2015 Running Total Weeks 27-28

This weekend I participated in the Rock'n'Roll Chicago running festival. I ran the 5K on Saturday with my dad, then did the half marathon on Sunday. I've never run two races back to back like that before, so it was a new experience for me. As a result, I earned some awesome bling. 

I'll be writing a separate post about the races themselves but for now it's time for another Running Total update. I am still well ahead of schedule for my goal of running 600 km in 2015, as we are nearing the end of July and I'm already past the 350 mark.

My 2015 Running Total is 383.7 kilometers! Rock on!

2015 Running Total Weeks 17-26

Well, once again I totally dropped the ball on keeping this blog updated but I can promise you I HAVE been running! I took some time to recover following the RnR Madrid Half, and then on May 25 I began the Runner's World Run Streak. You may recall that I participated in the winter streak that ran from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day: A mile a day for 36 days. This time around was no different, with the exception of the timing. From Memorial Day until the 4th of July: 41 days of running! I know I had said before that running the streak was not something I'd do again, but I decided that if I didn't commit to it now, I'd lose my motivation to run for the summer (despite having signed up for races!). I'll write a summary post on the Streak later this week, but in the meantime it's time to update my Running Total for the first time in two months!

My 2015 Running Total is now up to 351.4 kilometers! Whoohoo!

We are now halfway through the calendar year and I am a whole month ahead on my goal to run 600 kilometers in 2015! Yay!

2015 Running Total Weeks 15-16

The last two weeks have kept me busy; busy enough to not even have time to post an update last Monday! They were also the final two weeks of training for the Rock'n'Roll Madrid Half Marathon so I had a lot of interesting runs thrown in there at the end - from long and slow to short and speedy, exploring new trails and pounding out the familiar paths. Between five final training runs and the actual race itself, my kilometer count has definitely spiked.

I'll be posting a full race recap about my experience at RnR Madrid later this week, but until then here's a preview pic from yesterday, rocking the drowned rat look at the finish line.

My 2015 running total is now up to 211 kilometers!

2015 Running Total Weeks 12-14

My last update was posted during our last week of school before spring break, and admittedly school wasn't the only thing I took a break from. I've been working on my longer runs and hills lately, in preparation for the Rock'n'Roll Madrid Half Marathon which is now two weeks away. I did get in a lot of solid runs though, and some of them could even be considered milestones. 

We took one of our Running Club students on her first 5K, but my GPS didn't start tracking us until we'd already run half a kilometer! 

The night before I left for vacation, I did a 10K that took me up a hill that, up until that point, I had not been able to run without stopping. I may have been the slowest person on the path that night but the victory I felt upon reaching the top of that hill gave me a renewed energy to finish the rest of the run strong.

On my beach vacation I ran along the beachfront path while my friend rollerbladed, both of us weaving in and out of "traffic."

Be jealous.

After returning from the beach I hosted a visiting friend and showed her some of my favorite running paths. 

I was really hoping to hit 150 km by the end of March so that I could be back on track with my personal goal of running 600 km in 2015, and I got so close! Instead of pushing it, I decided to let my body rest. I have no doubt that I will hit 200 by May 1!

These last three weeks have brought my 2015 running total to 158 kilometers!

2015 Running Total Week 11

This week was pretty uneventful, so today's post is short and sweet. Weather and other factors limited the amount of actual running I could do, so I did more indoor workouts instead. Apparently we've begun the rainy season here in Spain, which is not good news for running! Here's hoping I get breaks in the weather when I need them most!

This week brings my 2015 running total to 118.9 kilometers!

2015 Running Total Week 10

This week was another great week!

None of the middle schoolers were able to run on Monday, so Jessie and I took advantage of the time to do a longer, faster run. She really pushed the pace for me and I ended up running an entire 5k at a sub-7 pace! I felt like I was dying and flying simultaneously! I don't enjoy fast running, but I know that I need to do it more often. If I keep up with this, maybe I'll finally be able to finish a 5k in under 30 minutes...

Wednesday was a shorter run with the girls, but we forgot to get a picture together. Another new face joined us, while other regulars weren't able to make it. It was incredibly warm that day, which made our regular 3 kilometers feel even harder than usual. It was also during this run that I hit the 100 kilometer mark for 2015! Whoohoo!

I had plans to run hills on Friday but since I had stayed out late the night before celebrating my birthday I was pretty wiped. I also had a pile of grading to finish for the end of the quarter, so I opted to go home and get into bed to rest up for Saturday's long run.

