Half Marathon Recap
So yesterday I ran my first half-marathon! Here is a pic of me at the finish line that my man snapped...
Now before I get into anything, I want to say that if you're thinking of running a half marathon…DO IT.
You can do it.
It does take time and you should train so you don't get injured but honestly throughout my whole training, I was amazed at how the strong the human body is. I never ran as a child or teen. I started running on and off when I was 21 (more about that journey here) and never imagined I'd be able to run 21.1km. BUT I DID IT! and so can you. Ok here's how I go to where I was today… (Please note, I am NO EXPERT. This is what just worked for me. If you have health problems and want to run a half marathon, you should consult a doctor!)
THE TRAINING
I started running with the run keeper App on my phone and I LOVE IT. Like really, really love it. I don't think I could do a run without it. They have a bunch of plans that help you train for your race. I went with this one. The plan had me doing at least 4 runs a week. Some weeks it went up to 5. Depending on the week I was in, I usually did only 3-4 runs per week. I missed a couple runs here and there and I was still fine (except when I went too hard at the beginning of a 21.75km run two weeks ago. My back hurt ALOT but I went to massage therapy and ran mostly on soft terrain until my race and I was good to go). The important thing is getting up to your long runs. This plan had you go up to 24km but I only went up to 22km. After I did 22km, obviously I knew I could do the 21.1km!
I liked doing the longer runs before the race as I was able to practice my eating and drinking strategies.
THE GEAR
Here's what I wore for my race:
Nike Lunar Glides. (Although I need a new pair this summer as they're pretty much done!)
Lululemon Lightened up Singlet- I LOVE this tank. It's so lightweight and comfy and breathable. And after the race, it didn't even smell that bad. I wore my sports bra under and I was good to go.
Lululemon Shorts- I have a really old pair but they are kinda like this one.
Hydration Pack- I bought one from running room years ago and I'm so glad. Mine had 4 little bottles of water. I filled up 3 with gatorade and 1 with water. The gatorade provided the extra bit of sweetness to keep me moving and restore the electrolytes and all that jazz.
Nike Running Hat- There was rain in the forecast for the race so I was sure to wear my hat. I wear it for most of my runs because it keeps me shady in the sun and water off my face in the rain.
PRE-RACE
I read somewhere that you're supposed to carb up at lunch the day before your race. James and I went to Paggliacis and I ordered some yummy pasta. But it filled me up so much that I didn't want dinner…ha, probably not the smartest.
The night before I got about 7 hours of sleep. I'd rather get 8 but I was up late making the perfect playlist for the race (note to self- do this way more in advance!!)
I woke up at 5:45am and got out of bed at 6. I ate a piece of toast with peanut butter, a banana and had coffee. I made sure "I went" before the race (oh gosh, TMI, I know). This was the same routine for all my long runs. When I ran anything under 12km in the mornings, I wouldn't bother eating or drinking coffee before but on those longer runs, I needed something in my system.
I got to the race with about 20 minutes to spare and thankfully my urge to go pee disappeared!
THE RACE
I arrived at the race about 20 minutes before the start. This race in particular didn't have the best communication…I had to go online to find out where to pick up my packet and what time the race started (no email, no letter)….so I didn't feel the most prepared but I just did what everyone else was doing at the beginning. When the gun went off, everyone quickly walked to the tunnel and started running as soon as they finished the start line. I followed the crowd and hoped that was the right thing to do. My time at the end was different than my time on my running app, so I hope it didn't start before I crossed the start line.
Surprisingly I was very emotional at the start of the race and found myself getting teary. It was surreal accomplishing a goal that I had worked towards for so long! All the hours of training, all those runs in the freezing cold, the pouring rain, the snow….they were all paying off!
My friend Lisa Fehr sent me the most encouraging message the night before the race. She is an incredible runner and just completed a MARATHON so she knows her stuff! In the message she reminded me that I'd done all the hard work of training and all that was left was my 21.1km victory lap! She also reminded me to have fun, to actually enjoy the race. I took that advice to heart! (Thank you Lisa for your constant encouragement and advice, it meant sooo much to me!!!)
Honestly I can say that I had fun. I actually enjoyed the race and found myself constantly smiling and sometimes awkwardly dancing.
I took the first few kilometres pretty slow. I knew that if I went hard at the beginning, I'd hurt myself and not have enough strength for the last few kilometres. I felt a bit of anxiety in the first kilometre was there were SO many people around me. I'm a lone ranger when it comes to running and I like running in wide open places so the people around me made me a bit nervous. To cope with that anxiety I kept visualizing me running alone and it seemed to help. After km 3, people were spread out a lot more and it was great. When I was at km 7 the first place guy was running back towards the finish line..his time was 1:09…INSANE!!!!!
