Introducing one of the newest INKnBURN ambassadors!

::waves::

I've been out of commission for a few weeks - things have been a crazy roller coaster that seems to finally be slowing down.  As a result, I haven't been able to run or work out (which I miss like crazy!) but I do have my next half marathon in a couple of weeks and I'm so ready to pound some pavement again!

A couple of years ago I bought my first INKnBURN item - a pair of their "denim" shorts.  Over the past year, my adoration,, along with my collection, has grown for this company.  Their unique designs, made in the USA products, and impeccable customer service makes them one of my absolute favorite companies to give my business to.

Well...last week I got some exciting news...

I'm incredibly excited and honored to represent such an awesome brand and company.  If you haven't already, make sure you check them out at www.INKnBURN.com.  I also highly recommend subscribing to their email list as well as liking them on Facebook...their designs tend to sell out quickly and once they're gone, they're gone!  

I look forward to sharing new designs and products with you guys as well as showing them off at races, training runs, Orangetheory Fitness, and maybe even just out and about!  Thanks for this opportunity INKnBURN!

Until next time,

Jingle Jog 5k recap

I'm still trying to play catch up on my blog.  As I mentioned in my last blog post, I started a new job and my hours haven't exactly been consistent, so it's been hard for me to sit down and write up some blog posts.  

Last month I decided to run the Jingle Jog 5k in Cumming.  I ran this a couple of years ago and, while the course is a bit hilly (hey, it is Georgia) I wanted to see how I would do since my 5k time had been consistently improving.

I was fortunate enough to get a bib through J's company (thanks Hansgrohe!).  

As tradition has it (and to make it easier when I get up in the morning) I lay out Flat Jen - it made me laugh that I ended up with Bib 1....ha!

The race was only about 5 minutes from my house (yay for local races!) and it had a later start time, so I always welcome getting a few extra minutes of sleep.  Parking was super easy, and I had some time to stop by the Hansgrohe water table to chat with them as well as walk around to check out the fun outfits people were wearing.

 

As I walked around the race area, I heard someone yell "JEN!"  I turned around and saw my sweet friend, Zoila, and her hubby, Chris (who I went to college with).  




I hadn't see her since the Peachtree Road Race so it was wonderful to catch up with her!  Chris was running with some of his Army buddies, so Zoila decided to join me.  The only goal I had for this race was a course PR, and Zoila wanted to push herself a little more.

The race started right on time, and we were off!  Within the first half mile you go up a decent hill, but we stuck with our intervals and made it up.  The course has rolling hills (as do most race courses in Georgia) but we kept a good pace and enjoyed each others company.  The volunteers on the course were great, but there were some super creepy looking "gnomes"...they reminded me of a bad version of the dwarves from "Snow White".  I didn't get to take a picture of them, but just trust me on this one...

The nice thing about going up hills is that you have to come down, and we had a very nice downhill finish.  Once we crossed the finish line i saw that I got a 6 minute PR!  We walked up and got our shirts, some water, and then hung out for a bit.  One of our OTF members was also running so I walked back to the finish line to try and see her finish, but sadly I missed her! :( 

 

Although the website said "No dogs allowed", there were a couple of cute pups who trekked the 3.1 miles with their humans.

Local races are always fun to do, and this is one that I really enjoy.  I'll be back again next year gunning for that PR!

Did you do a Christmas race this year?  

Until next time,


 
 

Esprit de She Atlanta 5k recap

I have had the privilege of serving as an ambassador for the Esprit de She Atlanta race since it first came to Atlanta in 2013.  That year it was chilly and SUPER windy!  In 2014, I was unable to run as I was at Walt Disney World for the Wine and Dine half marathon.  But in 2015 I was ready to run again!

The awesome people at Lifetime and Gildan sure did know how to treat the ambassadors.  A couple of months before the race, I got a surprise pink package stuffed with shirts, socks, a hoodie, water bottle, and other goodies from Gildan!

Race day came and I wasn’t feeling super confident.  The weather was a little dreary but luckily, it ended up being a great night!  I recruited one of my OTF friends, Kimberly, to run the race “with” me (she’s faster than I, so we started together and she waited for me at the finish).

We arrived with time to spare before the race, so we checked out all the pre-race areas – they sure know how to make a girl feel special!  There was a “marketplace” full of vendors…Gildan, Girls on the Run, Aspire Beverage, Yoplait, Sunset Grown, and a beauty bar where you could get a mini massage, a manicure, and/or your hair done for the race!