Saturday morning was cooler than usual, so I donned long sleeves for our 10k. I was worried I'd get hot from the sun, but the brisk wind kept me quite comfortable, if not slightly chilled. We'd been running hills so often lately that I suggested a less scenic out-and-back towards Alcalá and it made a huge difference! This was the first time since officially beginning my training that I ran an entire 10k without walking breaks, and by the time we finished I still felt pretty good. I rewarded myself with chocolate milk and a hot bath to relax my muscles. I've been working them pretty hard lately and my knees were starting to ache a bit, so it felt justified.

This wonderful week brings my 2015 running total to 111.3 kilometers!

2015 Running Total Week 9

This has been an awesome week for me in terms of running! I had been looking for ways to not only get back into my routine, but to really get my mojo back, and this week I did both.

It started a little over a week ago during youth group, when somehow a conversation with a group of my middle school girls turned to exercise and motivation. Not sure how they would react, I asked the girls if they would be interested in running with me after school a few days a week. They responded positively, but I was unsure whether they would actually follow through.

Turns out, they were actually pretty excited about running, so another teacher and I set out on Monday afternoon with three 7th and 8th grade girls. We challenged them to run two miles and they did it! Encouraged by their progress, I invited them to return on Wednesday.

You can only imagine my excitement when, on Wednesday, all three returned along with two new girls! Once again we ran them through town, covering a distance of two miles. After our run we went through stretches and rewarded ourselves with the chocolate milk that I had stashed in the staff fridge prior to heading out.

Encouraging new runners this week has been great for me, and a good reminder of how far I've come in the last few years. It's also motivated me to want to continue to improve. I'm exited to run with the girls again next week and am hoping that more girls join us!

I also did two longer runs this week, since I am still working on increasing my mileage for RnR Madrid. I explored a new set of trails with a friend today and even though we did take a few wrong turns, we found our way pretty quickly and had a great 10 km run. The only thing I didn't like about this path was the insane amount of hills. We were literally running up or down a hill for about 75% of the run ... a very small portion was actually flat ground! I guess as long as I stick with it, it will get easier each time!

This fabulous week brings my 2015 running total to 92.6 kilometers! 

2015 Running Total Weeks 4-8

Since my last update I have really been struggling to find the motivation I needed to get out there and do my runs. I've also been struggling with sickness and muscle aches that have prevented me from performing at my best when I do actually WANT to run. As a result of all that, in the last four weeks I've only done a total of five runs. Five runs is better than none ... so I am still celebrating them.

a Valentine's date with myself

With the beginning of March I should have hit close to 100 km to reach my year-long goal of 600 km, but I am a bit behind. Since the RnR Madrid half marathon is now less than two months away, I have high hopes that I will be back on track by the end of April. Here goes nothin'!

This week's runs bring my 2015 running total to 67.3 kilometers! 

2015 Running Total Week 3

Last week I started off so strong and this week? Well, it was a lot harder to stick with my plans two weeks in a row. For someone who is such a creature of habit, I am just really not doing well following my own plans! 

On Monday afternoon I ran a shorter-than-usual path with a friend, and we were overwhelmed by the wind! We literally ran north, south, east, and west (a square loop) and yet, the wind was blowing into our faces the entire time. I remember thinking, "I just have to turn the corner and then we'll have some relief," and then each time we turned, the wind would shift as if to say, "Sucker!"

The temps dropped on Wednesday and the winds picked up, so we took our workout indoors. My friend Sophia has a gym membership so she brought me and another friend, Jessie, and we got in for free because we told them we were considering getting a membership there (NOT a lie - I am actually considering it!). So in addition to running on the treadmill -- which I hate, by the way -- we took advantage of the other equipment available to us and used the machines and free weights. That was entertaining. We determined that I have killer legs but weak arms, and Jessie is a beast upstairs with not so strong legs. Together, we are one strong person! One of these days I'll get back to a regular arms routine ...

I ended the week in style by totally skipping out on Friday and Saturday's scheduled runs, which meant I HAD to run on Sunday afternoon. Thankfully it was a beautiful day with clear skies, warm sunshine, and NO wind! I ran five miles, which is the longest run I've done since RnR Lisbon back in October. It felt good once I fell into a rhythm, but since the first three miles were uphill it took awhile for my body to get there. I imagine if I run that trail enough times, I'll adjust soon.

Did you think I was kidding? This was a killer!!

All in all it wasn't a terrible week, but it could have been better. I still have a lot to accomplish if I'm going to hit my monthly goal, but I am honestly not too worried about hitting it this month. If I do, great, but if I don't, no big deal. There will be plenty of time in the next few weeks to make up for it!

