Blogger Support for TNT!

I promise I have an update on Week 1 training coming up soon, but for today, please go here...

Bobbi is AWESOME. Not only does she do it all, but she manages to blog about it all too. (I can't keep up. Clearly.) She generously offered to help me raise money for my TNT campaign today!

The deets (from her blog):

>>If we sell 30 Enviotes (plus you will receive the Envipal for free ($8 value)), I will DONATE $150 ($5 PER BAG) to Kristen for her Team in Training Fundraising efforts.

>>So you are going to get a great reusable tote + a wonderful lunch box for only $20 and I will be giving $5 of it to a wonderful cause!!!

>>We only have until tomorrow night May 26th to make this happen, so let’s get shopping!!!

THANKS Bobbi!

I bought my tote, did you? I promise to be back with my Chicago 2010 Training Schedule and an update on how the first week went soon! Happy Tuesday :)

10/10/10 Chicago Marathon!

I know I'm basically MIA from the blog world, but I did want to let y'all know I just signed up to be a mentor for Team in Training this fall season for the Chicago Marathon! I will be raising money again and hopefully will be able to keep this updated with my training and progress.

Will come back to post my training schedule and other thoughts soon :)

XOXO
~ChasRunner

My girls & I at M's bridal brunch at her wedding weekend in April in the Keys - the 1st of us to get hitched!

8 Degrees with Snow and Ice

This past weekend was kind of a blur. We got in to Charleston from Chicago around 7 PM Saturday, and were basically just exhausted from the trip. Thursday through Saturday morning was slam packed with meetings, breakout sessions, networking, etc. We had a great time and I definitely learned a lot about my new field.

A few of the highlights of the trip were my two runs through the city. Friday morning I got up early to run down the lake path that borders Lake Michigan and the city skyline. It was about 8 degrees, the lake was frozen, and there were mounds of dirty snow along the sides of the road and ice creeping onto the walk paths. But it was so serene and the lake was just beautiful. I also meandered over to Michigan Avenue and did the only shopping of the trip, some window shopping as I ran by. Ran about 6 miles, which was a little shorter than I was hoping for, but I had to turn around a few miles in along the lake path as it was blocked with snow and ice. That's when I headed down Michigan a bit until my stomach was about to explode and I high tailed it back to the hotel (due to the insane amounts of food they were feeding us, can't say I was complaining though).

Saturday morning I got up early again and did 4 miles, down Michigan Ave. and under a tunnel back onto the lake path (further down than I went the day before) and the weather was considerably nicer in the 30s. I was actually a bit overdressed and ended up shedding my gloves. There were dozens of other runners out that morning, and it was beautiful to get to explore a bit more of the city and run the path that many Chicagoans do on a daily basis. Looked kind of like this, just add some snow and ice (Navy Pier is in the background, our hotel was about 6 blocks down from that).


The other highlight was our Friday night dinner stop at the Chopping Block. This place was great! It has a retail shop up front with tons of neat kitchen items, and then a cooking school in the back with a huge demonstration kitchen, a bar with tables for appetizers, and a huge kitchen with multiple stations where we all divided into groups and worked with a few chefs to cook a French-inspired meal. It was definitely a good time, and I ate way too much food that night!

The one thing I love about running, is that it is definitely the best way to explore a new city while traveling. If I hadn't went out running, I would hardly have seen any of Chicago! I have run while on vacation in Greece (Crete and Santorini), Australia (Melbourne and Perth), Indonesia (Bali), the Dominican Republic, and all over the US while traveling. If I could pick one thing I love most about running, it would definitely be the freedom that comes with traveling a new city on foot. You really get to know a new place that way.

See next post for updates on this weekend's long run.

I Have the Sickness....

I suppose that this ever-changing weather is the reason that I am sick, yet again, for the second time this winter. I was sick at the beginning of January (for my 1st day at new job) and now, here it is the beginning of the month of love (AND the month of my 24th birthday!) and I'm snot sniffling again. Ugh.


