Components for a Successful Training Program with Cigna

One of my favorite runDisney race weekends is fast approaching - the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend!

This year the race weekend saw a big change with a Pixar-theme - the medals were just revealed last Monday and the buzz was pretty positive on social media.

Sadly, I won't be participating in this year's Disneyland half marathon race weekend, but I have quite a few friends who are and I look forward to following along on social media that weekend.

The team at Cigna wants everyone who is participating in the Disneyland half marathon weekend to make sure they're prepared for the races and have put together some great tips that will not only help during this race weekend, but for anyone training for a race.

Cross training is a very important part of training for a race.  Getting those runs in is necessary, but you also need to build up your muscle and endurance, and this can be achieved through doing some cross training on your rest days from running.  Once I started working out at Orangetheory Fitness, I noticed a difference in my endurance during my training runs and races.  

Here are a few tips from #CignaHealthCoach Briane Agostinelli, (BS, CEP, CWP, CPPC) about why adding cross training can be beneficial to training for your next race -.

Antonio Williams, (M.S., NASM, P.E.S, Health Engagement Consultant), another #CignaHealthCoach, hits on 3 components that can lead to a successful training program.

I know for me personally, flexibility and speed work are two things I need to get better at doing, especially with my upcoming marathon!

Hopefully with these tips you'll be successful in training for your next race and hit those goals, whether it's to set a PR or finish your first half marathon!

Follow Cigna during the Disneyland Half marathon weekend on social media with the hashtags #CignaRunTogether and #DisneylandHalf.  They'll keep you informed with lots of tips and other fun information!

Until next time,

I'm a Momentum Jewelry Ambassador!

A couple of years back, I entered a fellow blogger's giveaway for a Momentum Jewelry Motivate Wrap, and lucky for me, I won!

Getting that Orange glow at Orangetheory Fitness

Ever since then I've been a fan, but even more than that, I love the messages and motivation that each piece carries for the person wearing it.  The company was started when Amy, the founder, was in a fitness class doing a crazy long plank.  When she looked down at her wrist she knew that she needed something there to push and motivate her.  She's been making jewelry for over 20 years and now she spreads the love with other fitness enthusiasts.

Supporting two small businesses at the same time = WIN!

I know that I looked down at my wrist quite a few times during the Georgia Publix half marathon a couple of weeks ago.

So.....I woke up to an exciting email last Friday...

I was selected to be an ambassador for them!  I love supporting companies that I believe in and use myself, and this one is no exception.  I'm honored and excited to spread the word of Momentum jewelry to my friends and readers.  

Right now they have a campaign going on called "#SharetheSpark" - the goal is to inspire and motivate others to do more and be more in both their personal and athletic lives.

credit: Momentum Jewelry

They have designed two special #sharethespark Motivate Wraps for the campaign - "Never Give Up" and "You Got This!"  I'm excited to #sharethespark with a couple of unsuspecting friends who not only motivate me, but others around them.  You can #sharethespark, too!  Get your own Motivate Wrap bracelet and pass it on.

They have some great products...not only can you get some awesome wrist candy, but check out their Foot Notes!  I couldn't resist getting the "Run Happy" one.

They also have necklaces, headbands, and earrings as well, and you can even have custom pieces made!  I've got a few ideas in mind for some one of a kind wraps and Foot Notes....

What's your "go-to" motto during a tough workout?

Until next time,

Publix Georgia Half Marathon Recap

If you follow me on social media, you might have seen me drop the words "surgery" in a few of my posts.  It's not something that I announced publicly nor was it planned, but it kept me from running and working out for 4 weeks.  Actually, the first thing I asked my doctor when he said I'd have to have the surgery was "Can I run a half marathon on March 20th?"  He said yes, but I wouldn't be able to train for it.  Luckily, I was able to get one Orangetheory workout in before the race, but other than that, I was going in under trained (which I don't necessarily recommend!)

My friend, Stephanie, was going to run with me to keep me company, but she ended up getting super sick the week before and still wasn't feeling up to it that weekend...I missed her but glad she made the decision to take care of herself.  Thankfully she's feeling better now and we plan to sign up for another race to run together soon!

For the first time in 3 months, I laid out my traditional "Flat Jen" and tried to get mentally prepared to run my 15th half marathon.

My alarm went off at 4 am and I very slowly got up and began to get ready.  For only getting about 5 hours of sleep I felt pretty good (nothing like remembering your black sports bra is dirty the night before and staying up to get it washed and dried).  I chose to ride MARTA down because the last thing I wanted to do was stress over finding somewhere to park.  I ran into one of my fellow OTF members so we chatted on our way to the race.

We arrived at Centennial Olympic Park a little before 6 and it was still fairly empty, so we wandered around for a bit.  We eventually made our way over to meet up with some friends and fellow INKnBURN ambassadors for a pre-race photo.

Photo credit: Jill (@mrscrashmattb)

I made the mistake of waiting a little too long to check my bag, so I was a bit rushed, but I made it to my corral with plenty of time to snap a few pictures

Before I knew it, we were off!  I realized the night before that my interval timer was dead, so I was going to run this race simply by how I felt....I ran when I wanted to, and I walked when I felt like it.  

