My Inspiration Wall

This is the wall I wake up to everyday.  Let me give you a tour.

I have 4 plaques that I got at Kohls for about $5 to $7.  There is also a card that I received in my package for Run The Year 2017. It is an inspiration card that tells me not to quit.

Then next to that day is a bib holder that I put all of the calendar days from 2016 in.  On to the medal holders. The one on the left was my first one.  I got it for Christmas in 2014. All the medals and bibs are from the year 2014 and 2015. The crown that is hanging from it is from the Diva Run 5k and half-marathon San Francisco.

The purple bib and medal holder I got for Christmas this past year. I told my husband that I was going to get a shower curtain to hang on the wall and start putting the medals on because it was getting to full.  I was going to do this over my 2 weeks off from work but then I opened my gift and got this one! I love it! It is my favorite color and I certainly do “Run Like A Girl”!  All the bibs and medals are just for 2016. So as you can tell I probably need a new one soon but I have some new ideas of what to do to avoid having to buy another one.

The calendar to the right of the new medal holder is from Gone for a Run.  It has saying and quotes for each day, weekends together, and I love using those in my run selfies that I post to Facebook and Instagram.

Below that is from the challenge I am doing.  Run The Year 2017. I will be completing 2,017 miles this year with a team of 3 other women.  I do have my own personal goal of 1,000 miles for 2017. I am trying to hit a 100 miles every month.

Below the poster is the bib I wore, but didn’t have to, for the half-marathon in Las Vegas. My husband and I participated in the Run Through Wedding.  It was our 10-year anniversary and what better way to celebrate than running and Vegas!!! We renewed our vows to each other at about the 3 mile mark.

On my dresser is my training log that I am keeping for the year and along with that is a jar that I am putting a quarter ($0.25) in for every mile I complete.

Hope you like it! If you have any other ideas or things that I could please let me know in the comment section.

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The New Year along with the lasts

So the new year has come and gone and I decided to calculate how many miles I have done so far in my running career.  I decided to break it down for each year.

I started running in the summer of 2013 as a way of losing that last baby weight from my son.  It wasn’t easy and I didn’t stick to it.

When 2014 came I really got back on the saddle. I started the C25K program over again.  Signed up for races and really enjoyed this me time that I got. It was definitely needed with an infant and 5 year old and a husband 😉 In doing this I was able to increase my miles for this year by a whole bunch. In this year I ran a 2 mile race, a Color Run (not my cup of tea), and 4 5k’s.  I was really proud of myself and what I accomplished this year.

Here comes 2015, this was the year I decided to do a half-marathon. So I found the Hal Hidgon half-marathon Novice 1 training plan. I remember looking at the long runs and thinking “5 miles, Oh My God! That is a lot!!!”  But, this plan prepared me for it. Leading up to the half-marathon I did a 2 mile race, 3 5k’s, my first 10k and on September 19th, 2015 I ran my very first half-marathon in Petaluma, Ca. I finished in 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 33 seconds. After that race I did a 12k in San Francisco, a virtual 5k race, and another 5k race in December.

2016 was the year I wanted to do my first marathon. I decided this after my half-marathon in September. I printed off Hal Hidgon marathon training plan and started to train on my own. In January of 2016 I went out for my 16 mile run and messed up my knee to wear I was out for 2 weeks.  I decided to bump down to the half-marathon. I continued training once my knee felt good and ran it on March 20, 2016.  My time was 2 hours 13 minutes and 50 seconds (my best so far).  I went on and did 2 more half-marathons after that in May and June. Two more 5k’s in the summer months, another 12k in San Francisco, a rainy half-marathon in October, a Halloween 10k, and then went to Las Vegas and did the Remix Challenge, so the 5k and half-marathon. Any my last 5k in December.

In the middle of these races I decided again that I want to attempt the marathon. I saw a post on Facebook about a local (30 mins away) training group. I went and checked it out and then signed up for it. I knew I needed the motivation and knowledge from other people to help me achieve my goal. The marathon is in March. I am very excited and nervous for it.

This is the overall mileage per year. My goal this year is 1000 miles!

Think I can do it? Share any tips or advice you have for me please. 

 

 

 

 

What running has taught me?

Running has taught me that in life I can do what I have never thought I can do.  From dedicating myself to training for weeks to run 13.1 miles to meeting new people and connecting with them with something we love. There is a special community I am so glad to be a part of.

Why?

So why running?  I started running in 2014.  I needed something to help me lose those last 10 pounds of baby weight.  I hate being inside and following a video so I decided to try running.  I am someone that needs something to follow and tell me how far to go and for how long. I had heard about Couch to 5k and thought maybe that will work.  I had done a mud run before and it wasn’t my cup of tea.  So running without mud and obstacles sounded better to me.

I started the program and thought I was going to die after the first day.  I knew it was only going to get harder.  I stuck with it though. In the middle of the program I signed up for a 2 miler run and did that in 20:45.  I ran out to hard and it hurt me towards the middle of the run.  It was exciting being in my first official race where I was running and having my family watch. I ended up placing 2nd in my age group so that was cool feeling to have been able to accomplish that as a new runner.

More to follow…