All The Way K

In Preparation....

2011-03-11T11:28:00.002-05:00

I'm in my very FIRST wedding this year. It's a lot of money. It's also a lot of pressure. The bride is one of my very bestest friends from college. Lived with her for a year, created an incredible bond, and now she's marrying the man of her dreams in October.

I do have some time here - but I've already started preparing. Standing in a dress for about an hour, being in pictures that will be kept around for all world to see, for all life to see, forever. I needed to get back into shape here and I need to start NOW.

I haven't been running, but I have been doing a little secret push-up, sit-up, squat drill every morning. It's been pretty successful so far (eventhough it's really only been about 2 weeks now). But from what I've got going on right now - I'M SET! I'm trying to BUILD the push-ups more than anything. My arms have always been a problem area, and I'm determined to get those puppies into shape to photograph nicely in a strapless, sweetheart A-Line shaped Persimmon dress.

Currently, I'm up to 15 push-ups consecutively! That's more than I even attempted back in college days playing lacrosse! So - it's building, and it will continue to build! Here is my regimen as of today:

15 push-ups
25 squats
50 sit-ups

Every morning. It may not seem like much, but the fact that when I started I could BARELY do 8 push-ups in a row, I see progress. And I'll continue to progress with the numbers until I have arms like Jennifer Aniston...

FINALLY!

2009-09-03T09:32:00.003-04:00

After about two months of nothing from the ankle injury...

I finally went for a run yesterday. It's been MONTHS since the last time, and although my ass and thighs loved the break, those two specific parts of my body are the only ones reaping the benefits. If they even are "benefits". The benefit is the break, not the fact that their growing like no other. It still amazes me how my body just completely does a 180 degree turn when I hit a certain age.

So I ran around the neighborhood. I started out slow, just trying to get back into it, within minutes I found my stride! It was amazing. Jammin' out to my iPod, being weary of the slick sidewalks from the rain, hoping it doesn't rain on me, thinking of things going on in my life, I was back at it! Until about 10 minutes of continuous running...

MY LUNGS WERE ON FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRE!

It's always the hardest getting back in shape. UGH! Such a damn struggle! But I'm willing to work on it. I ran for about 30 minutes (which was what I would have done in a 5K) and tried to keep it continuous as much as I could. I guess we'll just see how this progress goes, and hopefully with a CONTINUOUS regimen, I can get back into the shape I was in... if not better!

Stay tuned! :)

Cindy Who? Yeah... She's a Bitch.

2009-07-17T17:44:00.007-04:00

I recently had the pleasure to be introduced to CrossFit.

I have no words for this, except HOLY SHIT! My body is STILL sore, and my workout was 3 DAYS AGO!! I don't think I ever want to go back to a "normal" gym ever again. I don't think my body had this good of a workout since college, or maybe EVER! Let me give you a bit of an idea:

CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program. CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy. This fitness is demanded of military and police personnel, fire fighters, and many sports requiring total or complete physical prowess.

My first visit: And believe me, there will be more. But I worked with Raquel, who was AWESOME. She was extremely motivating and took time to teach me about the warm-ups on the board at the beginning of each work out, where the WOD's (Workout Of the Day) would be, and what they were really all about. They teach you such great foundations at first, so the workouts that you're doing, not only benefit your body in the right way, but protect your body so you're not performing the tasks in the wrong way. Even the warm up get's your blood pumping for the actual work out:
10 seconds of Samson stretches
10 push-ups
10 pull-ups
15 air squats
10 sit-ups
10 reach arounds
**Repeat 2 or 3 times**

During these exercises, Raquel made sure I was properly executing each stretch, because these basic stretches, are the foundations for harder and more complex tasks.
Raquel wanted to see where my endurance was, where my body was at, where my mind was at, all in the aspect of "working out!" She told me I would be doing 1/2 of CINDY.

