Getting it in gear

My tuchus that is, and this is woefully overdue.

I finished the 5k to 10k training pretty strong on February 19th and then just sort of... petered out. Life, the universe and everything (and by that I mean my Kindle) intervened, and so my mileage, endurance, and ability to fit into my wardrobe went kaput.

So what am I doing to fix this?

Well, in about an hour I'm heading out to do the first race of the NYS Parks Summer Run Series in  Heckscher State Park (and potentially intermittent thunderstorms) with Gigi of Running On Candy. That will be a  five mile run and the first of eight weekly runs of differing lengths across different regional state parks.

I'm really looking forward to this! (and not just because it's NOT at eight in the morning) so I'll get back to you on how it went soon.

I've also started using Jeff Galloway's half marathon trainer app on my iPhone in the hopes that having a more rigid training schedule will keep me on track. I think I just have to face the fact that I'm not working consistently without some sort of goal or guideline. I don't really have a problem with this, it really just means I have to focus a bit more on what goals I'm looking to achieve.

I suppose you can call it a comeback if you really want to.

Do you find that there specific are things you lean on to make it easier to get out there?

LIMA 5k race report and the hotly contested Instead Giveaway winner

The Long Island MacArthur Airport 5K Run for Veterans Race Report

Last Saturday was the LIMA 5k and I ran it in at a blazing 37:53!

And by blazing I mean of course the temperature of 79 degrees at 9:30m in the morning on an unshaded airport runway, not my running. This was not the most awesome experience ever; but I have learned some things and knowing is, as they say, half the battle.

No lasers at the race, but plenty of real Vets and to them I owe thanks.

Primarily: it's little secret that I am NOT a morning person, but I can usually muddle through to do early morning things if properly motivated. However I think I finally have to accept the reality that morning races are not for me.

The less sleep I get the less settled my stomach gets, and that is not a recipe for a happy race experience. Add on top of that really bad traffic driving in (I was 100% sure we were going to miss the race until we were literally in our corral), zero caffeine, too jittery for food, not enough time to properly hydrate, and not bringing my own water I'm kind of amazed I ran as much as I did (which was probably about three quarters of the race). In the end I was fine and pretty glad I did it, but I suspect that if I had pushed myself any harder I probably would not be.

I have a couple of AM races on the docket over the next several months (i.e. The Color Run and The Diva Half Marathon) and I'll figure out how to handle those, but in the interest of my general well being I am going to limit morning races severely in the future.

As a side note: It was hot, the sun was relentless, and I was not wearing sunscreen. The slight burn I got across my neck and nose seems to have turned into tan, but honestly that was just stupid. Despite my sun loving complexion (I can get tan looking at pictures of sunny days) I do need to start wearing sunscreen and protecting myself better.

If nothing else I am going to have a heck of a time balancing out the resultant farmer and sock tans!

I'm the one that looks just about short enough to pull off a Jawa costume. I also rock neon something fierce.

I did get to meet up with Gigi of Running On Candy and some mutual co-workers and friends, and there is a certain satisfaction to having run an entire race (*cough* and returned home, showered, and eaten) before I'm normally even up on a Saturday, so I definitely can't say it was all bad.

It was also pretty darn humbling to think of the people I was there to benefit and the experiences that they had signed up for. It's hard to get too worked up about how hard you're having it at a 5k when there are uniformed Veterans cheering you on from the sidelines.

Softcup Challenge Winner!

After extensive work to ensure that the results would be random and fair given the overwhelming response - the winner of the Softcup Challenge giveaway is...

 

Linda of Frickin' Fabulous at 40!!!

I wish I had put a bit more thought into things as I actually got to meet Linda briefly after the above mentioned 5k, but sadly my very pale, heat intolerant fiancee (hint, he's also in the picture above) had just run his first 5k race and despite appropriate sunscreen was about two steps from immolation by that point, and this was BEFORE the mile or so walk back to the car - so we had to scoot.

