Teaser

I ran a Half Marathon yesterday and ran well!!

I don't have a lot of time to give a race recap, but I ran a 1:36:47! It wasn't a PR, but it was the sub 1:37 that I wanted. And, off the record, it was the fastest I'd ever run that distance. All things considered, the PR came on a "short" course and this course was "long."

So, I'm still smiling and very happy!!

I've got some work to do, but I'm elated with where I am!!

8/399 in age group
43/2490 females
239/4801 total runners

More to come . . .

100 Things About Me!!

In celebration of my 100th post, I thought it would only be fitting to post 100 random things about me!

Family

1. I am the oldest of five. I have three younger sisters and a younger brother.
2. I was born in San Jose, CA - all the way on the other coast!
3. I was supposed to be named Jordan; however, my cousin was born before me and received the name. It's my mother's maiden name. Instead, I was named Jaime after my grandfather, James.
4. I have two older half brothers and one older half sister.
5. My parents are still married!
6. I'm the proud Aunt of 2 nieces, 3 nephews and another little one on the way!
7. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my family! I talk to my parents almost daily! :)
8. My entire immediate family lives in NC within 15 miles of each other. I'm an 8 1/2 hour drive south in sunny FL.
9. I'm a country girl at heart even though I love city living.
10. My mom gave birth to my little brother when I was a junior in high school!

Running

1. I ran track in middle school and high school and thought I was a sprinter.
2. I did high jump in middle school. I still 5"4' then - I just never got any taller. I was the only girl on our team that could clear the bar. Ha
3. My favorite event in High School was the 1600m relay. We did decently well. Placed 3rd in State my Junior Year. Woo Hoo Medal :) (4th - sophomore yr and 5th senior yr).
4. I ran cross country during my 11th and 12th grade years as a way to stay active in the off season. I hated long distance.
5. I walked in my most of my 5K meets (Cross Country) and my PR was 26:12
6. I started training for my first marathon in 2007 and ran a 4:34 After I crossed that off the bucket list, I got excited and addicted and became obsessed with getting faster.
7. Within 5 months of hitting the track, I dropped my 5K time down to 22:35 and 5 months after that I ran a 20:30
8. After running my 5th marathon (or attempting it rather), I realized that I was a much better racer/runner than my race times said. My marathon training/programs were good but not the most beneficial to me. I entered into my "first" half marathon and ran a 1:37 and became addicted!
9. Track is my favorite day of the week!!
10. My fiance gets bored very easily when I talk about running :)

Random

1. I'm terrified of lightning storms. Terrified! I'll hide in the closet (because there are no windows).
2. I play the flute. Quite well. Like ... I graduated with a degree in music.
3. I love to read.
4. I must wash my hair every single morning!
5. I once donated 13 inches of my hair. While it may be one of the most selfless things I've ever done, I will probably never do that again. I cried for days!!
6. I LOVE NFL football. I'm obsessed. Literally. I even placed second in fantasy this year. I was the only female on my team.
7. Speaking of football, I love Brett Favre!!
8. I'm ridiculously organized. Our condo is typically very clean. I can't stand clutter. At all.
9. I LOVE Taylor Swift. I'm *hopefully* going to see her in concert on June 4th! :)
10. I'm a true Gemini.

Favorite Things I Like To Do

1. I love adventure. I've been skydiving once and love all roller coasters that are fast and take me upside down.
2. I love being outside.
3. I'm obsessed with the water. I love the beach/ocean but I miss going to the lake in the summer time.
4. I love getting pedicures, even if it isn't condusive to my running.
5. I love to RACE!! and RUN!
6. I love to EAT!!! Yes, food in general. But, I love dressing up, going out to eat and having my wine!
7. I love spending time with my family.
8. There is nothing better than taking a Saturday afternoon nap (unless it's sunny outside and I'm at the beach)!
9. I really enjoy meeting new people!!
10. I seriously enjoy fishing. I don't even mind putting the worm (bait) on the hook. It doesn't gross me out. I guess there is a little country in me ;)

Random Take Two

1. I love to sing in the car - loud, but alone! I can't sing. Haha
2. I once had my ears pierced like crazy. Think senior year of high school. 7 holes in one ear and 5 in the other. WOW. I now (for a while actually) only wear earrings in my first and second holes.
3. Pink is my favorite color.
4. If I had a daughter tomorrow, I would name her Makenna.
5. I'm a natural blonde.
6. I had my nose pierced in college and loved it.
7. I am a Papa's girl. I'm a Daddy's girl, too.
8. I floss every single day.
9. I have small feet - size 6! Sometimes, if I'm lucky I can wear a 6 1/2.
10. My middle name is Lee. It's spelled the "boy" way because my mom couldn't remember how to spell "Leigh" when she had to fill out my birth certificate. I guess she was still drugged up. At least my middle name isn't "Liegh" or another version of "Lee" spelled wrong.