1/2 of CINDY: If you have ever been to CrossFit, or heard about it, for some reason the majority of the work outs are named after WOMEN. From what I've heard, these workouts are all made-up by World Class CrossFit women, so hell yea for having an exercise named after them! Either way, CINDY is a damn biotch, but I love her for it! :) This exercise consists of:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 air squats

Seems simple enough right? Except a FULL CINDY is actually 20 minutes long, and I only did 10 minutes. Now, I'm a women who has NO arm strength. I've never been able to do pull-ups, hang times, consecutive push-ups more than about 10, so that part of the workout SUCKED. Raquel had an alternative to regular pull-ups, I used gymnastics rings. You gripped onto those damn things, with tape wrapped around them, completely tearing apart my hands, leaned back, and found a way to pull your damn body up. I realized that even though I was doing it correctly, with a bit of a swing, it made it a little easier. Raquel assured me this was acceptable. I could do the 5, no problem. Until the push-ups. This is where my workout struggled. I would do all ten, and then each set, would end up being 7 and 3, 5 and 5, and then by 2's. With breaks in between, but this is a CONSTANT workout. You do not stop. Unless you need water. Air squats ended up being my time to bang out, but my time to relax. I ended up doing 5 or 6 full sets in the 10 minutes. I jokingly asked Raquel if that was even GOOD, she gave me the "yeaaaa (high voice). I'm sure I could do better. SO I'll definitely be going back, to make those sets better, and find out exactly how far I can push my body.

The thing about these workouts, is it's completely just YOU AGAINST THE WORKOUT. It's not you against everyone else. It's all about you giving 100% and you knowing how and when to push yourself. You're in control of what kind of workout that is going to be for the day. Some days you have bad work outs because of your attitude, stress from work, family, life and some days you have the BEST workout ever. I think that's what makes CrossFit so successful.

I STRONGLY recommend atleast trying CrossFit in your life, because it's extremely beneficial and a great alternative to an everyday workout in the gym. Or the same run around the same lake.

FYI - I took CINDY and actually altered her slightly, to be able to still do the workout in a studio apartment. Which is definitely something I liked. I could take this workout home with me and without going into the CrossFit Fire Base, I knew I could still get a great workout.

ALSO, for all the ladies out there, I saw results, especially in my arms, after just this ONE workout. NOW THAT'S DAMN IMPRESSIVE!!!!

Information:
CrossFit Fire Base - Winter Park, FL
CrossFit Evolution - Longwood, FL

LuLu... I Love You

2009-06-02T09:27:00.007-04:00

I was a little skeptical about this store, just a bit. Considering, it was like a "hand me down" idea for someone else, from someone else, and was now being showed to me. Plus, it all started in Canada, and I absolutely dispise anything in Canada, anything from Canada, and especially French Canadians because of a horrific trip to Montreal, but that's besides the point! But I do have to admit:

I LOVE LULULEMON!!!

I have never had "serious" athletic running gear like this before. Always wanted some, but it was always going through my head, trying to weigh it out: Usage vs. Price. Is it really worth it? Will it make me run more? Will I ever buy anything from there ever again?

I would have to say YES to all of those!!! I bought Dash Shorts, a Tank Top, and even a headband. Dash Shorts are some of the most uncomfortable/comfortable shorts ever. Super skin tight, but so much better than wearing regular underwear :) They have a sticky band around the bottom of the leg holes, to prevent the 'ride up' that us women, can not stand! Definitely prevents the majority of picking wedgies out while running!

The Tank Top has a built in bra, that really has some great support. Which is always nice, because yes, I'm a girl... WITH BOOBS. I have them and they need to be supported when I go running. Definitely one great point to this tank top. Another one has got to be the design of the top as a whole. The way the material falls on my body, and the straps that come together ONLY right in between my shoulder blades, makes this great, because it literally feels like I'm not even wearing a top at all!! It's the most efficient running top I have ever run in. It has sleek, breathable, almost non-existent mesh in the front, between the boobs, and all down the back spine. Let's face it, these are two spots where women sweat the most. I had absolutely NO sweat after my run while wearing this tank top. Air got in where it needed it, and everything was smoothly breathing! On top of all of this, there's even a iPod pocket in the back, PERFECT FOR AN IPHONE WHILE PLAYING PANDORA RADIO!!! The only issue I have with it, is that the iPhone is a little heavier than most iPods, so it bounces around a bit, but that could easily be fixed by just a little tucking!