Linda: Please email me via gothamcostume at yahoo dot com with your snail mail address and I will send those out. Alternately let me know if you are running the Color Run or any of the New York State Parks Summer Run Series races and I will meet up with you there.

Which is of course a roundabout way of saying FLRRT finally cashed my check and I will be running the Summer Series! After the LIMA run I think that might be a sure mark of masochism but I'm hoping the fact that they are all evening runs will help.

Instead Softcup Challenge - The Jogging Jawa Review (and a giveaway!)

For those of you with more delicate sensibilities - menstruation talk ahoy!

I signed up for the Instead Softcup Challenge through For the Love of the Run in October and I have certainly had more than enough time to test it out - so here's my loooooong overdue review.

I think I managed to keep it on the low-squick factor side of things so don't be too scared about encountering horrifying levels of personal detail.

Bloom County by Berkley Breathed
Img via http://www.thecomicstrips.com/subject/The-Female-Comic-Strips-by-Bloom+County.php

As much as procrastination figured in, I'm actually pretty glad of the extra time I have taken to write this because I think after one or two months I would not have given it the same review I'm giving it now. I've been using Insteads on and off for the last six months and I think I've got a pretty good handle on their place in my monthly repertoire.


This was actually not my first time trying Instead Softcups. Way back lo these many years ago in the olden days I like to call "college" I learned that there were environmentally and body friendly alternatives to the usual cloth/paper based disposable feminine products and started researching which would be the best for me. I considered the mass market menstruation products available extremely uncomfortable and wasteful (not to mention of dubious health benefit), so finding that there were alternatives out there opened up a whole new world for me.

I was pretty sure I wanted to get a product called the Diva Cup because it has low environmental impact and unlike some other reusable cups it is silicone (and hence sterilize-able) but at that time a $30+ investment was a rather a big hit to my miniscule college student-type bank account for a completely outre left-field totally weird hippie granola thing.

img via http://www.yumyucky.com/2009/10/healthy-hippie-natural-food-store.html

If I remember correctly Instead Softcups were a fairly new item at the time, and were being talked up on various message boards as a good test run product if you were looking to get a reusable cup but were not sure. It doesn't require a big initial investment to try it out so I figured I'd give it a shot. I got a sample package and tried it out for a couple of months. While I found it a bit too uncomfortable (and disposable) to be my first choice product at the time, it did give me the practice and confidence necessary to believe that a reusable cup could be the right choice for me.

Shortly thereafter I got my Diva Cup and mostly forgot about Instead Softcups for my purposes, though I did recommend them to other people looking to test out a menstrual cup without the initial investment. They're are definite differences, but it'll give you a good feel for using cups. I've been using my Diva Cup fairly happily since. Menstruation is now MASSIVELY cleaner, cheaper, more comfortable, and far less of a hassle then I could have ever imagined using tampons and disposable pads.

Fast forward to 2012 and my discovery of fitness bloggers (notably including For the Love of the Run).

I saw a few posts about the Softcup Challenge and thought to myself that there probably weren't too many other people doing this from the point of view of a long time dedicated menstrual cup user; so why not sign up?

I received my sample package and while I can't say they will replace my Diva entirely, they have definitely been worth having around. I fully expect I'll keep them available for regular use in the future.

They are apparently more compact this time around and DEFINITELY seem more comfortable then the last time I used them, though admittedly a good part of that may simply be due to increased familiarity with the product type. Either way Insteads have gone from something I can see someone that wasn't me using, to something I found really helpful and plan to use with some regularity.

A big limitation of the reusable Diva cup is that you have to have it on hand. Unless you buy a backup there's only the one available and it has to be properly cleaned, so it's not really the sort of thing you can toss in your pocketbook at the beginning of the week like a tampon and grab it to run to the bathroom just when it's necessary. You also can't take an early lunch break to run out to the nearest drugstore to pick up a nice sanitary individually wrapped Diva Cup if you happen forget it on the day you need it.