They also provided a super easy and convenient bag drop off inside the Southwest Porch at the Park Tavern, which was great as it was nice to have something a little warm to put on after the race was over!

I got the opportunity to meet Abby, the National Brand manager and one of our ambassador contacts for the Esprit de She race series!  It was great talking to her and hearing her passion for the race as well as to hear inspirational stories of women who had participated in their various events throughout the year across the country.

Before we knew it, it was time for the race to begin!  Esprit de She brought in a very entertaining Zumba instructor to lead us in a warm-up.  I most certainly do NOT have the moves he does, but I had fun attempting them :)

After warm up was done, we lined up in the corral.  There were a lot of women who were running their first 5k!  It’s such a great first step and a huge accomplishment.  I remember running my first one and am thankful for taking that step in life.

Soon, we were off!  The course was fairly well lit…there were a few dark spots but I just slowed down when I felt like I needed to…my biggest fear was slipping on wet leaves as it had rained the entire day before.  I stuck with my intervals and felt great during the whole race.  The course winds through Piedmont Park with very little incline.  It’s mostly on a paved road/trail but there is a small part of it on a gravel/dirt trail.
I kept going back and forth with a woman in front of me and made it my goal to finish before her.  As I approached the finish line I kicked it up a notch and managed to pull ahead!

After crossing the finish line I went to turn off my GPS and noticed my time…could it be?  Did I just PR?  WOW!

Considering the conditions I was crazy proud of myself!  It was the 2nd time I’d PRed the 5k in 3 weeks!  This called for a celebration, so Kimberly and I headed into the Southwest Porch to grab some food, take some pictures and redeem our free drink from the bubbly bar.

We also walked around a little more and checked out some of the awesome vendors they had.  Those tomatoes were AMAZING!  They also had a pizza but we missed out on trying a slice of that.  Oh well!  I highly recommend checking out Aspire Beverages…it’s a sports drink with much less sugar than Gatorade or Powerade…I loved it and will be getting some of my own soon!

 

We had a great time at this year’s Esprit de She Atlanta 5k/10k race!  It’s a great event to get a bunch of your best running friends together, run a race, and party it up afterward!

Next year’s race will be on Thursday, November 3rd, at Piedmont Park again.  Mark it on your calendars and sign up today!  Use my referral code “EDS015” too for $5 off any registration in the United States!

Thanks for another great race, Esprit de She…see ya again next year!

Until next time,

River Run for Hope 10k recap

Since I registered for the Disneyland half marathon a little late, I panicked a bit since I hadn't run a 10k race since the 2014 Peachtree Road Race.  When I entered my finish time on the runDisney proof of time page, I was not pleased with my estimated finish time for the half.  I started looking frantically for a 10k race that I was in town for and thought I was out of luck...

...until I saw a post in one of my Facebook running groups.  There was a 10k race on Saturday , May 30th!  Talk about getting one in just in the nick of time!  I immediately signed up, hoping for the best for the race.

Race day came, and I woke up with a very unhappy stomach.  I was not feeling very confident about the race, but I knew it was my last chance, and even if I shaved off a couple of minutes from my proof of time, it would be better than what I already have, right?

The race was in Roswell, GA and started and ended at a Catholic church.  The race benefits the work of the Ghana Friendship Project's work.  It helps to supply medical and health care supplies, educational material and clothing to the people of Ghana.

Getting to the race was super easy.  I arrived at around 6:30 and had plenty of time to grab my bib and shirt, walk back to my car to get ready, and get to the finish line.  I kind of liked that I didn't have a lot of time to stand around.  I went to the race solo so I took some time to give myself a little pep talk (and a couple of pictures)

 

The race started promptly at 7 a.m. and we were off!  The weather was perfect....low 60s and overcast.  The humidity was a little high but the cool temperatures helped.  I wasn't able to find my interval timer the night before so I depended on my Garmin to tell me when to run and walk.  As the race started I skipped over the intervals until I got away from the crowd.  Mile 1 felt pretty good.  During mile 2 I started to struggle mentally and actually considered cutting my race short and making the turnoff for the 5k course.

But I didn't.

I pushed through and kept going.  Mile 2 I slowed down a bit, but really picked it up the rest of the race.  We ran for about a mile on a dirt road, which my knees enjoyed.  At this point in the race I started to make it a goal to pick people off in front of me.  Each time I passed the person in front of me I aimed to pass the next.  During mile 4, I realized that I could actually PR my 10k time.  I kept with my intervals and was shocked at the average pace per mile each time.  As we came up on the finish line I really kicked it into gear.  There was a nice little downhill toward the finish line and I sprinted toward it.  When I stopped my watch, I was at 1:16:55...a new PR!  I haven't PRed a 10k in over 2 years, so I was absolutely ecstatic with myself.