Even the headband is amazing!!!! I'm sure it's exactly the same as something you can buy at Target, but I guess I was just getting a little out of hand when the Sales Associate talked me into buying one! It's perfect for my football nights, and any other sports game! Keeps the bangs out of my face, and keeps my eyes on the finish line!

So I highly recommend ANYTHING from Lululemon, because they don't have JUST running and yoga gear! :)

www.lululemon.com
Follow them on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lululemon

ohhhh Corporate America

2009-04-17T08:31:00.004-04:00

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous to get back out in Race Mode! Maybe it was all the excitement, but before this race, it felt like my stomach was running suicides over and over again.

With over 12K people there, I stuck it out towards the front. I did have an orange racing number, which apparently was for runners who were seated, or for CEOs. Definitely feel like and know I don't represent either of those, but hey, I felt special! LOL. I was going to start out in the special ORANGE section, but I knew that if I got up there, so many people would be passing me, that there was no way I was going to be motivated to run my pace and run the entire thing.

I came passed my first mile at about 9 - 9:20 (I think), and I was feeling good. Race pace was good, hardly anyone was passing me, I was keeping up with everyone around me, so I had a good feeling about this race. Until I kept running...

More and more I race during these months, I realize I-AM-JUST-NOT-A-WARM-WEATHER-RUNNER.... I can not stand getting over-heated. And I always do. Probably because it WAS 80 degrees outside, but that's it. Either I don't run races during these next couple of months, or I just need to whip my ass into shape where I'm all good running in tiny shorts and a tiny little tank top. I think I need to purchase some ACTUAL Running Attire as well. I'll spend the damn money! I made the worst mistake running in cotton shorts. I mean really Nikole, what the HELL were you thinking?! I have no idea! But it was the worst part of the race (besides the heat of course).

Also, the cobblestone. UGH! I could go on and on about how hard it is to run on cobblestone. Almost the entire race was cobblestone. Horrible! I'm surprised I didn't see anyone biff it.

But, I'll try to not make this entire running blogspot all about bitching and complaining. :) You know, what I'm best at!

The race was crazy with so many people. I can not wait to see all the pictures on TrackShack. Hopefully I'm in some of them!!! But it's doubtful to find myself. There was entertainment on two corners, and a lot of spectators cheering us all on. I love it when spectators blare their music from their cars like it's super motivating. There was also some major hotties chilling in lounge chairs on the sides too. Sitting there, so lazily watching all of us run by, sipping on their beers. Believe me, I wish I was with them....

Pictured here: The EARLY version of Corporate America - Lauren from Insurance Office of America, Lindsey from Push, and me from Match-Up Promotions. (Notice the t-shirt representation here too!)

Regardless - I finished the race in 29:30 per the clock at the end. By the time we actually went past the start line, it was about 45 seconds to a minute behind. So officially, 28:30 OR 28:45 either way, I still think that was around my BEST time! :)

I need to run more often, longer, and start doing some intervals. I need to gain more speed and build up my endurance for the next race!

Franzia Chillable Red vs. Running

2009-04-08T09:38:00.004-04:00

Yes, it's a box of wine... and this IS a blog about running. I just really had it in me to write a blog about my love for Franzia Chillable Red boxed wine.....and running!

Back Story: In college, this was all my girls and I drank on those girly-sit-at-home,-chat-and-talk-about-your-problems nights. A box of wine brought together the most energetic, BUSY, got-their-own-lives, sorority crazy, frat boy loving, sports fanatic girls EVER in my house. We all new that when there was a box of wine in the house, something was wrong with one of us. It was our time to bond. Our time to sit around and find out which one of us was having the Worst Week Ever. Who had the best story to tell, or possibly that we just wanted to unwind with great friends, a great life, and some (not so) great wine! :)

I had this experience last night. The girls were home and complaining about guys, their "raggedy" game, their bullshit, their own lives. I have my own problems, like every does, and I was just in that mood again. So I went to the store and bought some Chillable Red boxed wine!

