just didn't think it was the safest, so on to the treadmill I went. It was a long 4 miles.  Thursday: Happy Birthday To Me!  Friday: 4.15 miles...

Week 1 is in the books people! It's always such a mix of emotions to start training for a goal race again. On one hand I'm super excited and can't wait until May to get out there and run. On the other, it's cold out right now, there's snow on the ground, and I know the next 16 weeks won't be easy. And that scares me a little bit. And it's also invigorating to know that I'm going to accomplish something that a lot of people won't even start. Anyways...here's how week 1 went!  Monday: Started the week off right...with a rest day! Hahaha. But Mondays are always trivia days, so I plan the rest of my workouts around it. Tuesday:  3.25 miles It was cold, windy, and rainy so just how I wanted to start off this training cycle. But it was kind of fun to splash through the puddles! Wednesday: 3.25 miles Massachusetts weather is bipolar. I swear it's ridiculous, but Wednesday was 55 degrees and sunny so I got my butt outside in my Spring ...

Guess what time it is?! *drum roll please* IT'S HALF MARATHON TRAINING TIME!  I'm not a natural born runner. I'm probably the furthest from it. This will be my third (and fourth) time running a half marathon and my third time training for one. I'm ready. Everything is written out and I have TWO journals!  During my second round of training I used the Hal Higdon method and while it works for a lot of people, it just wasn't for me. I never felt like I was running enough and come race day I didn't feel prepared for the distance that lie ahead. After my 2nd half...a little broken. The very first time I trained I was SO confident in my ability to run the half marathon distance. Some called the plan I used a little crazy and excessive (it had me run 2 long runs of 13 miles and 2 at 14 miles) but I felt prepared. I knew I could finish. I might look like I'm dying, but I think I was crying with happiness... It's all about that bling!  ...

Yesterday was apparently "Blue Monday" , a day psychologists determined was the one day of the year where people feel most depressed. Whether it's because the holidays are over, summer seems to be a distant memory, or New Year's resolutions seem to peter out by now, the 3rd Monday in January just doesn't seem to be so friendly. While I'm not entirely sure I agree with this calculation, I can say that yesterday was definitely NOT a depressing day for me.  It was a Blue Monday in another way though...*drum roll please*  I was named a 2017 Team Nuun Ambassador!  Haha, get it? Blue? Bad joke. I am SO incredibly honored to represent a product I love and couldn't run without. Before I tried Nuun I struggled with more GI issues than I care to talk about and was absolutely miserable. On a tip from one of my running friends I tried Nuun Active (mixed berry I think...) on my next long run and it's like I saw the light.  Not only did I kick a...