This week's runs bring my 2015 running total to: 32.5 kilometers! 

2015 Running Total Weeks 1-2

I started running consistently again this week, our first full week back at school. After taking my hiatus following the #RWRunStreak and savoring the last few days of Christmas break, this seemed like the perfect time to get back into a routine. So, three days this week I hit the road after classes with two other teacher friends. I realized right off the bat that they are faster than me. It's not the first time I've been the slowest runner in the group. In the moment, it's pretty discouraging - always trying to keep up, always twenty paces behind, not able to participate in or even hear their conversation... not fun. But if I do it consistently enough, it also helps me become a faster runner. Case in point: last spring I had to really push to get my average kilometer pacing under 7 minutes/km on my daily runs. This week, I consistently hit a pace average of 6:45! If I can keep this up, it will mean good things for my race goals this year!

I think I am also well on my way to hitting my personal running goal, as well. I hope to run at least 600 kilometers in 2015, which averages out to 50 per month. I am a little behind for January given my hiatus during the first ten days of the month, but it's totally feasible to hit 50 before the end of the month.

Without further ado, here is my first Running Total update of 2015! Like my new badge?

Running Total: 17 kilometers

2014 Recap & Running Total Finale

One year ago, I set a goal for myself to keep track of how far I ran during 2014. I'd been following some running bloggers and many of them had been posting their total mileage for the year, which made me wonder how far I could run in one year. I also thought there could be value in keeping track of what I wore, ate, drank, etc. and how the temperatures affected my running. I didn't go so far as to set a goal,  though, because I honestly didn't know what was reasonable for a newbie who had only just joined the ranks of half-marathon runners.

So 2014 started out like every new year - full of excitement and motivation. I carefully logged every run in a cute little pink notebook and noted every detail that I thought relevant: time, distance, temperature, weather conditions, wardrobe and shoe selections, running companions, perceived effort, etc. In an effort to maintain accountability I also posted weekly updates here on my newly renovated blog. Not that anyone was actually reading my blog, but making it public helped me stick with it.

Needless to say, I did not keep up with my weekly posts. What's more, I stopped using my little pink notebook all together when I went home to America for the summer and was gifted with an iPhone 4. I began to use the free iRunner app to log my runs, and no longer felt it necessary to document as many details for each run.

Today, as part of the Runner's World Run Streak, I completed my last run of 2014. I had hoped to really go out with a bang, but all the snow we got this week has turned to ice and slush, and it was just impossible for me to run safely. So, I did my mile and called it a day. I did, however, get a great calves workout - running on slushy snow is not unlike running on the beach!

So now that I've logged today's run, I can share my final Running Total report for the year. Are you ready for this?! During 2014 I ran a total of 519.11 kilometers! That's 322.56 miles!! YASSS!!!

Looking back, 2014 was probably my most exciting and adventurous year of running! My Nikes pounded the pavement in Germany, France, Switzerland, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, and three different states within the USA. I completed four half marathons, three of which were "official." I went on three Racecations: Nice, France with my friends Megan and Jacob; Chicago with my parents; and Lisbon, Portugal with my friend Jen. I also spent the second half of the year learning how to be a solo runner as I was separated from my two best friends and running buddies in June.

Rock'n'Roll Nice 10 Miles du Carnaval

Freiheitslauf (fundraiser)

Dreiländerlauf Three Country Run

Rock'n'Roll Chicago Half Marathon

Putnam County Mental Health 4-Miler

Rock'n'Roll Lisbon Half Marathon

At the beginning of the year I had no idea I would accomplish so much, or how addicted I would become to racing! I can't help but feel an immense amount of pride as I scroll through this list of races from the last year; just a few years ago I could barely run a mile without wanting to die, and now I am the one dragging my friends to races and going on "fun runs." I have learned so much this year and become a stronger runner through it. I am by no means an expert, but I finally feel like I can truly call myself a real runner. I am so excited for what's to come in 2015!!

Running Total Weeks 16-21

Once again I have totally slacked off on my weekly updates, but this time I have a lot more excitement so share, including two, yes TWO half marathons that I have completed!

On May 10 I participated in the Freiheitslauf, translated Freedom Run. This event was hosted by a local German church and the money raised went to fighting human trafficking. The course was a 2.1 kilometer loop that runners ran as many times as possible during a three-hour window, and before the race they had collected sponsors who pledged to give per loop completed. I, along with two of my running friends, was approached about running on behalf of our BFA community. At first I turned it down because I thought the loops would drive me insane but it turned out to be a really great experience and enjoyable despite the repeated scenery. It was a huge motivation to know that there would be cheerleaders every 2.1 km and that I wasn't going to go off and get lost in the woods somewhere. I ended up completing ten laps - my second half marathon!