If you've never run this race, it really is a great course.  You run through so many great areas of downtown Atlanta...Georgia State, the MLK center, Old 4th Ward, Little 5 Points, Piedmont Park, Georgia Tech....and the course support is amazing.  I think my favorite groups were in the Old 4th Ward and the Phidippides group...their enthusiasm gave me a great boost of energy as I ran by them.

The past 4 weeks I had not only been recovering physically, but also emotionally.  My goal for this race was simple....to finish.  I just took my time and enjoyed being able to run again. 

If you're a fan of "The Walking Dead", these next couple of pictures should look familiar to you.  It's definitely a popular photo op for runners on the course...and with the sunrise being reflected on the buildings, it's definitely not to be missed.

We then run up into Little 5 Points, a very eclectic and vibrant area of Atlanta.  I'd love to spend more time down here...and I'm still waiting on hubby to take me to eat at the Vortex, but on race day, a photo stop would have to do.

They had a couple of "food stops" along the course...for the half marathon we had two - jelly beans and oranges.  Can you say "yum"??  The jelly beans were a nice change from my usual Huma Gel...it gave me a sweet little sugar rush.

Piedmont Park is also a fun area to run through...the Jeff Galloway 13.1 race group (thanks for the Coca-Cola!) as well as Phidippides was here to greet the half and full marathon runners into the park.  As soon as your exit, you're greeted by a nice, big HILL!  Hey...it's Atlanta...you're bound to eat some hills for breakfast, right?

The last big area you run through is Georgia Tech...and since I'm a UGA girl all the way (Go Dawgs!) I've started to make this a yearly photo stop -

I gotta hand it to the Techies though...they do a great food and water stop!  The music and cheering is always welcome, especially when you're about 2 miles away from the finish!  

I was actually making decent time...much better than I thought I was going to do...and I still felt really good, so in that last mile I pushed myself a little more.  When you make that last turn and you see and hear the spectators cheering, it almost carries you to the finish line (thanks for the shout out to me from Annabel!).

When I looked at my Garmin I was pleasantly surprised...I got a 7 minute course PR!  With my only goal being to finish the race, seeing that I shaved time off of this course time with very little training made me pretty proud of myself.  I received my medal, grabbed a recovery jacket, chugged down a chocolate milk, and headed to gear check to grab some warm clothes...it was a pretty breezy race!

Most of my friends finished before me and headed home (I don't blame them...it was chilly!) so I headed back to MARTA.  As I sat on the train I reflected on my race - not being able to train, still performing well, and finishing with a smile on my face made me extremely proud of myself.  There were a couple of moments during the race where I almost had a breakdown, but i kept looking at my bracelet...Never Give Up...and I took a deep breath and kept moving.  I credit a lot of it to my workouts over the past year at Orangetheory Fitness...they've really helped my endurance during runs.  I'm very happy that I can get back into the gym more as well as pounding some pavement to prepare for my next race!

After a shower and nap, we met some friends for dinner...I thoroughly enjoyed my Pimiento BLT sandwich and fries from the Village Tavern, and then a Snickers milkshake from Cookout!

A big thanks to the Atlanta Track Club, Publix and the other sponsors, and the amazing volunteers and course support groups!  You guys are what makes this race possible as well as makes me want to run it again each year.  I hope to be back in 2017!

Until next time,

2014 runDisney Wine & Dine medals revealed!

I was driving to work this morning when my BRF messaged me about the Wine and Dine medals...I had seen the first reveal of the medal for the half (you know...the one where everyone said it looked pink?)  Well this new picture squashed that...I love it!

While I'm not running the 5k, the medal is super cute!  And I'm loving Santa Duffy on the Kids Races medal!  The ribbon is interesting with the maroons and oranges in it.  I can't wait to have it hanging around my neck in a few months!

I know I haven't posted a Weekly Workout in awhile, but I am keeping up with my runs.  I had a really good 5 mile run this past Sunday :)  I'm feeling good about my training runs and am trying to work on not starting out so fast so I don't wear myself out.

What do you think of the medals?  Will I see you at Wine and Dine half weekend?

Until next time,

Jen

New runDisney Anniversary Medals revealed!

I've said it before and I have to say it again...I've been a bad blogger lately.  I've been feeling a bit unmotivated with my writing and I'm hoping my upcoming training will help spark it back up.  What better way to start than to show you two anniversary medals that runDisney released this weekend at the DisneySMMom conference at Disneyland this weekend!

This is the 10th anniversary of Goofy's Race and a Half challenge - a half marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday.  I would love to do this one day, but I won't be partaking next year....maybe I'll hold off for the 15th anniversary?  But check out this medal....it's pretty sweet!  And the middle SPINS!

 (photos courtesy of runDisney)

Registration for the WDW Marathon weekend (January 8-11) opens next Tuesday, April 22nd.  You can get more information about the Goofy and a Half challenge as well as the other races for the weekend here.

The one I'm SUPER excited about (probably because it'll be hanging around my neck in less than 7 months) is the 5th anniversary Wine and Dine half marathon medal!

