Thursday, October 24, 2013

Urban Cow Half Marathon

Earlier this month, Lauren, Heather, Leti, and I participated in the Urban Cow Half Marathon. I'd never run this race before, but I heard it was a pretty flat course so I was excited to get a PR.



I've been "training" for five consecutive months now (the longest I've ever consistently run) and I feel like I'm already in better shape. I've lost a few pounds, but for the most part I'm still the same size. In January I made a resolution to run at least one mile a day. On my first run I remember realizing how out of shape I really was. I wasn't dying while I was running, but it wasn't an easy feat either. Even though I broke my resolution at the end of January, I got back into running in June and have been consistent with working out since. Now it's a breeze to run a mile and most Saturdays I run upwards of ten miles without feeling dead afterwards.

Anyways...back to the half marathon...

I did end up getting a PR at this race; I improved my time by seven minutes which I'm really happy about. This is the first race I've completed with intervals, and while I feel guilty walking every five minutes, these breaks made the race SO much easier to finish.

This is also the first time I ran a race with my CamelBak. While it's a nuisance to carry an extra few pounds of water on my back, it was awesome being able to hydrate anytime I wanted. Even though the CamelBak enabled me to carry lots of water and snacks, it also caused shoulder pain. I'll have to reconsider running with my CamelBak for the next race; I may end up just running with a water bottle instead. We shall see! 

The majority of the race took place in the Land Park neighborhood in Sacramento. I loved running past all of the cute houses; the miles flew by. Parts of the race also took part in downtown Sacramento which is always a nice area to run through. Plus, how could you not like participating in an event where the finisher's medal is a cow bell?


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

October Goals

I've decided that I want to start setting goals at the beginning of each month. I want to enjoy completing at least ten activities within a set amount of time. So for now on, on the first of each month, I'll compile and share a list of the ten things I plan on doing. It's not meant to be a challenge; it's meant to be fun.

In celebration of the start of Autumn many of my activities this month revolve around the new season.

1. Go to Apple Hill
2. Carve/decorate pumpkins
3. Make apple juice
4. Sew something
5. Start a knitting project
6. Take a day trip to another city and explore
7. Run 41 miles so I can get a new pair of running shoes
8. Read through a lot of magazines that I already own
9. Make something in celebration of Halloween
10. Start an art wall

Besides these ten things, I also hope to take a lot more pictures. I want to document my goals and my daily life. To me, a new season means a new schedule. I want to make more time in my day to do the things I enjoy and love to do.