After the race I felt extremely nauseous, more than I have ever felt after a long run. On the way home I had to ask my friend Katrina to pull over so that I could empty my stomach of its contents, which just turned out to be water. I think it was a combination of the heat and the German "gatorade" I had consumed during the run.

Two weeks later I ran in the Dreilaenderlauf, or Three Country Run. This is the event I ran last year as my first half marathon, and I decided that I would repeat it because it was so much fun. As the name implies, it's a half marathon that runs its course through three countries: beginning and ending in Switzerland while passing through France and Germany. It wasn't nearly as fun this time since none of my running friends could join me. A friend and parent of my students ran in the race but we had different paces so I only saw her at the beginning and the end. It was a huge struggle for me to finish this race completely alone, since I am significantly slower than the slowest European runner. I was alone on the race course for most of the second half of the race, with very little motivation to keep moving. Again, the sun beat down on me and I felt my body growing weary from exhaustion. I was hoping to beat my previous year's time and was very disappointed to find that I had actually done worse, by three whole minutes. I think the biggest disappointment was not that I ran slower, but that I was within three minutes of beating my time - I was so close that had I not walked just a teeny bit, I could have beat last year's time.

Running with some kids from church who came out to cheer!

At the finish line with my friend Dawn

Just like the last race, I found myself very sick to my stomach but made it almost all the way home before having to empty my stomach, again on the side of the road. This time it was in the middle of Kandern, just down the street from my home. I literally jumped out of the car and puked on somebody's hedges. As my body convulsed I registered the gutteral sounds of German speakers and braced myself for a lecture about puking in public but thankfully they kept their distance and let me suffer alone.

The next goal I'm working towards is one that has been on my agenda since December: the Rock'n'Roll half marathon in Chicago! It takes place July 20, so I have some time to recover from two basically back-to-back half marathons and still work back up to the high mileage runs. Now if only my body would start adjusting to the warmer weather...I'd really love NOT puking in Chicago...

Week 16: REST
Week 17:13.4 km
Week 18: 26.4 km
Week 19: 5.4
Week 20: 26
Week 21: REST

2014 Running Total, Week 21: 261.75 km

Running Total Weeks 7-15

Ok, confession time - I have not kept up a regular running routine since the race in Nice (February!). I took a week off like I usually do after a big race, then March came through destroying everything in its path including my healthy habits. I didn't fall off the wagon altogether; in fact I have gone on several short and long runs, just not enough to justify weekly reports. I've kept track of them in my running journal but didn't think they were worth posting. So, this update encompasses several weeks' worth of runs and should get me all caught up. Why now? Because my next race (the three-country half marathon) is a little over a month away, and it's time to get back on the ball. My goal for the next six weeks is 3-4 runs per week, covering a minimum of 15 km and increasing my long runs each weekend. Here we go!

2014 Running Total, Weeks 7-15: 190.55 km

Running Total Week 6

This was my last week of training before the Rock'n'Roll 10-Miler in Nice, and it was a great week for running! It started out on Monday with Megan and I running our last "long" run, which ended up being 15 kilometers. Based on the pace for that run, I figured I could expect to finish the Nice run (16 km) somewhere in the neighborhood of two hours. I was, once again, super exhausted following that run, but I strongly believe that doing long runs in the afternoon (after teaching all day) is much more taxing than my usual routine of long Saturday morning runs after a full night's rest.

Our final training run was a short one on Wednesday which actually ended up being rather discouraging and frustrating for me, but it is what it is. I knew my body was ready for the race, despite the crappy run I had that afternoon.

I'm going to write a separate post about the race because it was just that awesome. Check back tomorrow for all the juicy details! In the meantime, celebrate with me that I've now run more than 100 kilometers so far in 2014!!

WEEK 6
Monday: 15 km
Wednesday: 5 km
Sunday: 16 km at Rock'n'Roll Nice


2014 Running Total, Week 5: 116.95 km

KBL Weigh-in: -2.8 pounds

 

Running Total Week 5

Last week was pretty stressful for me in terms of school and lesson plans/prep, but I was able to get back into a rhythm for running and working out after being away for several days. I didn't do any long runs this week, though we did extend one of our early morning runs by about 40%. Not much to report this week, though as I write this I'm feeling the burn of the 15km run I did last night with Megan in preparation for our Rock'n'Roll 10 miler in Nice, which is now mere days away!

