New local half marathon on the books

So I was very sad that Hershey closed.  I obsessively started looking for new Half Marys around the same time as the Hershey.  Note to self, if you are looking for a Half in either October or November you need to sign up before July 30th for cheaper rates.  Most are already 85-95 dollars!  I can't see paying that much.  So as I was stalking  Half Marathons I did run into the Lewis and Clark Half in Idaho.  I was thinking that if I approach it correctly I maybe could get school to pay for it as a "teaching field trip" or a conference to learn more about Lewis and Clark.  And of course I would come back and talk to the fifth graders about Lewis and Clark and the geography of the area.  See it does fit into the curriculum!  Well I am not sure how that will work out so I continued to look for a different run "just in case".  Well after two days of stalking websites I found a race that is right down the road from me.  It benefits the school district that I work for and it is the exact same weekend of the Hershey run!  Yes, I don't have to change the calendar at all!  And the race was only $60!  So I am now signed up for the Heritage Half Marathon in Gainesville, VA.

No Hershey Kisses for me!

Well looks like I waited a few days too long to register for the Hershey Half Marathon.  It is now filled.  Booo!  I was so excited to run this one too.  The calendar is full of training runs, I have already begun some of the training, I was feeling good...and no half.  :(  Hershey maybe we will meet next year. 

I was looking at some other halves and we will see if I end up doing any of them.  The Derby half marathon has sign ups on the eighth of August, so I guess I won't put that one off. 

Do we really need arms?

So I decided to go to the gym to run my 3 miles today.  I figured I haven't been there in the past month or more, so I might as well get some of my money's worth out of the place.  It was a bit warm and humid outside, so I think it was a pretty good decision. 

I put on my new running shirt and headed into the gym.  Amazing, they didn't move the place and all the equipment was in the same spot as the last time I was there...  Well I hopped on the good ol' mill and off I went.  I was a pretty good run when all of a sudden a girl hopped on next to me.  Normally this wouldn't be news but was very distracting.  She ran with her arms straight down at her sides!  I couldn't help it, I kept stealing a glance at her running.  Now I am not a running pro (far from it) but don't most runners run with their arms at a 90ish degree angle.  I have seen this arms down approach before and it really baffles me.  I mean what happens if you fall?  Will your arms respond fast enough to catch you?  Or do you just end up falling on your face?  Doesn't it take more energy to keep your arms by your side than to have them at an angle by your body?  It just seems so crazy to me.  I mean, I don't run like Phoebe or anything. 

 But I definitely do not run with my arms straight down at my side either. 

Well the girl seemed to be running fine,  I don't know why I find it so fascinating, but I do.  So a quick 3 miles later she was done and I was done.  I then moved on to the bike and thankfully everyone had bent arms at the bike. 

Bra update:

Well Title Nine, I am done.  I called them today to inform them that yet again I have not received the bra.  To which they told me the last day it was scanned.  Yeah I can figure that out from the website.  Then I proceed to tell her that it seems that it hasn't moved from Maryland since the 14th.  To which the lovely lady told me I was wrong and it will probably get there.  Well I guess they should change it on the tracking site b/c it only says Maryland on the 14th and the 24th.  That seems to me like it hasn't moved.    She then was going to send a replacement but they are out of stock of my size and color.  Which irritated me b/c I would like a new bra before school starts in September.  Really does it need to be this hard??  I told her I was done and to credit my card. She said no problem but to give them a call if the package shows up, b/c then if is shows up at my house they will charge my card.  Ugh!!!  It is a freakin' bra!  How difficult can it be to mail it??  Or to figure out it must be lost??

running two days in row?! Say it ain't so!

So we didn't really close the bar down last night, but we were one of the last runners to leave, so that is sort of like closing the place down, right?! 

