100 Days of Sweat: Day 28

Wooooo! I'm more than a quarter of the way through my 100 days. Is it bad that this is easier than my #100happydays pic-a-day challenge?!

Day 21: Walked ~4 miles (travel day)
Day 22: 1.72 mile run, 18:04
Day 23: 1.25 mile run, 13:07 (travel day)
Day 24: Slash
Day 25: Slash
Day 26: Jiu Jitsu
Day 27: Pilates
Day 28: 1.53 mile run, 16:12

My flight left early on Sunday so I didn't have time to do anything before my arrival in Baltimore. I landed & went to the hotel but my room wasn't ready. So I changed into shorts & flip flops (perhaps a mistake.) and stored my luggage at the hotel.

View of the Harbor from the Visitors Center

I walked down to the Inner Harbor from my Harbor East hotel location. Such a gorgeous walk along the water. I found a place with crab cakes (naturally) and enjoyed some lunch while making plans for the World Cup game.

Next, I walked to Fells Point from the Harbor to meet up with an old former co-worker from Zimmerman. I got to Fells quite a while before she was ready to arrive so I walked around some more. I love this area. Cobblestone streets, shops, restaurants and festivals throughout AND right on the water.

Fells Point

I met up with my friend & one of her co-workers at Koopers. I had already eaten but looked like they serve a delicious brunch! (plus it was packed; always a good sign.)

I had forgotten the World Cup final game started at 3, not 4. So I had to rush out of there, head back to the hotel with hopes that I could shower because it was HOT walking all over town all afternoon. Unfortunately my room wasn't ready yet. So instead I hopped in a cab to go to Midtown BBQ in Mt Vernon in Baltimore to meet up with another fellow Agora employee who I've traveled with in Nicaragua & the most recent conference in Vegas.

I showed up & met some other fellow Agora employees. The bar was really into the game which always makes watching it more fun.  After the game, the group of us wandered to Brewer's Art Bar because I had never been & was told I needed to experience it. Since everything in Baltimore is in old buildings, it was in the basement of a brownstone... really neat.

After I caught a cab back to Harbor East & met up with the co-workers from my Florida office who I was staying at the hotel with and we hung out at the bar across the street from our hotel for a while.

The next morning I was awake at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. I watched TV, started some work around 4;30 waiting for the sun to come up, then I hit the pavement & ran along the Harbor. Always one of my favorite runs. The next morning was another early one, even though we were up late with co-workers just talking & hanging out. Always nice to see people that you communicate with daily but are 1000 miles away.

The 2nd morning I ran the other way towards Fells Point though & did a quick loop.

I am proud of myself for managing to keep up with my quest even during my business trip. I'm off to Denver on Saturday. That's a tougher flight so we'll see how I hold up!

And just for fun, here are some pics of our offices in Baltimore, just because I think they're so unique & beautiful. They're also in old brownstones.

100 Days of Sweat: Day 20

I'm already 1/5 of the way through this Challenge! But tomorrow is trip 1 of 3 that falls within these 100 days. And the hotel doesn't have a gym in the building, you have to use the gym down the street. AND it's looking like rain so my original plan to just wander around & explore the city and log some miles may not be able to work.

Here's what I've done since I last left off.

Day 15: Slash
Day 16: Slash
Day 17: Jiu Jitsu
Day 18: Slash
Day 19: Slash & Jiu Jitsu
Day 20: Pilates

Feeling great after pilates this morning. Now it's off to meet a sorority sister who's in town for coffee, then Brunch with the girls.

Until next time... wish me luck!

(and I'm sorry for the lack of pictures. Allison suggested adding to the challenge & take a pic each day again. But I don't bring my phone into Slash or to Jiu Jitsu so it's been impossible. But I know , I know... what's a blog without pictures?! BORING.)

100 Days of Sweat

I'm trying to start a "100 Days of Sweat" challenge. Not publicly (besides this post that I think 2 people will read. :) announcing it but at least keeping track here of what my workouts are, in addition to my normal workout calendar I keep printed out at home.

I think I will allow myself somewhere between 5-10 "days off" during this challenge. That seems fair.

Here's my progress so far.