I had on my schedule last night to run 8 miles total, with the first two at marathon goal pace, then 4 miles tempo (with 1:00 of rest in between) then 2 more miles at marathon goal pace to finish it off. But my late-night run didn't go as planned...for a few reasons:

1. Yesterday I ate a semi-late lunch at about 2:30, which was a big Greek salad with some gyro meat. That doesn't sound like something that would mess up ones stomach and keep someone from having a good run almost FOUR HOURS later, now does it? Oh, but it did.

2. I'm SICK. Again.

So, when I got home from a busy and stressful day at work, a little later than usual, (I wasn't lucky enough as the LOLcat) and headed out on my run, I could tell that this was going to be a bad one. Not only was I exhausted but I felt run-down and my stomach was still full for some crazy reason.

My first two "slow" miles were, eh, okay. Then I set off to do my first tempo mile and I knew I was in for it when I...threw up in my mouth. And it was almost a full-blown, pull over and puke on the sidewalk type situation, but I managed to quell my stomach just in time. And I NEVER throw up, so, yeah it was bad.

Puke will definitely put a damper on a good sprint run.

So after I spit all that nastiness out as much as I could, I finished out the 3rd mile, and was into the 4th after consloing myself into cutting the run down to 6 miles. But once I was finishing up mile 4, I looped back by my apartment building (the problems of living on a 4.5 mile looped peninsula) and just said, screw it, and turned around and walked my sick tail home in great defeat (but feeling much better knowing I would soon be inside, sick, on my couch).

All in all a horrible run. I couldn't even enjoy the laziness of chilling on my couch post-shower, because I continued to feel like crap all night. I hardly ate dinner, my stomach was queasy, and of course my nose was running off my face and I was coughing and sneezing like crazy.

So today is a new day. I have my track workout scheduled for tonight and it's crazy cold here (for the south) so hopefully I can pull out one good workout tonight before I fly off to Chicago tomorrow.

I'll let ya know how that goes...

Suuuperbowl Weekend: 14 Miles

Last week was a bit...hazy, which would explain for the lack of posting regarding last week's runs.

Before I started by current job January 5th, I was working a contract marketing job that lasted until beginning of February, and last week was our deadline week to finish up (i.e. drive around the entire 50 mile radius of the Lowcountry delivering boxes to people) so with two jobs and trying to fit in training, I was a bit worse for the wear.

But, as of tomorrow we should have everything officially done, and I owe it all to my fantabulous, couldn't ask for better, big manly sweetie with a pickup truck that will do anything for me, boyfriend, who spent all day Friday driving around delivering boxes of this medicine to people, without much organizational help on my end...I am a procrastinator, big time, and didn't have things ready for him when I left for work Friday morning...so anyways, last week was NOT fun, but today if already looking a lot better. Between the two of us this morning we almost have everything delivered, and this week is looking sweet.

Last week's runs were out of order, which annoys me, and I didn't get in my track workout or my tempo run. I ended up running 8 on Monday and then running 6 on Thursday. This past weekend I did a quick 4 Saturday morning, and yesterday completed the dreaded 10 miles including over the bridge and back.

Sunday's run was pretty slow, I think I messed up by eating some trail mix beforehand...I have a VERY sensitive running stomach (actually just a sensitive stomach all around...ugh). Then of course the Superbowl was on, so the BF and I ordered D'Allesandro's which is by my definition, the best pizza in Charleston, possibly best pizza EVER (and thei cheesy bread with home made marinara sauce is amazing, I could put that sauce on cardboard and I think I would lick it up) so we lounged about all night watching the Steelers win, then The Office, which I didn't think was too funny.

Early Thursday morning I will be heading out of town to CHICAGO!! on a business trip, and couldn't be more excited.




But this will mean I have to move my runs around a bit. Instead of taking tonight off I'm going to do my tempo run, then tomorrow the track workout, and then Wednesday evening before packing do the 6 mile hill workout over the bridge. Then I can relax on Thursday in the Windy City, and possibly get in a good city run Friday at some point.

Then, on to 12 miles Sunday morning! Hopefully it won't be too bad...