1/2 Marathon Training: Almost there

The 1/2 marathon is now 3 days away and I'm starting to really freak out. Yesterday I was a nervous wreck and I think I was driving Jason crazy with my contant questions and worries. I knew I would get nervous but I didn't know my anxiety would kick in so soon. However, it's all been made worse by the fact that my knee has been bothering me ever since we did our 10 mile run last weekend. During that run I felt an ache in the outside of my left knee about halfway through. I was able to push through it and it didn't bother me afterwards at all. The next time I went out for a run, it ached the entire 4 miles. Again I pushed through it but I was really beginning to worry that it would be a problem for the race. I stretched and iced it and loaded up on Advil. Yesterday, I iced it a couple of times and thought I would be ok to go out for another short run. This time I was not able to push through it. The pain was much sharper and I knew it would be better to walk instead of push it and risk making it worse. So no more running for me until the big day. I've done some research and it seems like this may be a common runner injury called Iliotibial band syndrome. Everything that I've read has said that it can take a month or more to heal and running should be avoided. I'm pretty scared that it's going to be very painful on Sunday and I'm either not going to be able to finish the race or that I'm not going to finish to my potential. I've worked so hard to prepare for this race and it's incredibly frustrating to think that it may have been for nothing. I know the overall goal is to finish, but I really was expecting to do well and finish within a certain amount of time and now I don't know if that will happen. Jason told me to stay positive over the next few days and rest, stretch and ice and everything should be ok. I really hope that he is right!

1/2 Marathon Training: Week 11

Week 11 went much better than week 10. I'm still not 100% over this darn cold, but I managed to fit in most of my runs and most importantly completed the final long run - 10 miles! At the beginning of this process I could not imagine running 4 miles let alone 10. It was challenging but I did it and I was pretty happy with how I did and my time. I was able to run 8.5 miles before needing to walk briefly up a hill. It was a great practice run for the big day - this Sunday! I was able to see how my body will feel during and after such a long distance. Even though I will have another 3.1 miles on Sunday, I have read that the adrenaline really kicks in at the end and will carry you through. The one thing that I did learn is that refueling during the run is really important as well as drinking water. I did not have a water bottle with me (thank goodness there were water fountains in the park!) or any type of snack (i.e GU gel) and both will be essential during the 1/2 marathon. The good thing is that both will be available at stations throughout the race course.

It really is amazing how far I have come in the past 11 weeks. The training program I used has been great and very manageable and I would recommend it to anyone thinking about training for a half marathon. This week I'll be tapering and getting myself mentally and physically ready for Sunday - I'll have to lay off all that Halloween candy I bought last week ;) I'm nervous about the race, but I'm getting excited and feeling confident that I will do well and maybe even meet my goal time. Wish me luck!

1/2 Marathon Training: Week 10

Well last week was not good on the running front. I came down with a pretty nasty cold and I just wasn't able to fit in all of my runs. I attempted to do an 8 mile long run but wasn't able to complete it. I was a pretty pathetic sight. I stuffed tissues in my tank top and was pulling them out every few minutes to blow my nose while running. By the end of 5 miles my breathing was shallow and labored and Jason agreed that it was time to stop. I'm glad I was able to do that much but I was dissapointed that I wasn't able to do more even though I know it's best to listen to your body. It's very frustrating that I got sick so close to the race when it's most important to focus on training. I'm hoping to be back to 100% by the weekend so I can do my final long run before tapering next week. I can not believe that the race is less than two weeks away! I'm really hoping that this set back will not effect my race day performance but if it does it does and there's not much I can do about it. I need to remind myself that the goal is just to finish and that in itself is a huge accomplishment! I've trained hard and done my best to get in shape. After a run last week, Jason turned to me and said "I'm about to give you the biggest compliment I can give another runner: you are a runner. You run when you don't really want to, your technique and form have improved to the point where I no longer have to give you tips. You are a runner."
That means a lot to me coming from Jason who has been a runner most of his life! If nothing else, I know I have achieved my original goal of turning myself into a runner!

The Weekend in Pictures

Friday night at the Forest Park Balloon Glow











Saturday at the Cards game with our friends Emily, Joe and Abby




Hope everyone had a great weekend!

One Year

On September 12th Jason and I celebrated our one year anniversary! It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since our wedding day. People often say that the first year of marriage is the hardest. Jason and I agreed that while we faced some difficult life events in the past year, overall it was a great year and our relationship is stronger than ever. We fell right into being married and it was a very easy and natural transition for us.

We celebrated our anniversary throughout the weekend. Friday night Jason suprised me with dinner at LoRusso's (where we had our rehearsal dinner the year before!) and a membership to a local wine club. We enjoyed a great dinner at LoRusso's at a private table and spent the evening talking and reflecting over the past year.
My handsome hubby

Dessert :)

Saturday we celebrated another family marriage. Jason's cousin, Brian and his now wife Michelle, had a beautiful wedding at Whitmoor Country Club. It was fun to be at a wedding on our anniversary weekend and celebrate with many of the same people that were at our wedding.
The Groom

Michelle was a gorgeous bride!