The weather actually turned out to be PERFECT. It rained a bit around km 2 but didn't last for long. It was overcast for the majority of the race and I was so happy about it. Not too hot, not too cold, just perfect…thank you Jesus!
During my training I developed a strategy for when I got tired or sore. Whenever I found myself complaining about sore feet or tired legs, I'd start thanking Jesus out loud for giving me strength, for making me healthy, for helping me on the run. Honestly, once my thoughts were off my sore body, I'd run quicker and stronger. I may have sounded crazy praising God out loud but I don't even care. Jesus is THE BEST running partner. nuff said.
So my strategy was to go the first half pretty easy and then pick up the pace around 14 km. At around 18 km I got very excited that the end was near and I picked up the pace. The last 3km were awesome aside for the gradual 200m hill at the very end of the race. You're running up a hill then you turn and you think the hill is done but then you realize it's not done. I was like YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!! But when I reached the top of the hill, I could see that it was only 150 downhill to go…PTL.
I started down the hill and saw my love cheering me on. His cheers and the thrill of the finish line gave me the strength to sprint to the very end….YAAAAAY! After crossing the finish line, I stumbled around a bit, got a medal and then realized I needed to press stop on run keeper, ha.
THE RESULTS
So when I first signed up in December, I guessed it would take me around 2:15 to complete. During the training, I realized I was faster than that so I made a goal of 2:10. I am happy to report that my time (on Oak Bay Half's results) was 2:08:06. My time on run keeper was 2:07:27 (which was about 20 seconds late as I was stumbling around for a bit!) Either way I am so proud of myself as I trained hard AND had fun.
Below are screen shots of my run!
Running is something that I love to do. I run for health. I run for enjoyment. I run to think. I run to spend time with God.
I didn't set a crazy fast goal because I want to keep running. I don't want running to turn into something that conjures up feeling of guilt or shame if I don't make a crazy fast goal that I've set.
Will I do another half marathon?
Heck yes! Even though the crowds scare me, I definitely want to do another. I'm hoping to do the Royal Victoria one this October!
Will I do a marathon?
Probably not. But I won't say I won't ever do one.
I want to give a HUGE thank you to all my friends who have encouraged me the past months of training. You're amazing!!!
And thank YOU for reading this novel of a recap. If you have any questions on half marathons, send them my way and I'll try to answer them! (And if I don't know, I'll ask Lisa, ha)
xo,
s.s.♥.
WEEKEND WARRIOR
Just wanted to stop in and say HI.
It's the weekend...yahooo. It's a fairly big weekend for me as I run my first half marathon!!! Rain is in the forecast but I'm praying that will change to overcast. I'm pretty nervous but I'm trying not to put unnecessary pressure on myself. The goal I have set is to complete the race- not kill myself trying to knock off a couple minutes off my time.
I finally finished my summit course that was due today! Feels good to complete it but I'll be starting my next one very soon.
I'm excited to get some design work going for a client and also designing my business cards for ALT (which is sneaking up rather quickly..ahhh!)
I'm also excited to watch some tv shows that were prohibited until I finished my course..love me some greys & mindy! :p
Oh, and I also plan on buying some pink peonies. Swoon.
Hope you have a great weekend, any big plans for you?
xo,
s.s.♥︎.
ONE WORD 2014 // YEMISI
Today's one word comes from a really awesome person....YEMISI. I believe I met the gorgeous Yemisi first at Teen Camp years ago..She terrified me because she was INSANELY amazing at every sport and I did not want to mess with her on the handball field. But thankfully I got over myself and we became friends. I've had the pleasure of seeing her grow up in our youth group and the day came where she moved to Toronto (sad for us but a win for them!) Ok, enough from me...get ready to be inspired and encouraged from Yemisi!
thankful
I heard of the one word concept through Laura and I decided to finally give it a shot this year. My word is ‘thankful’ or ‘thanksgiving’.
Not going to lie, I was sort of disappointed when I landed on this word. I wanted something more exciting like ‘passion’ or ‘adventure’. But as always God knows what’s up and why He placed this word on my heart.
I hail from the beautiful Victoria, BC but I moved to Toronto this past September for school. I miss Vic but Toronto has been quite an amazing adventure to say the least.
I believe I landed on my one word mid-January and didn’t really acknowledge or think much of it until later. March arrived and with it came negative circumstances back home. I was gutted and I started to question God a lot. Questioning turned into complacency and complacency birthed indifference. I was still attending and serving at church but I didn’t care anymore; I didn’t make time for God, I didn’t care about school and I found myself in a rut.