This morning I got up and looked at the training schedule.  I know so odd for me to check a schedule.  Looks like an easy 2 miles for the first week.  So I got dressed and put on the new garmin that I won from Mike over at 26.2 Is My Cooldown.  The garmin came in the mail this weekend and I was so excited to run with it, then I had a horrible head cold and no running.  Ugh...  So this morning was the first run with the garmin.  I was so excited I headed out the door with no ipod.  Oh well it is only a 2 mile run, I don't need music for that.  I love the garmin.  I am still trying to figure out how to use it, but I can see it may just motivate me to run a bit faster (or a more consistent pace).  Thanks Mike! 

I finished my 2 miles dripping with sweat.  I think I am going to have to find a new place to run, because I don't know how many more laps I can do in the neighborhood.  On Friday I am going to do my long run of 4 miles at Burke Lake.  It is a nice loop around a lake and the entire loop is 4 miles and most of it is shaded by trees.  Fingers crossed that it doesn't rain between now and Friday.  If it rains I have to find a new place b/c the rain makes the paths a muddy mess.  I think the new running routes will help me to not get so bored with running and training.

Week one of Half marathon training begins

So this is the first week of training for the Hershey half.  I will do better this time around than last time.  I will not take a DNF!  I will try to follow the plan and not skip the long run  :)  I am hoping the run will be the perfect run, at the perfect time of year in PA and flat.  I would like to run it under my 3 hour time that I have ran my previous Halves.  I have to get through some horrible summer running, but I did it last year and survived so I am sure I can do it again.  October 16th will be here before I know it. 

Well week one is starting off great. I am just getting over a head cold and today is the first day I can actually breathe.  So running tonight should be great.  Well at least I plan on running, and it is not as humid as it has been.  Tonight we are planning on closing down the bar at run club since all the teachers are officially on summer vacation (which means summer school is over).  We will see if that happens.  We may end up wanting to go home early, who knows, but we can if we wanted to close it down and that is the main point lol. 

On the Bra note, still no bra in sight.  Title Nine told me to wait til Friday to see if it has come.  They also recognized that it has take a bit longer than usual.  Really?  You think so?  They mailed it on the 8th and according to the tracking number it has been sitting in Columbia Maryland since the 14th.  I could drive there and get the bra before this.  So I guess I will wait til Friday and then if it doesn't come I will give them a call.  Ugh...I just wanted a pretty pink new sports bra, is that too much to ask??

Title Nine never again

So I ordered a new sports bra from Title Nine.  The 3 reason sports bra.  I guess it is called 3 reasons because you need to come up with three reasons why it takes so long to get to your door.  I ordered the bra on July 7th and I have still not received it.  I was supposed to receive it in 7-10 business days.  Business days do not include the weekend.  I guess the branch of the USPS do not like to work on the weekend like the rest of the postal workers.  The more that I think of it, I think they might have sent it Pony Express. I wonder if the horse and rider had problems crossing the Rockies or did he decide to go through the desert?

I have had a computer customized and it took less time than this one bra.  Maybe this bra has super powers!  I guess I would be ok with it taking so long if it had some sort of powers.  Right now I am hoping it has the power to keep me bounce free.  Hopefully the bra will get here sometime on Monday (because we don't want to deliver on a Saturday).  Anyone else feel like it has taken forever for a package to arrive?

breathing is good while running

So I headed out to run tonight.  I figured I might was well try to get used to the heat since tomorrow will be a killer one at run club.  As I was running up the hill that I dread I noticed that I was holding my breath.  The last time I ran that hill I noticed that I was holding my breath.  Now if you know me you know this is really really odd because I am the heavy, I'm a stalker, type of breather when I run.  I had always wondered how people could forget to breathe when the group instructors would say "Don't forget to breathe".  Well I guess it is official.  I forgot to breathe.

puppy sitting = no running this weekend

My parents came down on Saturday on their way to the beach.  They brought little Charlie with them to stay the week. 




















I think Riley is excited.  Although right now he is very very tired.  He is used to napping more than he has been lately.  Since Riley and Charlie think I am cool they let me hang out with them.  Which means that I got to take them on lots of walks trying to wear out little Charlie so he would go easy on Riley.  It might have worked, but poor Riley is also really tired. 