There's only so much predicting one can do when it comes to menstruation so having the option of tossing a sealed disposable product in my bag for when I need it has been a GREAT help. This freedom alone has made this whole challenge worth it for me.

If you've ever had the thought that you were literally throwing your money in the garbage for products that leak and chafe and can potentially cause serious illness you may want to think about trying out a menstrual cup.

Instead Softcups are not for those who are ultra squeamish about the functions of the human body, but this is not exactly that crowd. If you can deal with all the sweat, blood, chafing, blisters, trail squatting, and *ahm* potential for stomach upset that goes hand in hand with regular running it follows that most of you are a fairly hearty lot with few illusions about the day to day details of human bodies.

There is a bit of a mess factor but... how to put it nicely... it's a bathroom mess (hence easily cleanable) as opposed to a laundry mess (hence get out the bleach and cross your fingers that your favorite pants/sheets/whatever are salvageable - because you know it's ALWAYS your favorite).

I'm the Jogging Jawa, and I approve of this message. Even though I received this product free of charge, the opinions expressed in this blog are 100% mine. Feel free to ask topical but terribly personal questions in comments. I will try to answer as frankly as I can.

So here's the part where those of you who bothered to read all the way through get to come in.

I coincidentally happened to win a giveaway via From the Love of the Run at the same time that I signed up for the Instead Softcup Challenge so I actually received TWO packages of Instead Softcups.

As much as I'm a little tempted to keep them all for myself it would be pretty unfair of me to hog all the freebees, so anyone who posts to say that they are interested before midnight of June 1 will be entered in a giveaway for a free sample box of Softcups to be chosen in some highly unscientific randomized way. This will most likely involve one of my cats or possibly a dart (but not both - my cats are stabby enough all on their own thank you).

Gentlemen this includes you too, but I'll leave it to you to figure out what to do with them or how to explain them to whoever you pass them along to.

img via: http://www.spabeautyschools.com/blog/mens-holiday-gift-guide/

Evidence of Liking my Facebook and/or pimping the blog may get you extra chances/brownie points/ and maybe a sparkly sticker or two if you're the winner.

Bloggerfail!

Okay, so I have totally been a piss poor excuse for a fitness blogger for the last month and a half, and while I can't say I have any good excuses I will say I have some contributing factors I'd like to put on the table and hopefully you'll forgive me.

img via http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2010/09/16/sad-puppy-wallpaper/sad-puppy-wallpaper-2/

As I mentioned in my last post oh these many moons ago I got a Kindle (Fire) and as a result I've literally read more books in the last two and a half months than I had in the previous two and a half years. So that was totally cool for my brains, but not so good for sitting down for hours at a time at a computer.

I also started busy season at work - I work for a company which deals heavily with schools and the ends of the semesters are astoundingly busy, so I've been trying really hard to keep my daytime internet abuse down. Blogging takes a bit more attention than I can reasonably divert during billable hours and still look my boss in the eye.

Here is a barely relevant photo of David Bowie. You're welcome.
Img via http://www.mademan.com/how-to-look-busy-at-work-without-actually-doing-anything/3/

Mainly I've been distracted by some personal stuff that came up in late February/early April and have been TERRIBLE about regular exercise and I am FEELING IT. My legs are doing okay but for the last month or so I've been running at most once a week. Because of this I'm running out of gas or severely side stitching and walking it in after two miles and that needs to stop.

Clearly I cannot be trusted to keep up consistently without some sort of training program so I think I'm going to have to figure out a new goal to commit myself to. I do want to start hitting the ZombiesRun! app and I may repeat some of the 5k to10k weeks just to work back up to some distance. I think it's time to start looking at some half marathon programs as well.

The really good news on the overall fitness front is that I have a new source of motivation and as a result I am going to have to *finally* take up some sort of that long needed cross training. As much as I DO enjoy it, running is only going to do so much toward giving me wedding-dress-ready shoulders.

