Hair

Well I did it.  I cut 9 inchs off my hair.  I almost didn't do it.  While I was sitting at the salon I actually went up the the lady at the front and said I needed to leave and was not going to cut my hair.  But of course she talked me into staying and getting a consult.  I am glad I did.

This is a picture of me... I was trying to decide if I should cut it or not.  Right after this picture is when I got up to leave..

A another stylist came to take this picture(sorry so blurry).  I had enough hair to donate 9 inchs to Beautiful Lengths

This was what I looked like straight out of the salon.  A little crazy I know.. but doesn't everybody look a little crazy when they walk out after a change at the hair salon or is it just me?  I am really glad I did it. I wanted to go shorter but needed to still be able to pull it into a pony.. at least for the summer.  Maybe I will get brave and go shorter this fall.

So to today..

Workout.. got up at 4:45.  Drove to Nikki's house and then ran 3 miles to Kinetic Edge.  The run was good.  Love to run before the gym.  I always push myself even harder when I get there if I can get a little cardio in before.

Now that the workout is done I think my day is going to consist of laying by the pool.. in the shade.  I am heading out of town next week and have tons of things running through my brain that I need to work on but I am totally putting it off.  Hope you all have a great weekend.

Heather

The Westminster 13.1

This Saturday I am running a 1/2 marathon. I have set a goal for myself that I know I am physically capable of doing. BUT, that being said I am still a very big beginner when it comes to racing and although your body can handle something your own brain can end up becoming your worst enemy.

For this race I decided, it is time to tell my brain who is boss and run "Guns to the Max" (One of my friends uses that saying and I just happen to really like it).  Now, you must understand that I am currently training for a marathon (Grandmas) and I have not done any specific training for this race.  My tempo runs are at marathon pace and my long runs are slow.  I do a speed workout twice a week with my running club (which I absolutely LOVE) and I am hoping that all of this mixed together will end up giving me a good overall time.

So, of course I am nervous.  And what happens to me when I get nervous........ I dunno, I go to pick up my race packet and end up purchasing all kinds of goodies that I don't need.... but of course it is OK because I got an additional 25% off.  All the stuff you see below is a variety of what I do typically use when running a marathon.  I haven't found my favorite cocktail of GU, Sport Beans, Roctane, shot bloks, etc. so I decided to add to my current collection (which as I hope you imagine is plenty big and I will be running several marathons before I actually go through all of it). Oh, and the extra socks and grid foam roller just happened to end up in my pile while checking out.  oopps.

During the 1/2 I will most likely use at most 2 GU's or something of that nature.  On a side note, today I went for a slow recovery run, only ate a Yogurt before thinking I would feel fine.  During the middle of the run I ended up having a blood sugar issue.  So I found some gobstoppers, pounded about 5 and felt a ton better.  Now I am wondering, do I just mostly need sugar? or is all the extra stuff found in GU, etc. really necessary? I dunno, I bought plenty of both and decided I will carry some sour patch kids with me just as a chaser in case I am feeling on a sugar low.  With 36g of sugar per serving, I think I will be fine. cheers.=)

I get nervous before every single speed or tempo run as it is, let along an actual race.  I am typically not the competitive type.  I would consider it a weakness of mine. But I would like to turn that weakness into a strength and sooooo on we go. WISH ME LUCK=) and for all of you Colorado peeps who live somewhere near Westminster come run! It is a small race and very reasonably priced.

Come on out Colorado Runners, it will be a great way to start your spring running season.

Spring Fever

Is it just me or are you guys ready for winter to be OVER! Usually the New York winters are moderately mild. I remember 2 years ago we only had 4" of snow all year. That was a good year. It seems as though this year it is snowing every week and the temps dropped into the single digits. When I lived in MN that was expected but not over here in NYC.

I am ready, for more than reason. I have been out of running commission and I am ready to get back in the game. In fact I was supposed to go for a light jog today but couldn't because it was just too cold. The forecast for the next two days is snow and freezing rain so I guess I won't be running until Thursday. That is ok because I am kind of nervous. Nervous because if I run to soon and run into pain, well then that sets me back again! But I am also nervous because we are supposed to start training for Grandma's marathon in about 3 weeks! Oh boy!

With spring fever and an uneasy stomach I know what will get me in the mood! Look what I found...these few things have been added to my list of things I want.

First off I really want these cool new Nike shorts. I don't really love pink but I think it is the spring fever that is leading me to this color.

Next up is this Lululemon sports bra. Call me crazy but I kind of like the leopard print.

I can totallly picture Jillian Michaels wearing these Nike pants...... Jillian rocks so I would rock them too.

Another item from Lululemon because I love them. This looks like a prefect fitting tank for me.

And just to switch is up and match my pink shorts I would get this pink Lululemon tank as well.

Yes, yes I know Lululemon..

Another new pair of Asics running shoes. (I am smiling as I write this because if my husband Scott saw, he would be like...What! Another pair of running shoes.)

Last but not least I have been coveting these for the past 6 months and I am not ever sure why I have not bought them yet. I absolutely love them and they are prefect for spring time running.
Smartwool ArmWarmers!

That is it. This is on my wish list along with the increase in the temperate outside.

Books

I am so excited for my sister Heather to be running her first marathon!  I promised her that if she ran, I would do it with her and stay by her side the entire time.  I think this is good for two reasons, one is that is it always good to have a support system with you when you are running and two, is that I have been so hard on my body with my last two marathons that it will be good to take it easy.  As I say this I am thinking that Heather is really not as slow as she thinks she is so ultimatly I think we will make a good match.  Jen will be up head working on her speed so Heather and I will keep up the tail end :)

Back to the point!  I wanted to reccomend two books out there for all of you runners.  Even if you don't plan on running a marathon, these are good to have. 
The first is Beginner's Guide to Long Distance Running.  This book is good for helping you with the basics like, shoes, stretching, avoiding injury, diet and food.  It also has training plans for those who would like to run a full or half.  Jen really likes this book.
Second is Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners.  Ever wondering what you should and shouldn't be eating??  Well this book will tell you everything. How many grams of fiber, how much protein when and what to eat for optimal performance.  I really like this book and go back to it consistently for reference.

Well there you have it!  These two books will help start you on your way towards an awesome marathon!