Its hard being old and having a puppy around.

So not much in the way of running this weekend.  I did finally write down my training plans for the Hershey Half Marathon on the calendar.  So I guess that is something running related.  I am hoping to get in a run tonight and then I have running club on Tuesday.

Random facts Friday

I am a bit sad that I did not get in a run tonight...it was beautiful out.  Instead I am inside nursing a lovely allergy pink eye..Hopefully tomorrow it will all be gone thanks to a lot of hot compresses, eye drops and allergy meds.  So since I have no running news to report, I am going to post some random facts about me.



1.  I just got an iphone..before the phone I could just talk and text...I am now addicted to my iphone and may have to seek therapy. 

2.  My sliding glass door would not lock and I never put a stick in it to keep out burglars for the first 5 years that I lived in my house.  I trusted nobody would break in.

3.  I hate driving, but love visiting people.  So I suck it up and drive to visit.


4.  I could eat pizza everyday of my life.










5.  I'm a librarian, but I can never return my books to the public library on time.

6.  I hate most vegetables, but wish I liked them. 

7.  Sometimes I get panic attacks while driving.

8.  I don't like coffee, to wake up I take a shower.

9.  I wish I were handy around the house, I am not.

10.  I love boybands who are no longer boys..oh if only n'sync would get back together my life would be complete.

11.  I overuse :)

12.  I think I am allergic to my dog.

I heart winning!

So I am reading some blogs today and lo and behold I won a garmin!  I am so excited!  A big thanks to Mike at 26.2 is my cooldown :)  And just in time for my half marathon training. :) 

I think I am starting to come out of my running funk..finally :)  I have ran a few times this week and felt pretty good even though it is hot as H. E. double hockey sticks out.  Yesterday was run club.  We were in code orange and a heat advisory, so I wasn't really pumped to go to run club, but once I got there it was fine. It wasn't that bad of a run.  We did change the course a bit and stayed in the wooded area to run so I am sure that helped out.  Turns out when I came back from my run (one of the last ones, we are a bit slower than most) I just missed Byron Leftwich, the backup Steelers quarterback!  Man if only I ran faster! 

Turns out he is originally from the DC area.  So now I am hoping, since there is no NFL right now, that maybe he will be back next week.  Who knows maybe he thought the run club looked like fun and will want to run with us next week.  One can only hope right? :)  

chocolate and running?? Oh yeah...

So I have slowly been getting back into the running thing.  I went to run club but ending up walking more than running..but I blame that on the heat and humidity (gotta blame it on something right?).  I really have not been looking into many races, but it seems some of them have been hunting me down.  The only race I had on my fall schedule was the Army 10 miler

 

Then Kristen sends me an email about the possibility of doing the Hershey Half Marathon.  Hummm a half marathon and chocolate?? 

 Sounds fun!  Then I read this:

Water/aid stations will be available throughout the course, including a unique Chocolate Aid station, to assist runners toward the finish line.

What!?  A chocolate aid station??  I'm in! Turns out this race is the weekend after the Army 10 miler, so it fits perfectly into my schedule!  I can't wait to see the race bling for this run too!  They also include tickets to Hershey Park after Dark the night before the race.  So that should be cool.  I am not really a big ride person, but I love amusement parks for the people watching.  I am sure I will ride some of the rides, just not the roller coasters.  I have a fear of throwing up on someone. So I tend to stay away from the coasters.

After I have decided to run the Hershey run, I get yet another email.  This one is talking about the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K that is coming to DC.  It seems like the universe wants me to only run for chocolate!  So Megan and I are signing up for this one too.  We are going to do the 5K.  It is in December, so hopefully it won't be that cold or wet. :)  We get a windbreaker with this race and of course chocolate!

Looks like my fall race schedule is filling up.  I am still thinking of doing a 5K with the 3rd-5th grade girls at school.  I think it might work out better if we run in the fall instead of the spring.  So I guess I will have to look into a race for them.