 (photos courtesy of runDisney)

I absolutely love how this medal combines parts of the older designs with the running Chef Mickey that was added to the medal last year.  This medal is also a spinner, but I'm partial to the Spaceship Earth side of the medal though :)  They also incorporated the charms that used to dangle and put them on the actual medal at the top.  The color appears that it will be a berry/wine color, which is perfect for this race. 

The 2014 Wine and Dine half marathon weekend is full for this year, but you can sign up for an email reminder at runDisney for when registration opens next year (generally in March).

Who is biting the bullet and signing up for Goofy?  Do you love the medals?

Until next time,

Georgia Publix Half Marathon Expo & Race recap

This past weekend I ran my second half marathon....just 3 weeks after my first one.  A little crazy?  Maybe...

I got to the expo Saturday morning as soon as it opened to beat the crowds.  I also wanted to get my knees taped up by the fabulous people at the KT Tape booth, and their line tends to get long as the day goes by.  After getting taped, I picked up my race packet and meandered around the expo for awhile.  I had plans to meet up with a couple of Twitter friends at the runDisney booth, so I had some time to kill.

While waiting for them, I stopped and chatted with Dane from See Dane Run.  He ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks, all while working a full time job!  Now running is not only a job, but a passion for him.  He was a lot of fun to talk to, and I bought one of his books.  If you're reading this, hey Dane!

I met Jenn and Patrick, a couple of Team #runDisney members for a quick picture at the runDisney booth -

And stopped off at the Spartan Race booth for some fun!

Once we were done checking out the expo, we headed to Antico Pizza for some lunch and lots of laughs. 

Now...for RACE DAY!!

I got to the World of Coca-Cola at around 6 a.m. to get a group picture with the members of Team #runDisney before the race.  I headed into the park and ran into Ramona and her boyfriend and chatted with them for awhile before heading to my starting corral.  As I was walking that way, I ran into Leigh, a Twitter friend, and we decided to start the race together.

The race started, and we headed down through Georgia State University's campus.  We got close to mile 2 and I had to make a bathroom stop, so Leigh went ahead and I told her I would catch up.  The crowd support was awesome throughout the whole race.  I kept plugging along and made it to the Jackson Street Bridge and got the money shot of the day-

Soon we passed Ebenezer Baptist Church and The King Center -

I loved the different neighborhoods that the course took us through.  The Old Fourth Ward was probably one of my favorite cheer stations.  They had some pretty awesome signs -

 We ran into Inman Park followed by Little 5 Points -

Something new to the course (and new to me) were food stations.  There were two along the half marathon course, and the first one had Jelly Belly jelly beans!  Don't mind if I do!

By this time (just before mile 6) I had FINALLY caught up with Leigh!  We started talking and came to find out that she used to live in the same town I grew up in, AND I graduated with her sister-in-law.  What a small world!

I made sure to go the right way!!  We kept chugging along, talking the whole way.  It was nice to have some company.  It was around this time that my feet started to hurt...when we got near and into Piedmont Park.  (The same thing happened to me during the Princess half marathon!).  Going through the park was nice, and CBS Atlanta had a well manned cheer and water station.  Once we got out of Piedmont Park, O.M.G.  It was almost all uphill for the rest of the race!

Shortly after, we got onto the Georgia Tech campus.  Too bad I wasn't wearing my UGA gear...I'm sure that would have gone over well.  We passed Bobby Dodd stadium and some other Tech landmarks that I'm not familiar with :)

Just before their water station was another food station, this time with M&M's.  I grabbed a cup as well as some water and Powerade (I did this at just about every station to make sure I stayed hydrated).  I've gotta give it to the Techies...they had a good cheer section.

Leigh caught up to me here (I had run ahead just before Piedmont Park) and I could barely keep up with her walking...my feet were killing me!!  We came up on a photo op and had a little fun-

I was shooting for a 3 hour finish, but with the hills, hardly any runs between the Princess half and this one, and my feet killing me, I knew it wasn't going to happen.  The hubby texted me and told me to let him know when I was rounding the corner to finish.  The rest of the way to the finish was uphill, so I decided to walk and conserve my energy so I could run to the finish line.

As I turned the corner to the finish I started looking for the hubby and found him...he was videoing me finishing the race. :)  He snagged this picture from the video -

As I headed to the finish I picked up to a sprint and passed a few people just before the finish line - I actually really like my finisher photo!

I had done it...finished my second half marathon AND have a new PR - 3:18!  That's a 19 minute PR off of the Princess half, and I know I can do better.  Now I have a new goal!

Leigh and Marie waited for me at the finish (they finished a couple of minutes ahead of me) and we went to get our medals, water, and chocolate milk.

The hubby found me, and we made a quick stop by the Information Tent so I could exchange my race shirt - they gave me the wrong size by mistake at packet pick up, and the shirt ran SUPER small!  Then we walked toward the food tent where we ran into Patrick and some other Team #runDisney members, so we decided to get another picture, complete with our finisher medals.

Overall, I really enjoyed this race.  It was well organized, the course was great, and I hope to get revenge on it next year and tackle those hills!

Like my headband?  Look for a giveaway this weekend and you could win one!

Until next time,

Jen