Running Away from Adulting

GUYS! If you're in the Pittsburgh area (and run), you have GOT to run this race! It's like the Pittsburgh Marathon of the Fall. There is so much energy and excitement before and during this race; it's electric! Okay, I'll try to contain myself as I write this. But really, can you blame me? Just ruining the ending for ya, but... THIS GIRL GOT A PR! And the reason I'm extra excited about this? Because I literally just got back into running mid-September. I will make a separate blog post about this transition, but for now, lets talk about the race! Expo: The expo was quite small, tucked inside the shops at Station Square. But I did get to finally meet up with my girl Jen and her NEW husband after not seeing her since the Pittsburgh Marathon 5K! I'm so inspired by her and was so excited to finally meet up with her and run. Jen and I first meeting at the Pittsburgh Marathon 5K Race Morning: So my boss texted m...

Okay, so this honestly is more like a rave than a review. If you have brought up running clothes to me in person, then you have definitely heard me say something about Senita Athletics ! A ll opinions posted are my own. I paid for all clothes featured and am not receiving compensation for my review - just sharing the awesome clothes! I'm a broke nursing student, so I NEED a good deal. And it seems like any good athletic clothes are ridiculously expensive. My friend Steff introduced me to Senita from her blog, and I was SOLD. Not only are these clothes within a decent price range, but they're literally the most comfortable and best performing clothes I own. I would say that I love them even more than my Lululemon clothes I own, and its 1/2-1/3 of the price!!! Okay, lets get to it My first order: Breathe Tank in White , Sarah Sports Bra in Bahamas , and Swift Shorts 2 in Bahamas (Bahamas no longer on website). Total Cost: $70 but with ...

Phew, this was a week! So I ran the Buffalo Creek Half Marathon last Saturday ... in my new Superfeet Black Insoles. Then on Sunday, I ran 3 recovery miles... in my new Superfeet Black Insoles. Then... Monday: 5 Mile Tempo Run I caught some rainy miles while my car was getting tires put on. On the schedule: 1M Easy Pace, 1M Tempo Pace, 1M 5K Pace, 1M Tempo Pace, 1M Easy Pace  I was feeling a little sore in my IT band, so I moreso tried to feel the run and not push the pace too hard if my body was telling me no. I picked up speed as needed, but didn't hit my "5K Pace". It was rainy and I was exhausted, so whatever, I didn't get it. But I felt accomplished in knowing that I was able to at least move my body faster than I had started out at.  and guess what, I ran in my new Superfeet Black Insoles... MY IT BAND IS STIFF AND I'M ACHING So lesson learned: don't run a half marathon, 3 mile run, and 5 mile run in a row w...

Okay, so I signed up for this race just this past week. I was debating if I should run this as part of my EQT 10 Miler training, but not many training plans have distances longer than the goal as part of the weeks building up. But I knew a bunch of great friends of mine were planning on running it, and everyone raved at how fun it was. So here I am, a Tuesday before a Saturday race, signing up for a classic Pittsburgh fall race. I wasn't going to race it - just have fun. Since I wasn't racing it, I didn't really prepare. I didn't eat a bunch of carbs prior, slept horribly, did not hydrate enough, and even ate a Fiber One bar on my way to the race. Talk about long run poops... --- It was a beautiful morning for a fall race! Cool, sunny, and with such pretty landscape to enjoy. The race was downhill and on a trail. I'll be honest, I didn't feel like it was as downhill as my Garmin showed - maybe because of the crushed limestone versus asphal...

You know how when you get on the bike at the gym, and you can choose that "mountain" option for inclines? So for the first half of the cycle, you'd go uphill, then ride easier downhill for the second half? Marathon training is not like that. And with the humidity we've been having here in PGH, it's as if I'm climbing up the mountain even steeper than before. My legs were definitely hungover from last weekend's half marathon up at Presque Isle. Monday's rest day, aka: the days that I double at work, was incredible; I pretty much stayed seated unless absolutely necessary or to stretch my tired legs. I made sure I was taking in enough protein and electrolytes to help my legs recover as best as possible.  Presque Isle Half Marathon Here's how this last week's running went: Tuesday: 4 Easy/Recovery Miles. 9:10 avg pace. I had a super busy day off of doctors appointments, errands, meetings, and meeting up with fri...

So it's been a while. I'm working 54 hours a week at the RTF and continuing marathon training. I was also mentally down for a bit, and didn't have it in me to write. But now I'm back and ready to keep this blog rolling! This past weekend, my friend Steff  and I took on the Presque Isle Half Marathon. I used this as a training run, and she wanted to check this Half off of her bucket list. She happily let me stay in her guest room the night before, and we headed out at 3:30am to make the 2 hour drive to Erie. The weather conditions were perfect for a 6:45am start time. It was mid-60s at the start, and in the mid-70s for the finish. Parking was easy, and we even got to the bathrooms before the HUGE line. I have to say, I was pretty disappointed in the lack of bathrooms at the start line. They did however, have restrooms throughout the race - though I didn't need them. This was a training run for me; my schedule was set for 16 miles. My plan was to...