I grabbed a bottle of water and saw runners with freeze pops, so I scoped them out at the refreshment table and snagged an orange one.  So tasty after the race!

I was shocked when I looked at my splits....with the exception of mile 2, I had all negative splits!  Usually I get slower as the race goes on, but to run faster?  Go me!  When I got home I immediately entered my new proof of time into the runDisney website and was much happier with their estimated finish time for me.

I have to give so much credit to my trainers at Orangetheory Fitness.  I haven't run outside much lately...the only runs I've been doing have been on the treadmill during our workouts.  My workouts have really helped build my endurance and got me here.  I really got back my love of running during this race and I am already looking forward to meeting up with some friends on Saturday morning and getting some more miles in.

If you're looking for a great 10k race, I highly recommend the River Run for Hope.  Flat, fast course and it supports a great organization.  I'll definitely put this race on my calendar to run again.

92 days until Disneyland!!

Until next time,

New Year - New Me!

First, I apologize for the blog being so dormant over the holidays.  We had my in-laws over for dinner the Saturday before Christmas, left for my parents on Christmas eve and have been hanging with them ever since.  I will write a more detailed post about our holidays once I get home (we're at their cabin in the north Georgia mountains).

Sitting around here has given me a lot of time to think about what I want to accomplish for myself next year.  I can't believe that it's been 9 months since I made the decision to pick up running again with a goal to complete my first half marathon (which is only 53 days away!!!!)  Now that 2013 is literally just around the corner, I have begun to make new goals for myself -

Be Better About Meal Planning

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I did okay off and on throughout the year with this last year, but next year I want to make this a priority for both J and myself.  It takes the guesswork out of the infamous "What's for dinner?" question and will cut down on the amount of times I have to stop by the grocery store (which J hates!).  It will also lead to more healthy choices for us.  Making and taking my lunch also falls into this category - I need to minimize the amount of times I eat out during the week!

Lacing up a minimum of 3 days a week

Once daylight savings time hit and the temperatures began to drop, so did the amount of time I would spend outside running.  It didn't seem like that big of a deal....until I ran a 10k after running only once in a two week period.  I'm by no means fast, but I could really tell that I was struggling throughout the run.  They day after was even worse - my hips were killing me, my ankles were sore, and I felt like I had been beat up.  This was a huge eye opener that I cannot let my training runs slip and expect to do my best.  I absolutely HATE the "dreadmill" so in order to make this happen I plan to go back to taking my clothes to work and stopping at the Greenway on my way home to get in my two training runs during the week, and then leaving my long runs for the weekend.

Add strength training to my routine

I have been wanting to try Crossfit for some time now, and earlier this month Sharon and I bought a Groupon deal for a Crossfit gym.  We plan to start next week and I will definitely be documenting my journey.  I have hopes that this will help me increase my stamina with running as well as building muscle for my first Warrior Dash in May!

Lose Weight

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Ah...the cliche New Years resolution that about 90% of the world's population set as a goal.  I do not have a goal weight in mind, but I want my body to feel better and I want to feel better about my body.  Doing the things I have already mentioned will help me chisel off this weight.

13 in 2013

I joined a challenge to run 13 races in 2013, and so far I'm already registered for five (SeaBee 10k run, Locomotive 5k, Princess Half Marathon, Georgia Publix Half Marathon, and Warrior Dash), AND I have my eyes set on a girls "runcation" to California to participate in the inaugural Dumbo Double Dare.  As long as I'm able to remain injury free, I should be able to check this resolution off this time next year!

Beat my PRs!

In participating with Crossfit, running more, and eating better, I really hope to surpass my PRs in both the 5k and 10k distances.  Since the Princess half marathon is my first, I won't really use that as a PR goal to break as it's just a fun run.  The Publix half marathon in March will give me a better idea of what I will need to do to break its time, whatever it may be.  :)

Blog More and Up my Social Media Presence

There were times this past year where I went a little too long without posting, so next year I want to set a goal for myself to blog at least 3-4 days a week.  I don't feel that my life is interesting enough to post every single day, but 3-4 days is a more realistic goal for myself.  I also want to be more active on my Facebook Fan Page (if you haven't already, please go and "Like" it!), Twitter, and Instagram.

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I know for a fact that every single one of these goals can be easily met if I just put my mind to it.  I'm looking forward to what 2013 brings!

Do you have any goals for yourself?  

Until next time,

Jen