My boy

1. He's tall. 6"3'
2. And blonde.
3. And athletic. Played baseball in college and played some basketball, too.
4. He's goofy!
5. He's a neat freak!! But, I love that.
6. He eats very clean and enjoys all of the sames foods as me. I never have to cook two separate meals for us.
7. He loves Miller Lite. :)
8. He's from Indiana.
9. I adore his family - especially his niece and nephew.
10. He's eight years (almost to the day) older than me.

Places I've lived:

1. San Jose, CA
2. Charlottle, NC
3. Atlanta, GA
4. Locust Grove, GA
5. Bryson City, NC
6. Cullowhee, NC
7. Spartanburg, SC
8. Louisville, KY
9. Carmel (Indianapolis), IN
10. St. Petersburg, FL

Places I've vacationed/been to:

1. New York City, NY
2. Key West, FL
3. Negril, Jamaica
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Jacksonville, FL
6. Denver, CO
7. Orlando, FL
8. Cincinnati, OH
9. Los Angeles, CA
10. Charleston, SC

My favorite foods

1. Chicken Noodle Soup
2. Spinach
3. Red Bell Peppers
4. Fish - Sea Bass, Tuna, Snapper, Grouper
5. Sushi
6. Angel Hair Pasta
7. Chocolate Chip Cookies
8. Brown Rice
9. Ice Cream
10. Oatmeal

So, there you go! 100 things that you may or may not have known about me!! Is there anything that I left out? Anything that you're dying to know??

14.667 Seconds

I'm a psychic. Literally! Okay, not really but I did predict yesterday's track workout before it happened.

The Gasparilla Distance Classic is huge in Tampa Bay Area and it's this weekend. There is a 5K, 8K, 15K and Half Marathon and thousands (probably 30,000+) come out to run at least one of the events!

Last year, on the Wednesday before Gasparilla, our track workout consistented of 6x800 w/1:30 rest in between.

I remember this workout like it was yesterday. It was cool and rainy and FUN!

Yesterday, our workout was exactly the same except it was hot and very humid!!

There were a few differences, though! Let's flashback, shall we!

2010

3:34 3:25 3:26 3:23 3:28 3:27

2011

3:13 3:13 3:15 3:13 3:15 3:06

Last year, I was supposed to run 3:28 pace. The goal was to keep the workout "easy" since we were all racing. This year, my normal group was supposed to run 3:15 pace, but he told me to run alone and run 3:20 pace since I was actually running the half! Well, I ran alone and ran by feel and 3:20 was just too awkward of a pace.

On average, my times this year were 14.667 seconds faster! This was for the SAME exact workout in worse weather conditions!

I didn't look at what I ran until after the workout. Of course, as soon as I got home and realized it ... I was beyond ecstatic. Woo Hoo. What a difference a year makes!!

Last year, I raced the 15K and ran a 1:13:55 (7:55 avg. pace, I believe)

This year, I'm racing the 1/2 marathon. We shall see what happens! Either way, I'm excited!!

My Version of the Run for Donna Half Marathon

Happy Valentine's Day!! Confession: I wrote this post on Monday, but am just posting today! So, it was Valentine's Day when I wrote it . . .

This weekend, Penny and I took a little road trip to Jacksonville to see Stephanie and run the "26.2 with Donna Run: The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer". It was a crazy week leading up but I was insanely excited for a little weekend getaway with Penny! We always have so much fun. We had so much fun at Apalachicola (fun times despite the horrible race conditions) and I couldn't wait to see what this weekend had in store!

So, we set off on Saturday morning and drove almost four hours over to JAX. We had a fun car ride - talking about boys, running, hydrating, taking silly pictures and of course singing some Taylor Swift! :)

We did the typical pre-race routine: went to the Expo and bought some insanely expensive sparkly sweaty bands, ate some frozen yogurt, carb loaded, laughed a lot, got everything ready (including a dunkin donuts trip for our AM coffee and Publix trip for more carb loading via chocolate chip cookies) and got into bed pretty early.

We woke up at 4:40AM, got dressed and were on our way to the shuttles by 5:40.

We waited in the freezing cold (38 degrees) for about 20 minutes when we realized that if we stayed in line, we'd not get to the start in time. The line was NOT moving and we were hundreds of people back (at least five or six busses back). So, we decided to take our chances. Stephanie knew the area very well and the closest we could park to the start was about 1.5 miles away. Since Penny was running the FULL and we were running the half, we decided to drop Penny off at the start and then jog to the start. An almost two mile warm up later and Stephanie and I arrived at the start with about fifteen minutes to spare! Whew!

