Training day: 10+ miles

Normally, on Saturdays, it is my long run day.  I try to increase my running mileage by one mile per week.  Last week I ran 9.5 miles so today, I ran about 10.5 miles.

I had originally planned on getting up super early and be finished by 8am.  When I woke up around 6, I could hear the rain.  I decided to sleep in a little longer.  By 8:00, I was ready to get up and get ready until my daughter said "I want pancakes"!  Just hearing her beautiful voice ask for it, how could I not make them for her?  After making them, I got ready for my run and I noticed it had started to rain again, a brief thought occur to me to skip my run but I was going anyways.  I won't be able to run next Saturday because hubby has a competition so I better do it today, stick to the plan!  When I arrived at the trails, I noticed very few cars.  Yes, it's later than usual, after 9:30 and rainy,  I saw a familiar face starting out.  The rain steadily fell and at times, poured but I was determined to finish my whole run.  First 3 miles were a bit tough.  I felt stiff and my Achilles was hurting a bit.  Mile 4 and 5 felt better.  I was getting into the rhythm.  Mile 5 was a good time to take my energy gel so I could keep my energy up for the later miles.  Around mile 6, it started to pour.  I thought about calling it good enough but I continued to run.  I finished the last mile at a decent enough pace and felt good I did it.  The rain even stopped!  I went back to take a picture of one of the puddles I ran through.

Unfortunately, no pace and exact mileage of today's run.  I must had hit the button to stop the running app during my run.

Once home, I soaked in the tub for a while before finally getting food to eat.

It was a good day, I am a Runner and I feel good. :)

Final note, I love this:  http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running

Easy Friday...

This is going to be an easy day.  A light weight training workout and no running...in anticipation of my long run tomorrow of 10+ miles.  There will hopefully be good things to blog about tomorrow after my long training run :)

Yesterday, I ran for 80 minutes on the treadmill.  A good deal of my runs are done on the treadmill because of convenience and sometimes just life circumstances.  Sometimes, I have to push through those thoughts in my head that makes me want to quit.  I was able to push through them and have a good run at my usual pace.  I feel so accomplished!

Today, I decided to do something else that I enjoy....cooking...baking!  I have been wanting to try out something I found on pinterest.  Recently, I found Nutella (again...I remember having it long ago).  I spread the Nutella over fresh dough then cut and braid!  It looks complicated but it couldn't be easier. With the left over dough, I made hubby's favorite, calzones with meat and cheese.  The house smells great!  Here's a picture before it went into the oven:

Nutella bread idea from Pinterest and my Calzones

In between going shopping (wanting more running clothes) and taking my daughter swimming, I have been crocheting on my pineapple top.  I am a bit concerned about the sizing but I am going to keep going until I get the whole pineapple motif done.  I'll decide then if I can make this top fit or if it will be way too big.  Wish me luck! 

Ready to take my stuff out of the oven.  Yum:)

Training for my first Half Marathon, craft talk, and life

It's been 3 years since I posted on my blog and recently, I decided to revive my blog!  I am still knitting and crocheting but just not at the speed in which I use to.  Life has gotten much busier with me being a full time teacher to my daughter, training for my first half marathon and finding my love for sewing!  Oh yeah, and my addiction to candy crush!

Lately, my mind has been focused on running.  I eat, breath and think about running a lot.  It is nice to have a new goal to work for!  My last race was in June, the 10k Torture Trail run.  I have been running for most of my life but started running regularly again 3 or 4 years ago, mainly 5k.  I was

nervous about this race because I have not been running the longer distance and the hills!  I am happy to say that I did well and felt strong enough to sprint to the finish.  3rd place for my age group.  Look at my beautiful hand made stain glass award.   After the race, I decided it was time to proceed with my new goal of training for a half marathon.  (It has been my dream to run the New York City Marathon)!!!!  Since then, I have been increasing my mileage every week to get ready for my first half marathon in September, Run like a Diva Half Marathon.  Next time, I will blog more about my training.

My latest knit project is the Icarus top (above).  This is the first item I finished in a while.  It was a fun top to knit with the right amount of lace.  I had some trouble with the sleeves so it was heavily modified to fit me.  My only complaint was the 1 ball of yarn that was a different shade of orange. ...

At times, I feel a bit unproductive because I do not have a project on hand so today, I started a crochet top.  It is not really a pattern but a chart of the top.  I always love pineapple tops so I really wanted to make this.  The chart does not come with any other information so I am hoping that a fingering yarn on a size c hook will fit me.  I hope to finish this by September so I can wear it at the expo before my race!

Marifu6a crochet top chart