Day 1 (June 23) - Slash
Day 2 (June 24) - Slash
Day 3 (June 25) - Slash and Jiu Jitsu
Day 4 (June 26) - Slash
Day 5 (June 27) - Jiu Jitsu
Day 6 (June 28) - Pilates
Day 7 (June 29) - 2.5 mile run (27:55)
Day 8 (June 30) - Slash
Day 9 (July 1) - Slash
Day 10 (July 2) - Slash and Jiu Jitsu
Day 11 (July 3) - Slash
Day 12 (July 4) - 2.95 mile run (33:35)
Day 13 (July 5) - Pilates
Day 14 (July 6) - 2.0 mile run (21:17)

Slash will certainly be most of my workouts. And I'm okay with that! Here's to hoping I see some results too.

I'm traveling to Baltimore next week and Denver later this month... those ones will be tricky!

Honda Classic 5K - January 18, 2014

Whew I can't believe that I haven't posted anything on the blog since my last race. I certainly was on a high from it for a while!

I initially wasn't going to run it... It was further away than I'd normally like and more expensive than most. But my friends convinced me and I figured it was a good thing to experience; being able to run through a National PGA Golf Course.

Can you ask for a more beautiful course?!

We got there ridiculously early which I like. My friend Mel's work was one of the sponsors so a bunch of her co-workers were there too and I was able to meet some of them. Made for a very social morning. 

We lined up at the start, and I was thankful that there was a starting line that would officially start our chip when we crossed the Start rather than when the gun goes off.

Kim and I start off together through the initial part of the race which wound through the parking lot then we kind of got separated. Once the race took its turn to start onto the Golf Course, it was a whole new ball game.

My usual training runs have NO hills, however... as you know... golf courses have all kinds of little ups and downs. This was certainly reflected on the Golf Cart path that we were running on.

This was also my 1st race running with my Garmin. I was always very surprised when looking down at my watch and saw I was flying at about a 9:20-ish pace. That's way faster than I usually go but I was feeling so good.

The scenery was definitely helpful... And when we passed the putting green, everyone stopped & cheered for us which was really fun and motivating. I'm sure the 60-something-degree morning played a HUGE part into my success too.

I kept passing people and knew I was going to finish strong. There were 2  pretty steep hills (Kim had told me about 1 on our way to the race but they added another this year... RIGHT before the finish line. That's just mean!).

As I came down the last hill, I could see the finish line & the clock and knew I was going to be able to get my sub-30 time once again (finally.) I checked my Garmin and verified that indeed I had done it.

I waited at the finish line to cheer in Kim & Melissa... then we all went over to the breakfast. Just for fun, on our way to the table with our food, I swung by the print outs of everyone's time & where they placed.

I couldn't believe it! I was listed as finishing 2nd in my age group, my first time ever placing in a race!

Posing with my Finishers Medal & my 2nd Place medal. :)

For a race that I didn't even want to ... It certainly turned out great! I will definitely be running this one again next year, if for the course alone.  (And I gotta admit... now I may even watch the Honda Classic Golf Tournament now that I've been ON that Green... and I hate watching golf - except for Rory of course.)

The 3 of us, post-race

Results:
Time: 29:08 (a whole 3 minutes faster than my 5K in Dec)
9:24/mile pace
2 out of 10 in my age group
Overall: 191 out of 363

Quick Recap: 2013

I had been working to get this posted yesterday but figured... why rush it? January 1 can still be a time to reflect on the past year, and THEN resume looking forward and setting (or adjusting) my goals for the new year.

I went into 2013 wanting to run more 5K's than ever before. Initially I wanted to try to do one a month, but that just isn't feasible in the South Florida heat. Even the races I chose to do not in the dead of summer proved to be very warm. 

Though I can't exactly say that I started off too strong with my goal because somehow I wound up not even being able to fit in a race in January! 

Then I took off on February.

February:
5 Guys Burger & Fries 5K
32:16
10:25/mile pace
4th out of 11 in my age group
128th out of 234 overall

This was the first race I've ever ran completely alone. No fellow runners and I didn't even have anyone at the finish line waiting for me. I was disappointed that I came in 4th; I could've placed! (Still waiting for that day to come.) But was proud of myself for getting out there & conquering it alone.

March:
Fast & Furriest 5K
29:00
9:29/mile pace
8th out of 15 in my age group
83rd out of 180 overall

Ali and I being strong!

This was a fun race; I got to travel over to the west coast of Florida to visit Ali & Matt, friends from Stetson University. We ALL managed to PR in the race which was pretty sweet. I still am confused how I managed to pull out a 29:00 and obliterate any time I've ever ran a 5K in.

