Let's Turn It Up

Today was a bit of a breakthrough day for my running. I finally realized that I can be faster, I can push myself harder and each day I will get to my 7 minute mile, maybe even lower. I ran a great 7:56 minute mile pace and it felt good. I realized today that my training needs to be more thoughtfully planned out and I need to run with people that make me faster, that push me harder. I have a few races planned for the year, not too many, but I have them planned so that I can challenge myself and then focus my training on doing better the next race. 

I'm going to stretch more, do more yoga and work hard every day to keep my body strong and focus on reaching my goals. I want to push harder, run faster and meet and exceed my own goals. 2013 is my year to run strong. 

I wanted to run the Nike Women's Marathon in Washington DC so badly, but today I realized even though I didn't make the lottery, or win the entries in the contests from Nuun and Luna bar, I can still run the race from where I am. I'm running the NWM Virtual 10k on March 9 and 10 with thousands of other women around the world, why not do the same thing on my birthday, April 28, for the Nike Women's Half Marathon? I originally thought this race was planned for me because of my birthday, a little silly right? It obviously was not meant to be. Don't get me wrong, if another entry suddenly comes to me or more spots open up I'll be the first one there, but until then, I am coming to terms with running my own race on my own terms and posting my stats to Nike+ from where I am running. 

Nike runs great races, and from running two marathons in San Francisco at the Nike Women's Marathon, I have made  some of my best friends at these races. So virtual training buddies, let's turn it up together. Let's run this race in DC and around the world. How are you going to #turnitup with me?

The Nike Studio Wrap Impresses

I know I just recently posted a photo of these shoes on my blog, but I recently found this video, and it is amazing! I have always known the importance of having individualized shoes for a sport. In high school I had different shoes for basketball, volleyball and tennis and they all served different purposes. Volleyball shoes keep you low to the ground, support side to side movement and have a sturdy sole. Basketball shoes support your ankles while allowing all around motion, and running shoes are created to stabilize the forward motion of your stride. Each shoe serves a different purpose and is as important to your training as performing drills over and over again. Check out Nike Master Trainer, Marie Purvis, post on the importance of sport specific shoes over at her blog.

Now, thanks to Nike, yoga has a shoe of its own. This shoe is sure to impress. It allows stability, freedom of motion, grip and it is visually appealing. It can also be worn straight from the street to the gym, with the handy two in one design.

This video is absolutely amazing! I really think that every girl needs these shoes. Yoga class is essential to keeping me limber, agile and more pain free. The Nike Studio Wrap shown in this film will really revolutionize my yoga practice. I, for one, am always sliding around my mat, and not only are these shoes cute, they are so useful!

I know what I will be saving for in February when these shoes come out! I'll be sure to let you know what I think when I actually get to put these babies on my feet and test them out during an NTC yoga workout. Thanks Nike Women for taking my yoga practice to the next level. You truly have the best designers and talented individuals working to improve sport performance everyday.

Can I Run for a Cause?

Be Heroic, join Team in Training and run for a cause. But can I do it? This decision should be easy for me, I've always been a little obsessed with superheroes and their amazing ability to succeed against all odds. I love to run, so why wouldn't I want to run for a cause greater than myself and my personal fitness goals? To be honest, it's scary, extremely scary to put myself out there and ask others for money. It shouldn't be that frightening and it should be easy. I want to run the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon on Washington DC on my birthday and running for a cause would make it special. It's only $3200 that I have to raise and friends, family and businesses are always looking to help out people and causes they believe in. Still, making this decision was hard. But I am going to do it, I am going to put myself out there and ask for donations for a cause that I believe in. 

Who hasn't been touched by cancer? It is a brutal disease that sucks the life out of children and adults alike and running with a team with one motive and one cause is a way I can be part of the journey to better treatment and hopefully a cure. If you haven't attended one of the national Team in Training info sessions you should, I think it will give you a new perspective on running for a cause. 

This week I also was able to try PocketFuel for the first time on my long run. I first heard about PocketFuel from one of my friends on Twitter and was intrigued. When she sent me a sample I was excited to try it out. It did not disappoint! Basically it is a pouch of almond butter mixed with other ingredients to fuel you naturally during your workouts with added ingredients such as fruit, honey and chia seeds! It's all natural and delicious. I didn't have any problems fueling up with it on the run! I hate gels and was worried it would be like these, but I was wrong. This is a natural, delicious way to fuel on the go. I highly recommend you give them a try! Plus, the company is from Hood River, Oregon, which just happens to be a few hours from where I grew up. Way to make me proud Oregon! 

As far as running, this month has been a bit off for me. I have only run 36 miles this month, which is a bit off from my 100 mile goal. Hopefully, I will crush the next few weeks of runs and get close. I ran a seven miler last night and three miles today so I feel like I am back on track. With the Australian Open going on right now it's tough to run at night because I don't want to miss out on the blockbuster tennis matches! I do have two run clubs to lead this weekend, so that should help up my mileage. I begin training one of my friends for a half marathon on March 17 and that will help keep me on track as well. I can't wait for all the fun races that are coming up this spring and summer and I want to get my mileage up now!

Do you have any tips for fundraising, fueling for races or running? Leave a comment on my blog and let me know!

Yes, I'm Obsessed with Nike, I Admit It

I can't think of anything that I would rather be doing on my birthday then running the Nike Women's  Half-Marathon in Washington DC! Seriously, I want to run this race so badly. So yes, that is a poem I wrote about my obsession with Nike and my desire to run this race, and all Nike races in the future! Why do I want to run this race? Here are my top 10 reasons to run DC:

10. I have never been to Washington DC and can't think of a better way to experience it.

9. Nike races are my favorite events and the atmosphere is amazing.

8. Tiffany's Necklace (yes, I love the two I have from SF and I want more!)

7. My desire to do a year of blog posts on my Nike race experiences (Yes, more Nike posts, I'm excited to share them with you).

6. To get a PR and sub 1:45 hour half-marathon

5. Experience Nike around the US.

4. I'm addicted to running and training and I always seem to train better for Nike races.

3. To meet more amazing women on race weekend and make new #SistersInNike

2. To meet the girls of the Nike Sportswear SF and Runway Crew

1. This race is on my birthday and there is no better present!

So yes, I know it's bordering on obsessive, but this event looks amazing and I want to be a part of it in the worst way. I was not accepted into the lottery with my wonderful team of ladies, but I refuse to give up and am hoping that I can run this race. I will find a way. Training for this race starts now. 

I Won!

Today I woke up to find a congratulatory note on my Facebook page. Wondering what it was for, I was pleasantly surprised that it was from the Anywhere5k race I ran in! I did not expect to win this at all. There are so many people that are faster than me, but not yesterday! (Perhaps they didn't register, but no matter, I finally won a race!) I was the fastest female and now will forever wear the title of Anywhere5k champion! What a way to end the year. This win also showed me the importance of working on my speed and how becoming faster may eventually lead to more race wins. I know I will never be an Olympic Champion, but I do hope that I can remain competitive in the coming years.

Nike has been running their #makeitcount campaign on Twitter the past week and I got a cool shout-out from them today. I have big goals for 2013 regarding racing, one of which is conquering the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco and the other is competing in my first triathlon. This photo was a great way to start of the year, and my training right. I have a powerful team of supporters behind me and friends that surround me and I know that anything is possible.

This is my final post for 2012, but it is definitely not my last! In fact, I hope to make many updates, changes and improvements to the blog over the next few months. If you have any suggestions or things you like feel free to let me know in the comments. Stay tuned!

I wish you a very Happy New Year and happy training!