We sat and talked about everything that was going on with us. Each of us enjoying either the boxed wine or some beers, grilled out, and watched American Idol. It was a general DUDE-FREE, but major DUDE night... except for the watching of American Idol. I'm sure guys don't sit around and do that... with boxed wine. :-P

So where does running come into play here?

I'm pretty sure I feel the same reasoning behind running, like I do to Chillable Red boxed wine. There's always been a coorelation between the reason for boxed wine, and the reason for running.

I've realized that those little moments that I have with myself are probably the best for me. I, seriously, encourage anyone and everyone to take time and GO RUNNING. It's you and the road. You and your Pandora Radio. You and the strides. You and the hurt from pushing yourself more and more everyday. Just you. It gives you a great time to really get exhausted, and break situations down to understand what you're feeling, and realizing that it's OK to feel that way. I'm extremely surprised that on my run yesterday, I didn't burst into tears. I held back, probably because I was in pure daylight, and I wasn't really up for people starring at me and being like..."Oh My God, did you see that girl? Was she CRYING!!!??"....loser.

Bottom Line: Advice to the best of you.... go for a damn run and clear your head. :0)

"Man's Best Friend"

2009-03-30T09:08:00.002-04:00

We all know what I'm referring to here. "Man's Best Friend" = his dog. Have you ever wondered WHY dogs are called a "Man's Best Friend?" Well, this weekend, I found out EXACTLY why...

I've been getting back into running and really trying to go everyday! I've even started pursuing the weekends as an obligation to run as well. Something I definitely never did before. Weekends used to be my relaxing times, but if I'm home, not doing anything, and I didn't run on Friday because I was too busy grabbing a meal Downtown and attending a Happy Hour, then Sunday can be my day to run! :)

I took a run around the neighborhood. I found this beautiful little track of houses right by the Snapper House called "Victoria Lane" or "Victoria Place". Either way, "Victoria" had a sweet set of houses. All different sizes, colors, it was a nice scenic place to run, instead of the boring GOLF COURSE that I'm constantly looking at. I continued around Victoria Lane/Place and then cut over to the golf course and on the other side, found some more tucked away houses back in the woods that I never knew existed! I'm starting to realize that when I go for runs, I like to switch it up a bit so there's more for me to look at. Being bored on a run is NEVER a good thing. So why not just venture out into the neighborhood? Longwood is a great little city, and it's safe. Or atleast, I feel safe there! :)

So I'm running a new route, on the opposite side of the golf course, and out of nowhere this dog starts running after me. I'm jamming out to my "Dance/Pop" genre of music and realize that this dog is CHASING after me. His owner running after him. It was an awkward situation. Almost like, you really don't know what to do? Do you stop? Do you continue running so there's a chase?

I decided to stop running and wait until the dog caught up to me. To my surprise, it was a GORGEOUS dog. Some beautiful spotted dog, that I just immediately fell in love with. It was so playful, all it wanted was for me to just give him a little rub down.

So what happens with the owner? Cute guy, really nice, really chatty, but then goes and HITS ON ME!!!! I mean really buddy? REALLY?! I, honestly, couldn't believe it. I figured he would be more concerned about his dog. I just got the "Thanks for stopping..." and then the hitting on continued. What's Your Name? Where Do You Live? Do You Always Run This Route? I wasn't sure whether to be flattered, or think that this happens all the time with his dog and him.

It was like they were a team. Like the dog did his/her part, and now it was up to this guy to continue what he set out to do. I wonder if the dog got a reward after that encounter? But I still can't believe it.

So when I hear that a dog is a Man's Best Friend.... I now know why. :)

Break Time

2009-03-17T13:32:00.002-04:00

Since I was in Savannah, GA this past weekend for St. Patty's Day celebrations, I didn't get a chance to run the CNL Bank 2mile or 10K. I have been taking some time off. Finishing up all of the football leagues and kickball leagues, and just trying to get everything on track to start really running everyday!

The next race isn't until the Corporate 5K on April 16th. So I'll be running leisurely until then!