April:
Heroes in Recovery 6K
36:22
9:47/mile pace
8th out of 38 in my age group
119th out of 470 overall

I was excited for this race since it was a strange distance. I didn't eat so very well the night before (excuses, excuses...) and when initially crossing that finish line I was hoping to see a better time. But after calculating it out and seeing my pace was still under 10 minutes/mile, I really wasn't upset with this time. I had my dad & Dan waiting for me at the finish line, too! It was a nice course through a park about 20-25 minutes south of the house. Ran by some lakes, horses grazing, an old rail road track... I'd love to run through there again!

May:
Eric Patrie Firefighter 5K
30:28
9:50/mile pace
20th out of 52 in my age group
172nd out of 408 overall

Hi!

Kim and me

This was a fun race and on a course I know pretty well: A1A. Out & back, flat. Kim ran it, too! It was HOT. Dan had to pour water on me upon completion of this race. Once again, that sub-30 has alluded me but I kept my pace below 10 minutes. (Really didn't realize how many races I did do that in till writing this post!)

June:
Tutu 2 Miler
Not timed

This was just a fun race that Dan, Melissa, Kim and I all ran together. It was a couple of "firsts". It was Dan's first race (though it wasn't timed with chips, I still consider it a race.), and it was also my first evening race. And let me tell you; I won't be signing up for any more evening races any time soon.

I'm sure this being at the end of June didn't help anything, but it was ridiculously hot! It was fun just to be silly, wearing our tutu's and running with friends though.

September:
Jeff Annas Firefighter 5K
30:00
9:40/mile pace
29th out of 88 in my age group
519th out of 1128 overall

Yes, heartbreaking to see the sub-30 time once again THAT close. But I was actually surprised I was even this fast. Again, I didn't eat very smart the night before and it was a warm morning out. Though I really can't say much because some of the firefighters ran in their full fire-proof gear (and still beat me!) I really have to respect them. I think this was the biggest race I've ever participated in which made it really fun. It was a great atmosphere and a mostly shaded course anyway.

Finding my own little spot in the crowd!

Cooling off in the ice chair after the race

October:
AVDA Race for the Cure 5K
30:08
9:43/mile pace
7th out of 27 in my age group
168th out of 445 overall

My first ever 5K (back in 2009) was the AVDA race so I was kind of excited to run this race again. I finished in 32:26 back in 2009 so yay me for beating that! This is the same course as the Firefighter one in May: along A1A. Some of the trainers from Slash Fitness also came to this race so it was really fun to see other familiar faces along the course as well as at the finish line (plus my dad there cheering me on.)

Also since stopping domestic abuse is my sorority's philanthropy, the local alumni chapter had a group together so I met up with a couple of them to say hi & meet some sisters prior to the race. However, I ran on my own for the actual race portion.

Passing through!

December:
It's a Wonderful Run 5K
32:10
10:23/mile pace
7th out of 9 in my age group
142nd out of 274 overall

This was a last minute decision and I'm really not sure what's to explain why the drastic change in my time. It was stupid humid out (of course a cold front came through that evening.) I really enjoyed the race route though. Took some back sidewalks so you're away from the road a bit. My friend Jon won the entire thing with a time of 15:37 and broke the record for the course.


All in all, this year I was pretty physically fit. I keep a calendar each month and mark down my workouts each day and put X's through the days I skip. I HATE seeing the X's and I've found this method really helps motivate me to continue working out. I've been loyal to Slash Fitness and couldn't imagine NOT going there now. It has improved my endurance and certainly my strength (mentally and physically).

Here's to an even stronger 2014!

It's a Wonderful Run 5k - December 15, 2013

Whoaaaa, another post from me?!

You know it.

I decided very last minute (like... on Friday) to sign up for a local 5K, which was today.

One of my friends, who's kiiiind of a big deal in the running community, was running it and I've been wanting to run a race that he's in for a while.

It was a small race which I LOVE. It gave me a little bit of hope that perhaps I could place. But more on that later.

I got there about an hour before Start Time. I should've listened to Jon when he told me that it was a small race because I certainly didn't have to be there that early. So I had a lot of time to stretch and stand around.

The race was well organized. It was held at a Catholic high school, they had mass beforehand but I had actually arrived too late to partake in that. We did say Our Father before the race itself and then all recited the Pledge of Allegiance. No national anthem, no big speech, and an on-time start: can you beat that? I don't think so!