Let's back track a little, though . . . As my coach would say, I've been in half marathon frenzy mode since the end of November (I may or may not have two more scheduled in the next five weeks). He didn't want me to race this since I just ran Clearwater three weeks ago and have Gasparilla in two weeks. So, I never signed up! I couldn't; however, not go! I'd already been planning the trip with Penny. Besides, I'm her #1 fan! :) So, I went. My schedule for the weekend said "8 miles easy, 6 at 7:30 pace)." Yes, in my head I had already done that math . . . very close to the half marathon distance. But, I was pretty adament about squeezing my long run in around being a spectator.

Until Friday when I got the following text message ...

Friday (4:46PM) Stephanie - Do you want a bib? I have a friend not running who isn't using hers.

Me (4:57PM) - Oh! Oh! That may be nice. Is she selling it or just giving it away?

Stephanie (4:58PM) - Just giving it away.

The conversation continued and I found that I could basically run my long run during the half ... My coach just said not to race. He had 14 miles on my schedule. I could always "run" the half and not "race" it, right?

So, I ran it!

And, I loved it!

No pressure! I just tried to keep my pace relatively "easy" and treat it like a long run! I even took a 1:42 second bathroom break at mile 4.88. Racer Jaime would never do that! :)Miles 6 and 7 were on the beach! It was absolutely breathtaking!! I even teared up a couple of times from all of the signs that were held by survivors!

For all of you analyzers out there, here were the stats to my "long run."

7:52

7:39

7:47

7:56

8:08

7:58

8:19

8:16

8:09

8:21

8:19

8:26

7:32

:41 (.11) - 6:04 pace

So, I was kind of all over the place. But, I kept it "easy." When I wanted to slow down, I let myself. I even let myself slow down during miles 11 and 12. But, when I got to the point where I had 1.1 to go, I just couldn't help myself. I saw all of these people in front of me and I wanted to see how many I could pass before the finish line. Let's just say, it was quite a few ;) I love finishing strong.

Total time per Garmin: 1:45:29 (8:03 average pace)

Unoffical Results (remember I took a bathroom break): 1:47:11

It's a "long run." To compare "apples to apples" in my training log, I have to log it as a 1:45:29 :)

So, that was my weekend . . . How was yours??

PS: I don't usually post twice in one day because I like getting comments on ALL of my posts ... so, don't forget to scroll down and read about my track workout this AM!! :)

More Coffee, Please!

I've written a recap of the weekend and hopefully I'll post it soon! I need to add pictures and I haven't had a spare second to do that. So, hold tight and it'll be up soon! Promise!

Until then, I have to post about this morning. It's Wednesday and I like documenting my track experiences!

I woke up this morning super tired and not excited for track. This is not typical of me. I got up and made myself go, though! I didn't want to have to go tonight.

I warmed up a mile and then allowed myself to look at the workout. Had I known prior to track, I probably wouldn't have gone.

1600 800 400 400 800 1600

It was a backwards pyramid and there was like 1 minute rest in between everything. Not fair!

My expected times: 6:36 3:12 1:33 1:33 3:12 6:36

1600 - Holy Cow! Super hard and my legs were like lead! I couldn't keep up and was behind the entire time. I sprinted a little at the end and came across in 6:38. I was pretty discouraged after this and thought there was no way I could do this workout. My friend, Jen, who was also in my group said some amazing words after this rep. She told me to quit thinking about the entire workout. It was like she was reading my mind. She said to only focus on what we were running then. We had an 800 to run. Don't think about it the rest of it.

800 - Still feeling tired but I was determined. I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to die so I should get over myself and just run. 96, 95. I ran a 3:11. Perfect!

400 - 90 seconds. Oops! A little too fast. I love 400's though!

400 - 95 seconds. Oops! A little too slow. We averaged perfectly though! We had tried to slow it down to the right pace but came across a little slower than planned.

800 - We were at 1:41 at the 400 mark. We were supposed to be at 1:36. Oh well. We picked it up and ran a 1:30 for the second lap finishing right at 3:11! Score!

1600 - Holy cow. I was petrified. 99 seconds per lap. That was the goal. I didn't want to start too fast. I knew that would be tough. First lap: 1:40 Second lap: 3:20 (2 seconds off goal) Third lap: 4:56 (NICE) Fourth lap = fastest for a total time of 6:31!

It felt so good to push through when I thought I couldn't. Jen and I ran a cool down mile and I called it a day! :)

I've never regretted a track workout! The key is just getting there. I just have to keep remembering, I am tougher than I think I am!