Be back in about a month! :) oh...and HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

Fiddler's Green 5K

2009-03-09T13:23:00.006-04:00

So running for an Irish pub? How fun was it? It was alright....
I was actually surprised that there wasn't MORE people there, especially for the free pint at the end of the race!!! The entire street was full of about 500+ people dressed in all green, and a lot of Europeans actually.
This race was to support the Special Olympics of Central Florida, and that too, where were all the Special Olympic athletes? I saw MAYBE about 3 the entire race. I expected more. But maybe running a 5K would ruin their training schedule?! :-P Who knows! But I did expect more to be there.

I ran this race with Katie K. Okay, so we jogged, and walked a bit. But it was good! Another race, just getting somewhere out there on a Saturday morning and getting a little work out before the weekend really kicked off! I almost love taking these little breaks with friends. I say ALMOST because I know it's probably not so good to take such time off if I really want to be serious about getting my time down, but oh well. Again, I'm not there racing anyone. I'm just racing myself.
We ran the first two miles, walked around the loop, then ran the rest of the way. Totally realizing this race was the EXACT same as the Lady 5K a few weeks back. It was full of hills and turns, but all in all, I felt good the entire time. Katie and I just talked about anything and everything, didn't even listen to music and it definitely makes the time and race fly by; being able to just take my mind away from the fact that my knees are killing me, I'm running out of breath, and my time was not going to be anywhere I wanted. My legs hurt after this race, and I think it was because I wasn't going at MY pace. I remember running with friends in college and them telling me they were going to be sore because they weren't running at their own pace - I now know what that means. :) But hey, I'm a firm believer in any muscle pain is good pain. It just means my muscles are working and getting stronger!

We finished at around 35:00. The website said no clock, and this race wasn't supposed to be timed, but I guess they decided to have one. And hopefully this will start Katie K out on the obsession with 5Ks as I am! Anyone I can turn onto 5Ks - is always fun!!! :)

And then it was time to DRINK! Katie and I both had some Shipwreck Blueberry beer. Let me tell you - I thought those bananas were good after running the races, but this Blueberry beer takes the cake!!!! We compared it to having a Blueberry muffin for breakfast - BUT BETTER! :)

This beer was so delicious. It still makes me wonder why EVERY SINGLE race I ever supported an ex-boyfriend or friend at, in Buffalo, there was ALWAYS beer tents afterwards. People would generally run FOR the beer.

<-- I saw these shirts a TON back home. Maybe Buffalo just has a drinking problem? Or maybe we're just a "Work Hard, Play Hard" type of city?

But here, in Orlando, not so much. Hence the incredible reason for me TO run this race! And have a good time with it.

This was my first time at Fiddler's and I definitely want to go back because of this experience!

Next Race: It would be the CNL Bank 2 mile and 10 mile, but I'll be celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Savannah!!!!! :) So I may be waiting until April 16th for the IOA Corporate 5K around Lake Eola.

My Plan: Flag football and kickball will be done in a week or two, and I'm going to be more serious about running everyday after work from then on out. I need to start running some intervals to gain some speed - get those legs moving faster! But I think taking a bit of a break, and really trying to focus on my running (and saving a little bit of money), will be good to build up my endurance and speed work.

Chiefs on the Run 5K for Dommerich Elementary

2009-03-02T11:38:00.005-05:00

Running for the kids! :) Nothing better than doing such, unless those kids are kicking your ass! LOL

We ran this to support Dommerich Elementary, which is a school that a PUSHer's kids go to. Seriously, definitely nothing like some 10 year olds running circles around you. They can go ahead and run their 6-7 minute miles - I'm good with my 9 minute miles!

