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 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!!

Rock'n'Roll Lisbon Half Marathon: October 2014

If you had asked me one year ago what I would be doing in October, running a half marathon in Portugal would have been the last thing on my mind.

Originally, I was planning to do the RnR Edinburgh in June because I had won a free entry via Twitter. After about a week of researching flights, places to stay, etc. I was just ready to begin booking reservations when I discovered that the race had been cancelled. Super bummed, I contacted the race organizers about getting an entry for another race, and they offered me my choice of Dublin in August or Lisbon in October. Knowing that I would be in Spain that fall, I opted for Lisbon. 

I immediately began trying to rally some of my running friends to meet me in Portugal and run with me. Sadly, no one was able to join me. As excited as I was to run in Lisbon, I wasn't looking forward to traveling to a strange country all by myself. I prayed for some solution that would allow me to safely travel to Portugal, and then I learned that my new ECA friend Jen would be traveling to Portugal to see her sister run in the exact same race that I was running! It was such a blessing to have someone to make plans and travel with. We ended up getting a great deal on a hostel and decided to travel by night bus to avoid having to miss school.

So, our adventure began Friday night as we boarded a bus to Portugal and learned that we had assigned seats! Praise the Lord we had the front seats, so I was able to stretch my legs out for the eight hour bus ride.

Upon arrival in Lisbon we met up with Jen's sister and spent the day seeing as much as we could around town using our day passes for the transit system. We stopped at the expo so I could pick up my race packet, then made our way to the hostel where we would be staying the night. 

Sunday morning I awoke at 5:00 am because I had to catch a train into the center of Lisbon and was not quite sure where I was supposed to be going. The half marathon, as it turns out, had its starting line on the Vasco de Gama Bridge, and the only way to get to there was to board a shuttle bus for the 15 minute commute.

Because I was being extra cautious, I ended up arriving early enough to catch the first shuttle and was one of the first people to get to the bridge. The sun was coming up and it was looking like a beautiful day for a run, but again, I would have to wait an hour and a half for the actual race to begin.

I found a spot next to the starting line, sat down, and got comfortable with everyone else.

As more people arrived, it started to get more crowded. Then, with still almost 45 minutes to go, some very anxious people started picking their way through those of us seated on the ground and began to crowd the front of the pack. Hundreds of people followed suit. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by butts.

At one point a helicopter circled overhead, taking aerial photos and video while we all waved like maniacs.

When it came time for the race to begin, there was a lot of chaos and confusion - a guy started shouting in Portuguese on the microphone while really loud rock music was playing, and everyone just started running. There was no gun, and certainly no wave start like in Chicago. Everyone just ran.

The Vasco de Gama bridge is about 10 miles long and is the longest bridge in Europe. When I found out that I would be running across this bridge, I was terrified. The thought of running and running and running and never actually getting across the bridge was just so demoralizing. Turns out we only ran one piece of it, about a mile and a half worth. The rest of the run was in town and for awhile we had a nice view of the ocean.

Preparing for this race was tough mentally, because I had to prepare myself for the fact that nowhere along the way would anyone be looking for me or cheering for me in particular. There was no one at the start line to send me off, and it was unlikely that my friend would be waiting for me at the finish because she would be looking for her sister. I was completely alone for this race.

I also put a lot of thought into how I would actually run the race. After two bad experiences earlier in the spring, I knew I needed a better solution for fueling during the race. In the weeks leading up to Lisbon I had a few really good long runs during which I tried out some new flavors of Gu and Nuun, and the success gave me hope for Lisbon. I also wanted to break my cycle of going hard and strong for ten miles and falling apart during the last three. My plan was that every five kilometers I would take a walking break and, while walking, take a shot of Gu. I vowed not to stop at any of the aid stations unless I was desperate, and I refused to drink their energy drinks. Thankfully the stations passed out water bottles, so rather than making an unnecessary stop I just picked one up as I passed by and sipped it when I needed it.

Mentally, this may have been the "fastest" half marathon I have ever run - meaning that the time seemed to pass quickly; the miles flew by! It seemed like I had only just begun when suddenly I found myself in mile 13 and nearing the finish! My fueling strategy worked really well, and not once during or after the race did I experience my usual nausea. What's more, my walking breaks actually helped my pace, as I beat my Chicago time by five whole minutes! I felt fabulous at the finish, and while I was definitely spent, I didn't feel completely drained or dead. I stocked up on some refreshments, took advantage of my free beer, and enjoyed listening to the concert for a few minutes before meeting up with Jen and her sister. Together we hobbled to the subway and made our way back to the hostel where hot showers and delicious food awaited!

The final verdict: the race had some organizational/logistical quirks, but I had a blast running and would do it again in a heartbeat! I'm not sure I would have run this particular race had I not received the free entry, but now that I have experienced it I would be more likely to choose it intentionally in the future. I learned from this race that I can successfully fuel during a run and not puke my guts out afterwards, and I learned that walking doesn't necessarily make you slower. 

Rock'n'Roll Nice 10 Miles du Carnaval: February 2014

Last weekend I had the awesome privilege of road-tripping to southern France with two friends for the sole purpose of running in a race.

We went on a racecation.

Somehow our friend managed to score us free entries to the race, so we decided to see if we could pull off the rest of the trip on a shoestring budget! That meant that even though we could have flown there and back in a few hours, we chose to drive 16 hours roundtrip and pack a cooler with our own food. This was only the second time I've been on a true "road trip" here in Europe and while it does sound exotic and fabulous (which it is), driving on the Autobahn is pretty much exactly like driving on the Ohio Turnpike, except the tolls are WAY more expensive!

