Posts Tagged ‘running’

The day of the Chicago Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon finally arrived! I woke up bright and early this morning to be downtown at 6am to join over 20,000 runners for the half marathon!

Here we are before the race waiting in our corral ready to pass through the starting line!

Coming around mile 5!

On my way to the finish line! (I’m to the right of the guy in the blue)

Post race with our metals! I had estimated I would finish in 2 hours and 45 minutes, but made it through the finish line at 2 hours and 36 minutes! (about 5 of those minutes were spent on a bathroom break I had to take at mile 7)

Thanks to everyone who came out to the race to support us! Here we are with the encouraging sign Will’s sister made for us!

I had such a blast at the race today! I cannot wait to sign up for my next half marathon! Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas maybe?!

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Back in September I made a list of all of the fitness-related activities that I wanted to accomplish in the future, aka my “fitness bucket list”. After registering for the Chicago Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon and buying the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga DVD I was able to cross off 2 of the items on the list. However, as of today, I am also able to cross off 2 more items!

First of all, I brought a bike from home to Chicago to use in the summertime to ride around the city to places like the beach and farmers markets. I still need to buy a lock and put some air in the tires, but I officially have a bike to ride! Secondly, tonight during an easy run for my training I ran a 8:57 minute mile, which means I can cross off my goal of running a sub-9 minute mile! It felt so great to accomplish this and wasn’t nearly as difficult as I originally thought it would be; I must be doing something right with my training!

Here’s a quick recap:

• Run a half marathon – well, not quite DONE yet, but well on my way!
• Try Bikram yoga
• Buy a bike to ride around the city
• Swim with dolphins
• Do indoor rock climbing
• Learn how to ski
• Run a sub-9 minute mile
• Go snorkeling
• Kayak down the Chicago river
• Run a race in another city
• Buy a fitness DVD
• Go parasailing
• Complete a triathlon

I hope to have another 2 of these completed by September; crossing off almost half of the items after 1 year of making the list would be quite the accomplishment!

What are your fitness goals this summer?

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I finally bought new running shoes for my half marathon training! I got a pair of Mizunos (the Mizuno Wave Inspire 6 to be exact) from Peak Performance, a sporting goods store in Omaha that specializes in running. The employees there study the way you stand, walk, and maneuver your feet when you run to fit you with the best possible shoe. Based on my old running shoes, which were mostly worn down at the ball of the foot, I tend to rotate my feet slightly inward when I run. Therefore I need a running shoe that provides me with support in the inner sole to compensate.

I chose these pink beauties to take home with me. These shoes are cushy and supportive at the same time. This is my first time wearing Mizuno but I have heard good things about this brand of running shoe. I broke them in a bit at the gym today and am so far very pleased with my purchase!

To go with my new shoes I also bought a pair of Balega socks. While at the running store, I was told that you shouldn’t wear the average cotton socks when you run because they absorb moisture. Balega socks utilize the Drynamix air conditioning system which keeps air flowing through the sock and wicks away moisture to ensure that your feet stay cool and dry. While I don’t have the funds to replace all my current gym socks with socks that contain an air conditioning fabric system, I did purchase one pair that I can use on race day come August!

Do you have a favorite brand of running shoe? Do you wear moisture-wicking socks when you run?

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So far so good is all I’ve got to say about my half-marathon training thus far. Monday I did some strength training at the gym as well as a yoga DVD at home. Yes, I FINALLY purchased a workout DVD. I went with the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga DVD; not because I want to lose weight, but because I feel like I get a better workout with power yoga; which is exactly what this DVD is.

This DVD is great, there are 3 levels of workouts for you to do. Depending on your fitness level you can do whichever works best for you. If you aren’t sure of your fitness level, just start with level 1 and work your way up. That’s what I did and boy was I surprised. I thought “psh level one, I should be able to breeze through this” WRONG. Even level 1 was a challenge for me! It involved a lot of upper body strength such as plank push-ups and side planks. I guess I am less fit in the “yoga department” than I thought! The DVD guides you through the levels at an appropriate pace for you to build up strength and flexibility. It recommends doing level 1 for 2 weeks, before moving on to level 2 and so on. Oh, did I mention that the yoga on this DVD is taught by Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser who I absolutely adore? If Bob tells you to do something or hold a position for longer, it’s hard to let him down.

Anyways with the registration of the half-marathon and the purchase of a new fitness DVD I have successfully crossed off 2 of my fitness bucket list items! I don’t know if you guys remember, but back in September I made a list of all of the fitness-related activities I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime. Here’s a quick recap of what those goals were:

• Run a half marathon – well, not quite DONE yet, but on my way!
• Try Bikram yoga – I actually found a place in the city that does this for $15 a session, now I’ve just got to recruit some friends to go with me! Any takers?
• Buy a bike to ride around the city – I am going to do this over the summer; I will need a means of transportation to get to Lake Shore Drive to do my long runs!
• Swim with dolphins
• Do indoor rock climbing
• Learn how to ski
• Run a sub-9 minute mile – maybe I will accomplish this during my half-marathon training!
• Go snorkeling
• Kayak down the Chicago river
• Run a race in another city
• Buy a fitness DVD – I finally bought the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga DVD!
• Go parasailing
• Complete a triathlon

Hopefully by the end of this summer I will have also completed the goals in bold text.

What are some of your fitness goals? Have you been able to check any off the list lately?

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I finally did it. I built up the courage to register for a half marathon. I am going to be running in the Chicago Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon on August 1st! I’m super excited but extremely nervous!

I’ve got my training schedule printed out and posted on my refrigerator. I’ve got 19 weeks to train and plan to kicked-off my regimen on Monday! Back in 2008 I trained for a half marathon in New Orleans. My family was going to vacation out there to watch me race. But due to a family medical emergency the the trip was cancelled and my training came to a half after my first 8 mile long run. Hopefully this year’s half marathon training will go much more smoothly and actually end with me completing the race!

Stay tuned for updates about everything from run times and nutrition to combating the Chicago “spring” weather as I hope to do the majority of my runs outdoors. Wish me luck as I embark on my journey towards achieving one of my dreams!

Any advice for a first time half-marathon runner?

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