Before the Race:
I realized a few things during this race: I may be better NOT eating before a race, although the bread is fine, I just did not feel great like normal. My shoes - definitely need to get used to them. There were no blisters this time around - THANK GOD, but I had to actually STOP running to untie my sneaks because they were just too tight and cutting off some circulation. I also need to learn to dress for the weather. I've been so used to running in 30-40 degree weather, that this 50 some degree weather kicked my butt! I got so extremely overheated, it was seriously hard for me to even FINISH this race. I really need to dress "for the racing" and not so much for "the weather". Because it's only going to get hotter outside and I still have a lot of 5Ks to run!!! :)

The Race:
Because of the weather, I knew I was going to get overheated. I already had it set in my mind, and I was right! I felt the worst I have ever felt before a race standing in tha crowd of about 300 people (maybe). Started the run - went out pretty hard (LOL TWSS!), stuck with the majority of the crowd and even tried keeping up with some FULL OF ENERGY kids! Hit the first mile, and I thought my heart was going to literally stop. I've been having problems with my left arm lately on these 5Ks. I'm not exactly sure what is going on! :( I dont know if I'm just not swinging my left arm as efficiently as my right arm, if it's just bad circulation on that side, or something more serious than that. Nobody EVER wants their LEFT arm to go numb, it's never a good thing. Left side of the body = closest to the heart. Let's hope it's just me not being in the shape that my body needs for what my mind wants to do and accomplish for these races. Through all of this - I stopped between mile 1 and 2, untied the shoes, re-tied the shoes, and just kept up with the people around me and stuck it out.
I also realized that people really need to STOP handing out GATORADE or POWERADE during these races. It's bad enough that trying to continue running and drinking at the same time is a task in itself, but now add a sticky liquid to it? I mean really?! Let's just stick with the water please! Atleast if anything, I can dump water on my body or head to cool down. Gatorade/Powerade on the other hand - I'm not Urban Meyer.
Between mile 2 and 3, I finally caught up with Kevin. More slowing down, more water, a little complaining from both of us, a tiny bit of walking, and then the end of the race was approaching us. We decided to finish the race together - but obviously, how competitive we are, are you kidding me?! We would never want to finish anything together. One of us just HAS to beat the other. I definitely had other plans than us finishing together :) I started to speed up a bit, until he realized what I was doing. We both completely started BOOKING it to the finish line and by this picture - you could see how much of a joke it was! :) HE HAS LONGER LEGS THAN I DO!!! So technically, this wasn't fair! Just saying! But it's true!!!! But we finished about 1 second different than eachother. I was just happy I didn't trip and do a face plant in front of everyone at the finish line! That would've been a great pic though!

Through all of the above...I STILL HAD A PR!!!! I honestly couldn't believe it! I swore I was going to cross the finish line at MORE than 30 minutes. But nope!

Race Time: 28:41

Next race: Fiddler's 5K. Nothing like getting up at the Top O' the Mornin' with a hydro pack full of beer instead of water! We'll see if that happens though. BUT FREE PINT AT THE END OF THE RACE!!!! Hell yea!

P.S. Dear the 40 year old hot cougar, thank you for making the day interesting for all of the guys! But please stop running in skirts. It's just stupid.

House of Hope Run Around the Pines

2009-02-23T08:14:00.005-05:00

Before the race, I was even thinking about blogging about it. I knew I had to find something a little more interesting than talking about the actual road during the race.

So here it is: What is your ritual before racing? Do you even have one? Have you ever noticed that you actually DO do the same thing before every race? Well I do! I get up, do the whole regular morning thing; brush my teeth, bathroom...so that's pretty standard. But then I always make sure my arm pits are completely shaven. Because, they will be soooo irritated if they're not!!! :) Make sure my clothes are right, make sure I have pockets for the iPhone and keys, and then off to the kitchen. Sometimes people like to eat a big breakfast, so their stomach isnt't empty, I definitely rather have my stomach be empty while running. I grab a huge cup of water, which I usually never finish before arriving at the race, and one slice of bread. Completely dry, no butter, not toasted, no jelly, NOTHING! I figure - since my stomach is constantly upset, atleast there will be a little something in there.
Before going to bed I arrange everything I'll need the morning of the race. My clothes, my sneakers, my number will lay flat on my dresser, with the saftey pins already attached. The night before races, I realize I have a bit of OCD about it all. I want to make sure I have everything. The comfiest clothes, and not fogetting my number or anything!

And then the race begins. There was a lot of people at this race!!! Me, Heidi, Jaklyn, Lindsey, Kristen, and Tinkerbell. But unfortunately, we couldn't all come together and find eachother before or after the race :( Pretty depressing, but we all ran/walked our best!