Pro tip: don't announce your engagement on April Fools Day - It takes a good week before anyone will fully believe you

Happily I'm already pretty sanguine with my overall shape and am not worried about having to do any of the "bridal diet"craziness, but I would like my arms and shoulders to look tip-top for the day (which isn't going to be until next fall anyway) so I would like to add some more disciplined yoga and weight practice into the mix.

Fear not, this isn't going to become "Jogging Jawa runs to the Altar", I'm keeping things strictly fitness here. But it happened and I'm pretty excited and it's been eating all of my internet time for a bit and it WILL be shaping my workouts, so I thought I'd let you know what was up.

I do have a few random races already on the docket (see over there on the right!) and Gigi of Running On Candy finally get me on board for the New York State Parks Summer Run Series, though I've apparently missed out on regging some of the races.

So what have y'all been up to?

Taper (ha ha!) week!

I'm getting ready to leave for my first run of my last week of 5k to 10k, and I was thinking about why I haven't been too psyched to get out for this run* (beside the horrible travel conditions) but I just figured out the holdup while I was changing into my workout gear.

This is "rest/recovery" week with the idea that the end of this week should be an actual 10k race so I have to do a fifteen minute run with five minute walk on each end for warmup/cooldown. 

The effective upshot of that is that it literally took me longer to get dressed then it will to do my entire run today.

img src: isucceedbook.com

I think it took longer just to get my new sneakers de-tissued and laced on just right.

The bright side however is that I will be trying out my new sneakers so I'm pretty psyched about that.

*I was going to go yesterday but there was apparently an accident on the road immediately next to my gym so I couldn't go right after work... aaaaaand then I got a Kindle so the whole evening pretty much disappeared after that.

Something is not adding up here

Apropos of the time of year I've been poking around at heart rate training info. I've poked at it a bit before, but not enough to really get any sort of handle on what it was I was reading.

This is an array of different heart rate range calculations based on my stats, including Karvonen which seems to be the gold standard. It also tends to have the highest ranges. I've highlighted the Karvonen calculations and the Max heart rate zone.

Calculated via http://www.racedaynutrition.com/HeartRate.aspx

Also per http://www.racedaynutrition.com:
90%-100% = VO2 Max Zone
VO2 Max is your body’s maximum oxygen consumption level. It is measured in volume/time units. You may reach this zone only for very short bursts of time. When you go into oxygen debt by racing your buddy to the finish line you have reached your VO2 max. Your lungs can’t keep up your body’s demand for oxygen and lactic acid floods into your muscles. Training in this zone increases enzymes in your muscles responsible for anaerobic metabolism.

We've already established that I'm a bit shall we say, overclocked... but what actually does that mean?

This is the average of all of the stats from just about all of my workouts since I got my Garmin

Via my Garmin Connect profile (this should be just about everything since October)

185 is the AVERAGE heart rate which I have been operating at for all of my runs for about six months. I have gone as high as 207.

Just throwing that out there.

Call the waaaahmbulance!

My left hamstring tendon is super tight and grumpy today so I'm taking an extra rest day.

I don't wanna.

Tarder Sauce is one of my spirit animals.

My next run in 5k to 10k is sixty minutes, the longest of the entire training. I feel confident that I can nail this run and I was actually really looking forward to it so I'm pretty annoyed at postponing. Apparently somebody slipped the Kool Aide into my recovery chocolate milk (I blame Running on Candy).

Ultimately though I'd rather take a break today than be limping for the rest of the week. Friday's run was unpleasant enough that I almost tapped out halfway through my run because my feet and lower legs were so achy. From the determination perspective I'm glad I kept going that day, but this hamstring thing has been creeping up on me for a few days and it was especially sore and tight when I woke up today, so sometimes a day off is the better part of valor. I know my head is still fully in it and that's the part that gets you there in the long run.

img source: http://www.theknee.com/knee-pain-causes/hamstring-tendon-strain/

My body has been pretty unbalanced for the last few weeks anyway. I have this sort of recurring thing since college where my body alignment goes haywire and half of my joints tell me to take a long walk off of a short pier. Apparently it has to do with a car accident I experienced as a teen. There's this sort of cascade effect where my hips unbalance and to compensate my right leg lengthens, my ribs twist and I get a giant knot under one of my shoulder blades. My range of motion goes kaput and everything hurts.