I basically stayed in this place until the end of March, when we had a guest speaker at church. Their sermon was entitled “Let it Go”…how fitting. One thing that stuck out to me from the sermon was this, “faith is the belief, trust is the commitment.” I still believed that God existed but I wasn’t trusting Him. To stay committed and connected I had to trust Him, no matter the circumstance. That night felt like a breakthrough; from then on I worked at putting my life entirely in God’s hands.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
I believe thanksgiving is an essential component of prayer because it realigns the perspective of our heart and mind. When we are being thankful, our eyes are opened to God’s blessings and the tunnel vision that often comes with our problems diminishes. In our times of trouble we can be reminded that God loves us, is still for us and at work in and around us.
The Message says: “Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.”
I think that speaks for itself.
Now that I wasn’t trying to carry the whole world on my shoulders, I was free for God to cultivate other aspects of my faith. He began to develop a thankful heart within me, and that began with praise.
Psalm 100 (NIV)
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
To enter his gates with thanksgiving is a conscious decision, it is an attitude we must continuously choose again and again. As God realigned my perspective I saw that I had many things to be thankful for: loving parents that allowed me to leave the nest and a family that has supported me through everything, support from my friends and Glad Tidings church family back home, new amazing friends that I could have never dreamed of, and a home at Vantage Church in Toronto.
Being thankful in times of trouble is hard enough, but I find that I’m guilty of not being thankful when things are going well. I was convicted of this this month and so I came up with an exercise. Every morning I go to a notebook and write 5 things I’m thankful for that day. I think this is only a stepping stone but by doing this my mindset for the day is shifted to gratefulness and everything I do flows from there. And if there ever is a day where I feel that there is nothing to be thankful for I will always have this: A God that loves me and carries me through it all, the good and the bad.
CARAMEL STUFFED BROWNIES
The choice between caramel and chocolate is a hard one for me. Like reaaaaaaal hard.
Hot caramel sundae or hot fudge sundae? Why can't I have both?
Oh but you can have both. Caramel stuffed brownies are a beautiful thing friends.
Gooey caramel with fudge-y chocolate brownie.
They are a beautiful thing AND a good idea.
Good idea indeed.
| CARAMEL STUFFED BROWNIES |
Ingredients:
Brownies-
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Caramel filling-
14 oz caramels (about 60 individually wrapped caramels)
1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions:
1. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil with butter and then preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine butter and the semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted.
3. Whisk sugar, eggs and vanilla into the chocolate until well incorporated then stir in the flour and salt until just combined.
4. Spread about 40% the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer.
5. Bake for 20 minutes then remove from oven (don't turn the oven off yet!) and let cool for 20 minutes.
6. While the first half of the brownies are almost done cooling, combine the caramel candies and cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until melted and smooth.
7. Spread the caramel slowly over the cooked brownie layer and spread evenly then pour the remaining brownie batter over the caramel layer very carefully.
8. Sprinkle the milk chocolate chips on top then bake for another 20 minutes.
9. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. (FYI these take a looong time to cool. I highly recommend cooling in the freezer for at least 30 minutes!)
10. Enjoy and share with friends. :)
Hope you all had a splendid long weekend. I finally finished my essay! Now only the editing and then my final exam...yahhhoooo!
Happy Tuesday!
s.s.♥︎.
SUMMER GOALS
As you probably know, I'm a planner. I like to plan things out. I thrive on to-do lists. I very much enjoy having a plan. If we go on a trip, you can bet your bottom dollar that I've already researched the best doughnut joint in every town. Go with the flow? No thanks, I'd rather plan it out and get as much as I can out of the situation. Can I get an AMEN anyone? Anyone?
A few weeks ago, James and I sat in a coffee shop and made some summer plans.
Here are some of my personal ones...
-Have at least three bonfires with s'mores and singing. (S'mores on s'mores? Yes please.)
-Finish the Pentateuch course and start and finish a new course. (ROMer, I'm coming for you!)
-Complete the half marathon. (One week today, that will be done!!)
-Complete the gallery wall in the living room. (Oh dear Lord, help me.)
-Go on one kayaking adventure.
-Find a healthy rhythm for this blog. (So excited to learn all about this and be so inspired at Alt next month!)
-Learn how to make macarons.
-Have lots of people over for BBQs.
-Celebrate 2 YEARS of MARRIAGE!! (Booked already, sooooo excited.)
So there are a bunch of my summer goals! Do you have any summer plans or goals? I'd love to hear yours! Write them in the comments below. :)
Hope you're having the best long weekend. I'm still cooped up inside writing and studying but PTL I'm almost done!!!
xoxo,
s.s.♥︎.