WEEK 5
Tuesday: 5.3 km - finally hit an average 7 minute kilometer!
Thursday: 6.75 km - extended our route just to make things interesting


2014 Running Total, Week 5: 80.95 km

KBL Weigh-in: -4 pounds, and that's still not enough to be in the top three for the week?!

 

Running Total Week 4

Once again I only went out twice this week to run, and neither of them were with my regular running buddies or my usual routes. I had the awesome chance to run with my other running bestie, Megan. She's 4259 in the picture below. Since her role at BFA has changed, I see her much less often and finding time for our schedules to intersect is very difficult. This week was the first time we'd run together since September and as we set out for our first run together on Monday afternoon, it felt just like old times.

A miscommunication between us resulted in us running 13 kilometers that day! It actually felt pretty great, but I was WIPED.OUT afterwards, more exhausted than I usually am for a long run. I went to a dinner party at some friends' house, itching to replenish all the calories I'd burned that day with a delicious meal and celebrating my loss of 3.6 pounds that week. While filling my plate generously with fixings for taco salad I was suddenly overcome with a horrible feeling and knew immediately that I would not be cleaning my plate that night. Not wanting to draw attention to myself I asked my host and hostess if there was a place I could lie down for a few minutes, out of sight from the other guests. They graciously and discreetly ushered me upstairs to their guest room, gave me a glass of water, and told me I could stay as long as I needed. I curled up under the huge duvet feeling beyond miserable and wondered if I was finally coming down with the flu that had been going around...and woke up two and a half hours later to find that I'd completely slept through dinner. I was mortified, but again my hosts were so gracious and understanding, and obviously my body needed to recover (it ended up not being the flu, just exhaustion) so I'm thankful that they were so understanding and hospitable.

My second run that week wasn't nearly as exciting. Sadly my routine was interrupted a lot this week as I was away at a conference from Thursday morning to Sunday night and was completely overwhelmed preparing to leave beforehand. I'm looking forward to getting back into my regular routine this week, as my first race of the season, the Rock'n'Roll 10-miler in Nice, France, is two weeks away! I can't wait!!

WEEK 4
Monday: 13 km
Wednesday: 5 km

2014 Running Total, Week 4: 68.9 km

KBL Weigh-in: +2 pounds (which I don't understand at all, because I worked out extra hard while I was away on my conference and was super careful about what I ate. Needless to say I'm not happy.)

 

Running Total Week 3 and KBL Weigh-In

This week was slow. I only went out twice due to sick running partners, but the two times I did go were definitely worth it. One of our regular running paths takes us on a ten-kilometer loop through three neighboring villages, and is known for one very large hill near the end. I did this loop twice this week, first in the wee hours of the morning (and in the dark! crazy!) with my running bestie and then on a frigid Saturday morning with the full running crew. Surprisingly I did worse on the Saturday run even though I ran more, which must just mean my overall pace was slower. Sometimes running in the cold slows me down a bit...

WEEK 3
Wednesday: 10 km
Saturday: 10 km

2014 Running Total, Week 3: 50.9 km

I'm also going to keep track of my weight loss through Kandern's Biggest Loser in these posts. Today was the end of our second week and our third weigh-in. I'm proud to say that this week I lost 3.6 pounds, for a total of 6.6 pounds lost so far. Yay!

 

Running Total Weeks 1-2

Over the last year and a half I've come to grips with the fact that I'm a runner. In fact, in 2013 I ran in FOUR races totaling 57 km. One of those races was my first half marathon, which just so happened to run through three countries! However, without a goal to work towards, running bores me and I have no motivation to keep it up. So, this year I've committed to running in three different races that total 58 km. In a few weeks I'll be running in the Nice (France) Rock and Roll 10 miler (16 km), in May I'll run the Dreilanderlauf (three country half marathon) and in July I'll run the Chicago Rock and Roll half marathon.

Another goal I have for myself this year is to record the total number of kilometers I run. So in an attempt at accountability, I'll be posting about my weekly training runs on Mondays and also update the "running total". This is my second week of official training for 2014, but my first week of documenting it here on the blog.

WEEK 1
Tuesday: 5.3 km
Thursday: 5.3 km (with a very painful fall!)

WEEK 2
Tuesday: 5.3 km
Wednesday: 2.7 km (with my 8th grade boys! Fun!)
Thursday: 5.3 km
Saturday: 7 km

2014 Running Total, Week 2: 30.9 km