There's a pretty straight-forward stretch that fixes it all within a few days and even a small amount of regular yoga will keep it at bay but I never do them anymore because... apparently I am stupid? I don't know what stops me. There's really no excuse.

The universe is pretty much conspiring to get me to cross-train and I am very stubbornly ignoring it. The sad part is that I actually really like yoga and so far I enjoy using kettle bells so you'd think it would be a no-brainer.

So there! Take that... um... me?

Jawa needs a new pair of shoes!

The Saucony Progrid Hurricane 15s are coming out so the 14s are starting to go on sale! I have a little bit of mad money available right now so I am going for it while the going's good.

I currently have this black and orchid version of the 14 with close to 200 miles on them.

I figured I should get a new pair so I can start alternating to spread out the wear. I think it's pretty safe to assume that at current mileage this will give me a good two to three years before I have to buy another pair, and then I won't have to be going straight from one dead busted pair to a brand new one.

I'm generally bad about trashing possessions  that seem like they might still have even the tiniest bit of use, so I'm hoping that with newer shoes for comparison I'll actually be able to feel when it's really time to retire the old pair.

That's the theory anyway.

There's a certain point when you look at an old possession next to its new counterpart and the petulant seven year old inside voice changes from "but these are COMFORTABLE" to  "but I don't WANNA use the old one!" and that's an important moment to pick up on. Over the last few years I've even started following through that realization with "so I... don't need to keep them anymore!" and once in a very great while I throw something out.

So I'm clearly totally cured of the hoarding thing!

Yup. totally cured.

http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Shirt-Hoarders-Juniors-T-Shirt/dp/B006R6028Q

*ahem* Anyway...

I was thinking about poking around at different brands, but really between my beginner status, preference for pavement, tendency to over-pronate, and need for the maximum in toe wiggle room, (all of which are particular strengths in the Pro-Grid Hurricane) it would be pretty silly to push the luck I have had with my current shoes.  

With that in mind I just scored this pink and black version of the 14 via kellysrunningwarehouse.com for $80 with free shipping.  

Mine, all mine!

Honestly, the colours on the new 15s are ATROCIOUS, the pricetag is eye-twitchingly high, and the functional changes are pretty minimal so I can't say I'm too terribly upset about getting proven shoes on sale instead of something all Exciting and New.

That's right, I went there.

The 15s come out this month so most sites are still selling the 14s for full price (around $140-ish). The designs are so similar (and yet somehow uglier?) that I don't see the price dropping much on the 14s for a while. Even so I will be keeping an eye on things and I figure if I can score at least one more backup pair within the next year and a half-ish I will be SET.

I really would have preferred to get some sort of aqua, green, or blue as I'm a touch pinked out at the moment. I literally just got rid of the pink hair yesterday so I'm back to a nice subdued bombshell platinum! But based on the yawn level of everything they have in blue that must be the designated "safe" (BORING) colour in the Saucony line and green is... apparently only for boys?

I'm still mad I can't get the same glorious highlighter chartreuse they have in the men's line.
Seriously, this would be my JAM

So I guess today was a good run!

This is a screenshot from my Nike+ profile - you may perhaps notice a pattern

Clicky for bigger version

Trying to figure out if I could run a 5k in 30 minutes was probably not the *best* plan for a day which I knew was going to be my longest run ever, but nothing ventured nothing gained I guess.

I would have preferred to be outside but the roads are still coated with ice here, so I hit the theatre room at my local Retro Fitness, hopped on a treadmill, and mostly ignored about an hour of the second Sherlock Holmes movie (I had seen it in theatres so it was just the perfect amount of distraction).