I hydrated really well the day before my race knowing how hot & humid it'd be, but I dont think that nutritionally I really did that well. Last night Dan was at work and I had popcorn as an afternoon snack then just cereal for dinner. (he's the cook in the relationship)

Started out feeling really strong and even throughout the whole thing I thought I was holding a decent pace. Small race but didn't feel like I was really being passed by many and I felt strong. Little tired on mile 3, but Ali's voice "why would you ever stop on the last mile?" rang in my head and I pushed myself.

Plus, I knew Jon was going to shoot for a sub-16 min finish and then run the route again as a cool down so I HAD to be sure that I'd finish before he finished his 'next round.'

I don't have a Garmin and I had the notifications turned off on my Nike+ so I had no idea what kind of pace I was going and usually that helps me. But when I came down the final stretch and saw the clock say "32" ... I have to admit that I was disappointed in myself.

I went to the cafeteria where they were posting the results to see if Jon had broken the record for the race which was his goal, and he had! He ran 15:37, a 5:02/mile pace. And upon talking to him later, he was even disappointed! If it had been cooler he thinks he could've been sub-5/mile. Guess it goes to show that no one's ever truly pleased with what they do; there's always room for improvement.

I checked out my results as soon as they were posted. 7th in my age group... if only i had been 6 months earlier and fell into the 30 year old age group; i would've placed 3rd and earned my first award! But alas... didn't happen.

Since I've been out of practice with blogging, I hate to admit  that I forgot to take ANY pics!

Results:
Time: 32:10
10:23/mile pace
7 out of 9 in my age group
Overall: 142 out of 274
Results


*Note: There was no start mat, so times were gun time, not chip time. So mayyyybe I was sub-32?! Let's hope.

Nicaragua / Rancho Santana, Nov 2013

Lo siento for my more-than-month-long hiatus from the blogging world. Did you miss me? Yeah yeah yeah. Sure ya did.

The trip to Nicaragua was part of a work Mobile Symposium for reps from each division of Agora to meet together off-site to discuss how we can better reach our customers via mobile. Not only did I leave with a ton of takeaways for my division to implement... I made so many connections and got to talk to so many people within Agora that that in itself was rewarding.

Agora purchased a plot of land in Nicaragua and has been developing it into a residential community. You should check it out: Rancho Santana. Highly recommend it; for vacation or investment opportunity.

View from clubhouse to the Pacific

I shared a condo located walking distance to the Clubhouse with a fellow co-worker from my division as well as with another guy from Agora HQ. They were the best and I really lucked out to be "stuck" with them for the time I was.

Sure, we had meetings Mon-Weds from 8:30 to 3:30-4ish. But we also could sign up for activities at 7:30am and afternoon. I was able to take some hikes... surf lessons (private in fact, no one else showed up. AND we spoke in Spanish the whole time; awesome practice!), kayaking (also quite an experience... it was in more of a "Muddy creek" and the guide couldn't come with us because we were over capacity. It was me and 3 guys and let's just say it was a bonding experience... while it was smelly, dirty, and trashy DURING the trip... that's the kind of stuff that makes the best memories, right?!). 

Hike down to Playa Escondida

 In the one morning I didn't have any planned activities (due to a scheduling conflict actually), I took a walk by myself from my condo to the "main road" and saw the horse stable... It IS a ranch afterall! The grounds were absolutely beautiful. Plus we were there right at the tail end of rainy season... And while it DID rain each afternoon it really only made the grounds that much more beautiful.

 

 

 

How gorgeous is this?!

 One of the hikes I took in the afternoon was the Lava Shelf Walk. During low tide, you're able to walk along the hardened lava which is right up against the Pacific. We were walking along here right at sunset and it was too pretty to be able to truly capture it in pics.

Perfectly timed wave crashing onto the Lava Shelf

During our hike to Playa Escondida, we were unable to see any monkeys. This was day #1 so we were all so excited to see as much as we could (though that never really faded during the whole trip)... so our guide had a car pick us up, take us off the ranch and to a local restaurant that has 2 monkeys on site. I even got to feed them a banana!

Feeding a monkey! He jumped onto the pants of the guy in the yellow shirt so I was a liiiiittle apprehensive.

Of course, the sunsets were to die for.

view from just outside our patio

While I didn't get any running in... and I ate a LOT, I was still able to do the hikes and surfing and stay active. I would love to go back to Rancho Santana with a group of friends. It really is affordable if you go there with  a group.

I only have my job to thank for this amazing opportunity.