Jason and I before the reception

Saturday night we got a suite at the Ameristar Hotel. It was amazing! The room was huge and we enjoyed relaxing there Sunday morning. We had champagne brunch at the hotel before heading home for a lazy afternoon. Sunday evening we cooked dinner together, drank a bottle of wine from our honeymoon and ate wedding cake (not the original top tier of or wedding cake since we ate it last year, but a close replica that was just as delicious!). It was a perfect way to round out the weekend and spend our actual anniversary together.

I have to share this pizza recipe that we made for dinner. It was soo good!

Bruschetta Pizza with Chicken Sausage and Goat Cheese from Cooking This and That (This is my go to place for yummy recipes now)

1 pre-made pizza crust or pizza dough rolled out - We used Boboli Whole Wheat Crust
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomato (juices drained)
1/2 red onion (finely chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup dried sundried tomatoes packed in oil
1/4 cup fresh basil (coarsely chopped)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 links of Pre-Cooked Sundried Tomato Chicken Sausage(sliced thin) - We used a roasted garlic and Gruyere chicken sausage and it was delicious
1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl combine tomato, onion, garlic, sundried tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper; mix well. (You can prep in advance up to this point.)Once combined scoop onto prepared crust. Spread chicken sausage slices evenly over pizza and top with goat cheese crumbles.Bake for 18-22 minutes or until crust is golden on the bottom and the goat cheese is slightly browned. Enjoy!

1/2 Marathon Training: Week 9

Due to another busy weekend, I didn't get my long run in this week. I have felt like I've lost a little of my motivation over the past couple of weeks. Not sure why but it's not good since the race is now only 3 weeks away! I think I'm just ready to get the race over with and get on my own running/workout schedule instead of sticking to a strict program. Sometimes it's just impossible to fit everything in and still have a life! But I'm going to have to suck it up for the next 3 weeks and make sure to fit in all of my runs - especially the long runs - so I am prepared for the race. I've come this far I don't want to give up now!

Denver

Jason and I and my brother, Brandon, headed out to Denver to spend Labor Day weekend with my brother, Christian. Christian has lived in Denver for the last 5 years and I hate to say that this was the first trip Jason and I have made out there. We definitely will not wait another 5 years to go back! Christian planned a great 3 days and we packed in as much as we could.

Friday:
Christian picked us up from the airport and after a quick stop at the flagship REI store, we grabbed lunch and headed to Washington Park for a picnic.


The Taste of Colorado was going on in downtown Denver - within walking distance of Christian's house. There were tons of food, drink and merchandise booths set up.

Christian lives in the Denver Art District and Friday evening we explored the Artwalk which occurs every first Friday of the month. We didn't look at much art but there was definitely some interesting people watching!


At the end of the walk we went to this cool urban winery, The Infinite Monkey Theorem and enjoyed some delicious wine and a live DJ. A great end to our first day.

Saturday:
We woke up and had a breakfast and coffee on Christian's deck and then headed out. Our first stop was Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. Amazing! I hope to see a concert there someday.


Next up Mount Evans. If I had to pick a favorite thing from the weekend it would be this. Mount Evans is unique in that you can drive almost to the top and then hike the remainder of the way. Standing on top of a mountain at 14,000 feet is a pretty amazing feeling. I literally felt like I was on top of the world. It was very windy and cold (the temperature dropped 35 degrees from Denver and winds were gusting at 40 mph) and the altitude made it a little difficult to breathe but it was all worth it!

We saw several of these guys

We made it to the top!

The view was breathtaking

Jason on top of the world

Happy to have made it to the top

After we made it back to the bottom of the moutain we took a drive to Breckenridge. My parents have always raved about "Breck" and now I know why. It's such a cute, quaint little town. We stopped for coffee and a snack at Clint's and then walked around exploring the shops on Main Street as well as the art festival that was going on. I am hoping that we will be able to make another trip and spend more time in Breckenridge!

After driving back to Denver we enjoyed a delicious dinner on the patio at El Noa Noa in Christian's neighborhood.
Sunday:
We had brunch at Dozens, a cute little breakfast nook also in Christian's neighborhood - he lives in a great area! After brunch we went to Roxbourough State Park and did a two mile hike. The park offered a completely different landscape than the mountains we saw the day before. The red rock formations were awesome!


After our hike we drove to Colorado Springs and visited the Garden of the Gods, another park with amazing red rocks.




Next up Manitou Springs - think Lake of the Ozarks or Branson. A little town full of touristy gift shops, a penny arcade and lots of bikers and hippies :) We had dinner and drinks and then walked around and played the part of tourist. We got ice cream, I bought a souvenior sweatshirt and we took our pictures in a carriage.


Our final destination of the night and the weekend was a balloon glow in Colorado Springs. It was the perfect way to round out our Labor Day Weekend.

Monday we headed back to St. Louis. We had such a great time exploring Denver and the surrounding areas. We got to see and do so much and each adventure brought something different. Thanks to my big brother for being a great host and showing us all Denver has to offer!