What Scares You Makes You Stronger...

I've been hesitant to talk about my training recently because I've gotten a lot of "words of caution" from family and friends. And I get it (no one wants to see me injured again). And I appreciate it (even when I roll my eyes and sigh loudly). But I guess I'm already overwhelmed with my own insecurities about whether or not I can accomplish my running goals, so I don't really want to hear anyone voice these same concerns out loud. That being said, I really do get it and I really do appreciate it, but...

This morning I did my 18 miler. I signed up for the Weston half marathon earlier this week to take advantage of the closed route and water stops. So essentially I did the half as part of the 18 mile training run. I got to the start really early and parked in the volunteers parking spot (mainly because there were more people in that area but also because I couldn't figure out where the runners were supposed to park). My plan was to do 5 miles before the race and then complete the 13.1+ miles for the half.

First 5 miles...

Weston 1/2 marathon miles...

The Capital of Casual: Reggae Half Marathon {Race Recap}...

Friday (Reggae Eve):

Drive to Ft. Lauderdale >> Fly to Montego Bay >> Drive to Negril

My brother-in-law, Gavin, picked me up from the airport in Montego Bay and we took the 1.5 hour drive to Negril (there was a lot of traffic, it doesn't usually take that long). Once we got to Negril the first stop was the race expo for our packet pick-up...

This Is How I Zooma...

So I officially became a ZOOMA Ambassador for the 2016 ZOOMA Women's Race Series!!! 

#ZOOMANation

The ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon in 2014 was my very first half and it was a really great race (despite the fact that I thought I was going to die all the way from mile 11 to mile 12). I'm excited to be an Ambassador this year because they are doing some fun and exciting things, including a virtual 5K/10K Love Run...

It will be held around Valentine's Day weekend ;)

In The Meantime...

I promise promise promise to have the Reggae Half Marathon Race recap posted soon :)  I have a lot of thoughts about the event (and the entire weekend) so I didn't want to rush through a post just to "get it done". Plus it's been kinda hectic (work stuff) and I've been kinda distracted (life stuff) so I haven't been able to dedicate the amount of time I need to write a proper recap. But I will by this weekend, I promise.

In the meantime I have a bunch of other stuff to talk about...

I'm supposed to do an 18 mile run this weekend if I'm going to stay on track with training. So I decided to sign up for a half marathon in order to take advantage of: (1) the closed course; (2) scheduled water stops; & (3) on-site medical help (you know, just in case). The half marathon of choice is the Run For Tomorrow Weston half...

The Year of the Full: Chapter 12: The Final Countdown...

Now that the Thanksgiving holiday is over I'm trying to get everything back on schedule because there are a bunch of things I need to do before I leave for the Reggae Half Marathon (link)...

I can't believe it's Race Week! 

This was supposed to be my final official race for 2015, but I set a goal to complete 15 events this year (Reggae will make 14) so I have to find another race/event before Dec 31st.

I'm still trying to improve on endurance and speed during my training runs and trying to push the running interval limits as much as I can. I did a 5 mile run on Saturday using 4:1 intervals...

Sunday was a cross training day so I went to the gym and did 1 hour on the stair master and light weights. Then I ran again on Monday (running a 1/2 mile: walking 1 minute)...