I ran at about 6.4mph for the first mile (which was well within the ranges of do-able) in the hopes of getting a sub 30 5k, but upon realizing I still had OVER FORTY FIVE MINUTES LEFT of my scheduled run reason won out and I dialed that down considerably for the remainder.

I'm still trying to get used to using speed versus pace so I think even after dialing it down I still ended up going faster than the situation called for, and that 10 minute long stomach cramp a bit after mile three was less than awesome... but now that it's over I don't have to think about it too much so I'm calling it good!

A quick update while I hydrate

I did end up downloading the Expereal app the other day and so far I've been exceedingly mellow at all the times it chooses to ask.

It gives me a reminder a set number of (random) times a day and I'm supposed to record my mood at that time. I set it to three because I like multiples of three and six just seemed too often. So far it's not terribly intrusive but I wonder if there may end up being a bit of bias as all of the times I'm likely to be too busy to stop and record my mood are likely to be the times I'm doing something really cool or really crappy.

I'm currently waiting for the 32 oz of water I just drank (just now!) to cycle through me enough to go to the gym without fearing a potty emergency halfway through my workout. I think a lot of my problems with running in former years can be pinned on chronic dehydration so I have a strict hydrate before working out rule.

I have a 32 oz water bottle which I try to fill and empty into my face twice a day. I have to have at least finished one bottle full before a run (more if it's later in the day) and I have to be peeing clear or close to it.

Not what I would call ideal running form
image via http://werner.fm/post/26471931081/bathroom-occupied-taken-with-instagram-at

I'm about two thirds of the way through the 5k to 10 program and today's workout will have a short tempo run, so here's hoping I can clear some of that out soon and get to the gym in that golden window between the after work and the after-dinner crowds. Looking forward to trying out some new tech today so hopefully more on that later.

Oh, oh, oh! While I'm thinking of it!

I'd be awfully jazzed if those of you who haven't already would go like me on Facebook!

Click this text to go to my Facebook page

There's a Facebook widget link over on the right side of the page for those immediate reward button clicky types.

I have been starting to post a bit of extra content on Facebook that I hope you will enjoy - mostly random links I find and the occasional pithy comment.

Click it! I know you're out there and I'd love to know more about who you are!

...and how does that make you feel?

Anyone out there use (or try) a mood tracking app or program of some sort?

What do you think of the practice?

The theory is that memory encoding tends to operate on a negative cognitive bias, basically we are way better at remembering singular bad events than good overall feelings. That time you kicked the coffee table really hard in front of a hot date sticks around way longer than that awesome steamy bath you took four months ago.

It is likely that the baseline reality of the average person's life is a lot happier then they would necessarily report, so mood tracking attempts to provide a more accurate look at a person's general experience than their own memories (sort of like a super fussy gratitude journal). 

Fun fact - Mood rings suck when your baseline body temp is two degrees lower than average
Img source http://whitepagesevanstonilqdpk.wordpress.com/

I've been vaguely thinking about doing this sort of thing for a while, so my interest was definitely piqued when I read this article on the Expereal app from Greatest.

Of course if your life genuinely sucks you may want to pass, though by the same token this could be a great way to identify any hidden patterns in what may be stressing you.

On a related note: I've also considered the Thryve app (also found via Greatest) which has more of a focus on how food may be affecting our well being. I've had a history with some weird recurring stress triggered food allergies and an app like this could have saved me months of discomfort.

What say you?

Oh, hey wow... uh hi!

Hey, sorry everyone! Apparently I got a little wrapped up in the holidays.

So let's see, what has happened since last we spoke...

The Garmin/Nike+ converter thing I mentioned in my last post got fixed a couple of days before Christmas so I was able to upload almost all of my data to Nike+. In the process I figured out that I was less than 10 miles away from running 150 miles for the year so I made that my goal by New Years day.