The race began and I stuck with Lindsey for around the first mile, then I knew it was time to break away. I really was feeling good, listening to my HARDCORE Rap music on Pandora, and I really wanted to try and break this 30 minute mark I've been trying for! I started off that same pace but picked it up a bit. According to the clock I was around 10-11 minutes for the first mile. I knew it was less than that based off of the chip, so I was feeling alright. Between mile one and two my left arm started going numb!! Probably not the best thing, but I just tried to shake it off and work through it. (Side note: that's definitely something I've struggled with my entire athletic career was extremely bad circulation. This is probably the reason, I hated running! :)) By mile two, the clock was around 20-21 minutes. And then the worst thing ever happened....

MY BLISTER!!!! I could feel it just getting worse and worse in my shoe. I honestly, need to go buy new shoes today! It was literally right after crossing mile two. It hurt so damn bad, but I didn't want to stop, if I led up at all, my pace would be shot to shit! My pace was great, I was feeling good, except for my foot, and this race was so flat, I just COULD NOT stop! I kept it going :)

There's always a point when I know I'm close to the edge. And that's when all the fast men from the race, start running back to cheer everyone on. I always know there's not much further, because I see the same black guy, and the same older Florida alumni guy! The race ended on a bike path, which was cool. Really scenic, but there was no time to look around, my eye was on the prize and I needed to start kicking! Right at the three mile marker is when I really like to haul ass. At that time, the clock said 29 minutes and some odd seconds! I couldn't believe it, was I really going to do it! I kicked and kicked and raced this little girl beside me, and we both crossed the finish line at the same time.

I crossed the finished line at 30:10. Beating my other race time from the previous one of 30:20. But then I remembered the chip!!!!!

And hour or so later after the race, my time was 29:02!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally did it! I couldn't have been more proud of myself for finally reaching my 30 minute goal time!

I even did it with this horrible blister! I really need new shoes now!

I bandaged myself and it was off to the Addys!!!!!! :)

Florida Hospital Lady Track Shack 5K

2009-02-20T17:08:00.002-05:00

RUNNING FOR BOOBIES!!!!

This race may have been the most rewarding! There was a TON of estrogen on the roads for this race. Around 2,000 women all running for a purpose, for a reason. All to support a great cause of Breast Cancer.

I was dressed from head to toe in PINK and so was every other woman there! :) Fantastic pink sea of women running around Mead Gardens. This course was extremely hard actually. Very hilly, a lot of turns and cobblestone at one point too. The hills are definitely what killed most people. But I trekked through them! I hope most people know that when running through hills like that, you should just put your head down and take LONG strides. Taking short and quick strides will just tire you out. So that's what I did. I think because of those hills, was what made this race feel the best.

I ran the ENTIRE thing AND I almost beat 30 minutes!!!! I ran 30:21 chip time. I started slow, of course, because of the pack starting out slow, and then I had a really great kick at the end, which definitely helped my time.

After the race, there was water, bagels, fruit cups, bananas, and they gave away little plants for all the women.

http://www.trackshack.com/events/race_results/view_results.php?Link=201&Type=3&LName=flannery&FName=nikole&City=altamonte%20springs&State=FL&Country=

Run Around the Universe

2009-02-20T16:54:00.002-05:00

One week after the Season's 5.2K, I talked Heidi into running the Run Around the Universe race at Universal Studios. This was an EXTREMELY cold morning. I'm thinking the temperature was around 30 degrees!!! I couldn't believe it. But again, I run better in the cold.

This was a race to hang with Heidi. I really wanted to push her to see how far SHE could run. (Side note: Heidi was only planning to WALK the entire thing) I don't run a 5K and WALK it. We needed to run! So we started off with the crowd. There was only about 2,000 people there. Kind of a smaller race, but it was fun weaving in and out of the Studios and getting a "behind the scenes" look at Universal Studios. We RAN the first 2 miles!!!! Okay, we stopped RIGHT before the 2nd mile mark. But, for Heidi's sake, we ran the 2 miles! :) The "Behind the Scenes" look at Universal is what did it. It was absolutely BORING to run back there. Nothing exciting about it. There were workers all back there, either taking their breaks or started their mornings, all completely looking like zombies and depressed. And no, they were not in costumes! It was just depressing.