I begged Jacob to take us to Milano but he refused...

We got cut off by Italians from BOTH sides while waiting for the toll booth!

The Rock'n'Roll Marathon Series tours big cities in America and Europe hosting marathons, half marathons, and other events. The race we chose was the Rock'n'Roll Nice 10 Miles du Carnaval event, which was just a few miles shy of a half marathon. I'll admit, the thought of training for a midwinter race was rather daunting but thankfully we've had an extremely mild winter so it turned out to be very doable.

Carnaval in Nice (Photo: Megan)

I would do this race every year for the rest of my life if I could - it really was that good. The scenery was amazing (um, hello, ten miles on the coast of the Mediterranean?!), the spectators were encouraging, and the camaraderie among the runners was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. Because of the Carnaval season, there was a costume contest for the runners. Being the amateur that I am, I didn't think that many people would participate. Boy, was I wrong! My friends and I actually looked out of place just for NOT wearing a costume. If you know me at all you know I live for a good costume so you better believe that next time I WILL be in costume, much to the embarrassment of my friends...



Warming up with Zumba (Photo: Jacob)

I didn't think a sumo wrestler would run faster than me ... but these guys did!

Found them.

 Anyway... the atmosphere of this race was incredible. The course was set up in such a way that allowed you to be in the middle of the action no matter how fast or slow you ran. There were about five or six different stages set up along the course where live bands performed, and the majority of the course was a two-way path, meaning there were always people running the opposite direction on the other side. I never felt like I was being left behind even if I was on the slower end.

The finish line was so festive, complete with paparazzi (seriously, there must have been a dozen cameras and not a single one got a flattering shot of my finish, haha) and music and a huge cheering section. In terms of pacing, I didn't have a specific goal, though based on my training runs I expected to finish shortly after two hours. As it turns out, I ran faster than expected and finished in 1:57! This made me really happy because it means a 2:30 half marathon time this summer isn't an unreasonable goal! I met up with Megan and Jacob, we posed for pictures, then took advantage of the bountiful refreshments: bananas, muffins, and water.

On our drive home, we decided to have a little fun and stop in each country for a picture. Yes, each country. Believe it or not, it was a faster drive (by at least an hour or more) to go through Switzerland and Italy than to just drive through France. So, over the course of nine hours we set foot in France, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany - if you're counting, that's five countries!

France

Monaco

Italy

Switzerland

Germany

Basically, the race was amazing and I am pumped to run another Rock'n'Roll race this summer. I signed up for Chicago in July, and I also won a free entry to another European race. I'm not sure yet whether that one will work out, but hopefully it will!

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!

 

25 Days of Christmas Photo Challenge Day 2: Decorations

Day 2: Decorations

 

This picture was taken today in Colmar, France at the Christmas market. In case you can't tell, we are reflected in a huuuge ball on the Christmas tree! It was such a beautiful day; the air was clear, the temperatures were above freezing, and we had a great time together.

Project November Day 12

Day 12: Something you miss

This one is easy, almost too easy. Living half a world away from my family and the place where I grew up means there are a lot of things to miss. In the quiet, quaintness of my small German villiage,  often miss the convenience of things like Wal-Mart and the Starbucks drive-thru. I miss the comfort of familiar things like worshiping in my home church and my parents' pup Duke snuggling with me before I get out of bed in the morning.

And while those are perfectly ok things to miss, that's just it - they are things. What I truly miss are my friends and family back home, and the opportunities to simply experience life alongside them.

To be able to go shopping with my mom, watch TV with my dad, or talk in funny voices with my brother while eating whipped cream from a spray can.

To call up a friend who lives an hour away and be able to get together for coffee.

To spend time with my grandparents while they are still relatively young and able to enjoy my company.

To get to know my younger cousins and be involved in the formation of their young lives.

Those are some of the things I truly miss.

Project November, Day 1

Clearly my lofty goals for this year's photography project have failed miserably, since my last post was five months ago. I originally started this second blog to be an outlet, a place where I could express myself creatively with topics or ideas completely unrelated to my service at BFA. So, for the month of November I'm tackling a 30-day writing challenge that I spotted on Pinterest. I can't find the original source, otherwise I would give credit to the person responsible for the list. Also, I'm not using every single prompt - some I am rewriting to be more pertinent to my own life. So without further ado, today's topic.

Day 1: Five ways to win your heart.

This is probably referring to a romantic heart winning, but I've included ways that women can win my heart in non-romantic ways, too.

1. Serenade me. It doesn't matter what instrument you play, or what song you sing. Music speaks to me. What can I say? I'm a sucker for guitars and pretty harmonies. Extra winning if you write a song just for me.

2. Speak my love language, which is words of affirmation. I'm ridiculously sentimental. This past summer I cleaned out boxes and boxes of stuff from my childhood and threw away over ten years' worth of notes, cards, and letters from friends that I had saved because I was too sappy to throw them away. Now that I'm a teacher, I'm amassing a collection of handwritten notes from my students and encouraging letters from their parents, because their words speak to my heart and affirm my decision to become a teacher.

3. Give me chocolate. Obviously. Even better if the chocolate includes coconut, mint, or peanut butter in some form.

4. Make me laugh, or let me be free to laugh at stupid/nerdy/quirky things without feeling like a loser. Sometimes it's like I never left middle school.

5. Love Jesus.

P52 / 19 / crazy

It's been awhile since I've had time to post on here - I am three weeks behind!! This was my week just prior to leaving for Lugano - CRAZY. Pics for this week are courtesy of a last minute spirit day. I dressed as Miss Frizzle.

P52 / 19 / crazy