PF Changs then Track?

I slept in yesterday morning! I've been pretty tired the past couple of weeks. I was looking forward to morning track on Wednesday, but after a few glasses of wine with a girlfriend on Tuesday night (I've gotta have a life, too:)), I decided to just sleep in and go to night track.

It worked out well, too because David had dinner plans with some people from work! Score! Or so I thought . . .

I've been trying to do lunch with a girlfriend from work for weeks now. We finally agreed on yesterday so I decided to still go and went to PF Changs. I knew I had six hours until track, but figured I'd be okay. We had the lettuce chicken wraps as an appetizer and then I had one of the lunch bowls as my entree: brown rice, grilled salmon and asparagus. It was delicious!

I think I chose all of the right foods - I just ate TOO much! I could have probably laid off of the lettuce wraps, but oh well! By 6:30PM, I was still stuffed!!

Somehow, I still managed to complete the workout:

10x400, 1600

Rest: 1:15 minutes in between

Goal times: 93 seconds for the 400's, 6:52 for the mile

I think the goal was to not push the 400's and for it to make the mile pace to feel slow and easy. 6:52 pace is 1:43 per lap (so we were able to slow down 10 seconds per lap).

My times:

90 91 90 92 91 91 92 91 90 91 6:47

The mile was tough and I seriously felt like a complete failure. I had nothing left and felt like I had given up but still managed a 6:47. I think that was the point. Had I continued my 400 pace, I would have run a 6:00-6:10 mile - which clearly, I did not. My stomach was so full and I had no appetite for about two hours after this workout!!

The wrong way to run 49 minutes . . .

Holy cow! I had the hardest workout today! It was a HUGE fail, too! Well, kind of!

After driving for almost 9 hours yesterday and then watching the Superbowl, I opted to sleep in this morning and tempo later. I was forced with either a lunch time tempo or an evening tempo and for whatever reason, my friend Nate and I decided upon lunch time.

I even met him at Bayshore to set myself up for success. My schedule said 7:15-7:45-7:15-7:45-7:15-7:45 I was actually secretly excited about this run because I thought I could nail it. I've been doing my tempos around the 7:20 pace, but have only been running around 3 miles at a time at that pace. This stretches it to six miles - even though 3 are slower! Not to mention, this workout is supposed to make the 7:45 mile feel slow. Who doesn't want "easy" to be 7:45? Anyway, I thought this would be a great workout mentally for me, especially if I nailed it.

It's 75 degrees, sunny and pretty humid! The wind was blowing, but I didn't realize how much until we began.

After half a mile warm up, we restarted our Garmins and took off. I was surprised. .25 in and we were running at a 6:19 pace. Weird! I knew that 6 miles was a long way though, so we tried to slow it down.

It was SOOOO hot for the first three miles. I seriously haven't been that hot in at least 4 months! Occasionally, we could feel the wind behind us. Well, it was always behind us but at some points it was pushing us forward. In retrospect, I should have ran faster but I didn't want to exceed the times too much in fear of not finishing.

After a speedy start, we finished the first mile in 7:01. Mile two was slower - as planned - but still ahead of pace: 7:33 Mile three was dead on: 7:14. 3 miles in 21:49!! Not a bad way to begin a tempo . . .

Until we turned around. It was windy. Like you cannot move any faster and easy=hard kind of windy! Really, really windy! I made up my mind that I couldn't finish the workout but that I would run at a little faster than "easy" pace. Okay, so my next mile: 9:32. I'm not even kidding, not even a little. I felt like I was running up hill and into wind. Most the way back, my eyes were shut, too. There was dirt and leaves flying everywhere. The good? It wasn't so hot, the wind was keeping me cool. But, seriously, it would have been hard to even walk in this!

I didn't stop for water. I told myself I didn't deserve it. Afterall, Nate decided to finish the workout, no matter what the effort was. I decided to give effort and not worry about the pace. Hmmmm. Mile 5: 9:07 and Mile 6: 9:06.

Those were three of the hardest miles I've ever run. It took everything out of me to not walk, not stop for a mental break and not get water. I forced myself to keep going telling myself I didn't deserve water! I guess that was the positive.

I'd say that those last three miles were equivalent to an 8:15-8:20 pace effort. No joke.

Nate finished and hit the times. We decided that he really ran 6:20-6:30 pace to hit the times.

So, after a 3 mile start in 21:50ish, I finished 6 miles in 49:32. Crazy! When I got back to my car, I checked the weather. 75 degrees with 24 mph winds - and we were running on the Bay, so they were probably even worse than that!

Jaime = 0
Wind = 1

Let's just hope we don't face this kind of wind during my next half that is on that course!!