After we had gotten out from back there, the race went onto the streets through Universal and we ended up on a damn COBBLESTONE ROAD! UGH! Worst! But we made it through there.

Al Roker was even there for the news! But we missed him :(

Probably the best part of this race was Heidi running 2 miles continuously and getting MARDI GRAS BEADS AT THE END!!!!

Race Time: 38:34

Season's 52 Park Ave 5.2K

2009-02-20T16:42:00.002-05:00

Technically, this was the first race of 2009. Ran on January 24th, the COLD morning air windy as all hell! It was crazy. And very cold. I think I've come to the realization after this race, that I really enjoy running in the cold more than the heat. I can't stand the heat, and getting OVER-heated :(

This race was up and around Park Ave in Winter Park. It was a great scenic route! Really beautiful houses and streets I never knew existed here in Orlando.

I felt a lot better running this race. I didn't even bring my iPhone for sweet sweet Pandora Radio, which has become my friend on these runs! I just wanted to try and run the entire way. Sadly, I did not. I got over-heated and felt like I was about the pass out. Which is the worst feeling ever! Legs start to go numb, breathing gets really hard, you want to keep going but your body is just telling you STOPPPP!!!! (More like a yell, than telling) I walked somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd mile for about 2 minutes, and then started back up again.

It was nice running alone. I'm starting to enjoy this whole RUNNING thing a lot better, than I ever have before. I find myself worrying about the race, but worrying more about my day and my life. It's become a great time me to think about what's going on in life. Realize things I should do, things I need to do, and things I would like to do. :)

At the end of this race, I decided that the next one, I wouldn't be so worried about my time, but just focus on running the entire way.

Time: 32:34 for the race, but remember - this was a 5.2 K

My First RoadRace

2009-02-20T16:12:00.003-05:00

So, I have been playing sports since I was 3 years old. Pretty much out of the womb, I could kick a soccer ball, throw a baseball, and shoot a 3 pointer, so why did I hate running SO much? Who knows! But I was never a fan of it. I could run continuously in a GAME, but just me and the road, or the grass, were like oil and h2O, we just didn't go together well, or at all. The whole reason I went to college, was to play soccer - got recruited by the coach and could run a mile in 8 minutes. After playing soccer for two years, I switched to Lacrosse. EVEN MORE RUNNING. Lacrosse is a game of endurance, there was hardly any time during games that you would be standing still! At this point, I could run a mile in 7:30. Ridiculous! I couldn't even imagine doing that now. But here was the day I started getting back into shape...

I had a pretty depressing Thanksgiving in 2008 and was invited by a co-worker to run the Turkey Trot the morning of Thanksgiving, I figured why not! I had nothing else to do. I ran that race, and ended up running with some girl I didn't even know. We ran together and did it in and around 32 minutes. Okay, so that's around a 10 minute mile. Totally depressing, but just the feeling of completing something like a 5K was an amazing feeling. Running with the pack, hearing everyone stomp around you, I just wanted to keep up with the momentum. Crossing the finish line, I knew I had found something I would and could be passionate about. Something I could really make a goal about, set it, and then execute!

And this is when I realized my love for 5Ks, and made the New Years Resolution of more 5Ks in 2009!

The First One

2009-02-19T11:17:00.002-05:00

Okay, here's my first blog post for this whole running blog that people may or may not be interested in!
This weekend is the Run Around the Pines race. It's an all Organic and Eco-Friendly race. Racers are encouraged to walk, run, roller blade, or bike TO the event. Sounds great, but not when you live like 10 miles away! I'll be driving to the event, but I will be sporting my great organic cotton t-shirt that all participants received! This shirt is probably the best from all the races I've done so far! Besides it being organic, it's GREEN, and the logo is awesome!!!

Time to run: 30 minutes

Cost for this race: $24.00
Beneficiary: The House of Hope is a non-denominational, not-for-profit organization established to serve as a Christian residential program for troubled boys and girls ages 14-17, across the country.

All The Way *K*