I had the week off so I decided to put 5k to 10k on a bit of a break so I could do some outdoor running without any particular limitations. My one structured run during this stretch was a 2.6 mile Virtual run for the victims of Sandy Hook which I did on 12/23. I liked Running on Candy's twist and so I did 2.7 miles with the extra 0.1 honoring the memory of Nancy Lanza.

I slacked for pretty much the entirety of the rest of the week though to be fair there was a LOT going on and it didn't feel like much of a vacation. On the 29th I did an easy 5k run and tried out a screaming pink Underarmor shirt I got for Christmas. The weather has finally settled into the freezing range here and it was actually drizzling on me the whole time so I have been VERY thankful for the various pieces of cold weather gear I got from my boyfriend.

The pink Underarmor shirt went quite nicely with the cotton candy pink hair dye job I had gotten the day before. *grin*

The 30th was my birthday so I figured it was pretty reasonable to take a rest day.

That left the 31st to finish out my 150 miles for the year. I only needed 2.6 miles and had attended a pretty kickass party for a friend's birthday the night before so I didn't expect to exceed that by much or push it too hard speed-wise. Famous last words. Instead I found myself hovering around 10:00 for most of the run and finished out the year with new 5k and mile PRs!

Bringing in 150 miles for the year with a PR (and a snazzy new cold weather running jacket)

I took another few days off after that and then resumed the 5k to 10k plan back in the gym on Thursday. I also finally picked up the Zombies, Run! app as it is apparently half off again, though I haven't tried it out yet. I ran in the gym again on Friday and did another long run outdoors today beating my previous distance record.

Running in 2013

I don't have an specific "Resolutions" for this year, but I have come up with a few goals with regards to my running.

While I'm not planning to specifically run a mile a day, I'd like to run a mile FOR each day so that I hit 365 miles for the year. Seven miles per week is well within my current abilities so I don't see this being a problem by any means. I'm probably lowballing with 365 but it's a nice solid number and there's nothing saying I can't run more (aiming for double digits per week would be pretty cool I think).

Another goal is to run a sub 30 5k though really I'd love to see how close I can get to 28 by the end of the year. I wouldn't call that a goal so much as a mirage-like twinkle in the distance.

Once I finish 5k to 10k I plan to start half marathon training with a goal of not dying or hurting myself too badly at the Diva Half Marathon this coming October.

Clearly races are not a big thing for me (more to the point getting up early on the weekends is not a big thing for me) but I would like to hit a few more this year. The only one I'm specifically psyched on right now is the Color Run but I'm sure I'll find more as the year goes on.

The big list of runs I haven't told you about

12-11-12 5k to 10k wk3 d1
1.74 miles with an average pace of 11:30
20 minute "steady" run

12-20-12 5k to 10k wk3 d2
2.22 miles with an average pace of 11:16
10 minute steady run +5 minute tempo run +10 minute jog

12-21-12 5k to 10k wk3 d3
3.52 miles with an average pace of 11:21
40 min steady run

12-23-12 2.7m Virtual Run for Victims of Sandy Hook
2.7miles in 29:22 with an average pace of 10:50

12-29-12 Outdoor 5k run
3.1 miles in 33:40 with an average pace of 10:51

12-31-12 Outdoor 5k run PR!
3.1 miles in 32:07 with an average pace of 10:21

1-3-13 5k to 10k wk4 d1
1.79 miles in 20 min with an average pace of 11:10
20 minute "steady" run 

1-4-13 5k to 10k wk4 d2
2.5 miles in 30 min with an average pace of 12:00
10 minute jog + alternating 2 minutes each of fast running and jogging (three times) + 8 minute steady run

1-6-13 5k to 10k wk4 d3 distance PR!
4.16 miles in 45 minutes with an average pace of 10:48

As a holiday bonus for those of you who slogged through to the end, here's a pic of me getting ready for the 12-29 run looking like a chewing-gum-themed superhero with my ultra sexy cotton candy pink morning hair!