Old Dominion Trail

There is a 45+ mile trail that goes from Purceville, VA to Arlington. I was out there this past week visiting my sister and it is AMAZING!!! I would move there just so I could do all my running on this trail. It is all paved, very wide, no cars allowed, tons of runners, tons of bikers, tons of walkers, some mild hills, tons of trees, some shady areas, some sunshine... PERFECTION!!!!

I only ran 10 miles of it. WOW! I wanted to run for days. It was amazing. Peaceful and exhilarating all at the same time.

***WARNING***
Bring your cell phone with you just in case you get carried away and run a few miles past where you parked your car and then get lost like I did. :)

The dreaded treadmill

Just for the record...
I HATE THE TREADMILL!!!!!!!
With all the rain out here on the East Coast this week and my first half marathon only 11 days away I had no choice. I headed to the apartment gym to pound out 4 miles on the treadmill.
My 3 year old even joined me. Look at how far she went walking on the treadmill in rain boots...




She was so proud of herself!!! She wants to be a runner like Mommy and that makes me so happy. It makes me feel like I am being such a good example to her. Just another reason to keep on running.

Running Shoes...

Last Saturday I ran 12 miles. I felt really good. When I got home I had this horrible ache in the arch and side of my foot so I iced it and tried to ignore it the rest of the weekend. Monday morning I headed out for a 7 mile run. Well I got about half way through the run and the ache had turned into a piercing pain that I could NOT ignore. I called my hubby to come pick me up. I immediately knew what the problem was. My shoes..

Typically a running shoe should last 300 - 500 miles. After adding up the calculations (thanks to my Nike+ sensor) I realized I have close to 700 miles on these shoes. Time for a new pair ASAP!!! I frantically called every running store from Pennsylvania to Virginia looking for the shoes that I have LOVED running in. After 2 days of calling around I found them!!! I drove immediately to get them. Once I put them on I instantly knew the support in the pair I had been running was shot! I am so glad I purchased a new pair. The tread on the bottom of my shoes is almost completely gone in some areas.




What a difference a shoe can make. I just hope this ache in my foot goes away before race day. I LOVE my Brooks Dyad running shoes!!!!! Lucky for me they just came out with this new fun color last month too.

Last 2 weeks of half marathon training...

I have been training for a half marathon since June.
One thing I have learned is you can NEVER drink enough water!

Another thing I have learned:
WEIGHT DOES NOT DICTATE HEALTH
According to BMI charts I am still "overweight". I can run over 100 miles in a month so if you ask me, I am healthy. However there are plenty who are in a "normal" weight category who do not have the endurance to exercise like I do. I feel really good all the time. I am trying to convince myself that HEALTH is more important than WEIGHT.

Fresh Burst 5 mile run

Lititz, Pa.
51:40

Red Rose Run

Lancaster, Ca.
52:44
This is the first time I have had family members join me for a race. I was so excited. My sister Tatia and my husband decided that they would run the 1 mile fun run while I was out running the 5 mile comptetive run. I was so proud of them for doing it. Elliott does not run, ever.





This was the hardest race I have ever run. It was only a 5 mile run and in the past I have run longer races but for some reason this one killed me. I was prepared physically but not mentally. I got to the mile 2 marker in 19:20 so I felt like I was doing well but about mile 3.5 the hills came and the entire 4th mile was a slow uphill climb. My calves were on fire!!!! So crazy. I think next time I will get to know my course a little better. :) I am pretty happy with my time. On to the next...

Girls on the RUN 5K

Lancaster, Pa.
30:33
An amazing 5K run this Mother's Day weekend is just what I needed! Running with all these amazing girls was beyond motivating. Helped me achieve my best 5K time ever!!! See for yourself. Scroll down and check out the time clock. :)