Holiday Exchanges Round Up

I don't know about you all but I'm getting really excited about all of the exchanges that are going around the blog world right now! I'm posting all the ones I know about and please let me know if you know of more!

Julie at ROJ Running is having an ornament exchange! Who doesn't love a new ornament (especially people like me who have mostly generic ornaments because a certain chocolate lab knocked the tree over two years ago and smashed them all!)?

Zaneta at Runner's Luck is having a Christmas card swap!

Kim at [Just] Trying is For Little Girls is also having a Christmas card swap!

And I'm hosting the sock swap!


Any others that I need to add?

Week In Review

As I mentioned to y'all, the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge has officially begun and part of my participation involves sharing my workouts publicly and that means y'all get to read all the boring details [please feel free to skip right over it, i won't be mad atcha!].

but i will also smush in my marathon training weekly recaps to kill two proverbial birds...

monday::::  lifted shoulders and did a RUSH yoga class
tuesday::::  3 mile training run, 20 minutes stretch/yoga
wednesday::::  4 mile training run, lifted bis/tris/abs
thursday::::  5k turkey trot (with b-rad), yoga (plus cooking/cleaning points!)
friday::::  lifted shoulders/chest
saturday::::  9 mile training run, 20 minutes stretch/yoga
sunday::: 1 mile walk, yoga, WOW*

*the WOW stands for workout of the week that amanda posts to her YouTube channel. such a great way to learn new exercises to incorporate into your routine.

week 4 of marathon training::::  
i completed all my runs as planned. i was supposed to run 3 miles on thanksgiving and i ran raced a 5K. not the smartest (and keep in mind, me "racing" is still slow) but i selfishly wanted a new PR. i definitely paid for it and had to ice and foam roll like crazy.

i've been doing most of my training runs on the treadmill [with my eyes glued to gossip girl on the iPad] but i've kept the incline at 1. what do you all think about that?

here are some pics from the week (minus my turkey trot pics which i'll share in a separate post)::::

this was on the doorstep on monday, and i didn't order it. either i've gotten b-rad addicted to lulu  or he's been doing some Christmas shopping!

gossip girl on the treadmill, mismatched yurbuds, blox BCAAs, mizuno wave riders on the treadmill

after shoulder day

thanksgiving at our house!

me and my little brother

the fam at wild wing cafe on sunday after church

me and my beautiful momma

have you signed up for the Sock Swap??? 

Thunder Road Half Marathon:::: #9 of 12 in 2012

thunder road half marathon, charlotte, north carolina

half mary # 10

race# 9 of 12 in 2012

time:  2:52:40

expo::::

my friend becca and i drove to charlotte on friday afternoon and arrived at the expo around 6pm. i honestly thought the expo was a joke. it was at the blake hotel in downtown charlotte. we had to pay 5 bucks to park for 30 minutes. not cool. the expo was very sparse and i think it's pretty ridiculous to charge so much when we're obviously not going to be in there for long. i'm not sure if it was the race or the hotel charging the money, but shame on you whoever it was. 

side note: we had made a point to avoid elevation charts, but stumbled upon this shirt at the expo:

then we freaked out a little!

race morning::::

becca's amazing cousin leah (and her husband keith) were nice enough to let us crash at their house on friday night. becca and i got up early and headed downtown.

we didn't have any trouble parking (at the nascar hall of fame). it was pure luck, but we ran into a girl who works at the adjoining convention center. she showed us how to get next door without walking outside (it was cold!) and we were able to hang out, stretch, and use the bathrooms in the convention center. 

we waited until about 740am (5 minutes before the start of the race) to get over to the start line. it worked out fine. there were no corrals so of course there was mayhem at the beginning (there was a full marathon starting at the same time). 

the race::::

i was really excited to run this race with becca. this was her second half, but she may or may not have warned me that she couldn't remember the last time she'd ran. it was great though, having a friend made the race FLY by. the race was very hilly. continual climbs without much downhill/flats. 

most of the course was through residential areas, becca and i had fun claiming our dream homes!

the course support was great, lots of spectators and some bands along the way. 

of note::: i tried margarita shot bloks for the first time... YUCK. i should have known, considering i don't even like salt on my real margaritas, but i thought they were worth a shot. i ended up only using two of them for the whole race, when i usually eat a whole pack (6). depending on how training goes, i might use them again if i have trouble with cramping, but other than that i'll probably stick to the other flavors. 

Marathon Training:::: Week Three

Recommended Runs:  3 miles (T), 4 miles (W), 3 miles (R), 5 miles (S):::: 15 miles total
Actual Runs:  3 miles (T),13.1 miles (S):::: 16.1 miles total

This week was scheduled to be a step down week but I had already planned on running the Thunder Road half. This also happened during my first week of training (RnR Savannah). Hopefully it'll be fine. 

Friday morning I went to Alex's class, Yoga For Awesomeness, and as usual it was awesome! I really just wish I could go more often. With my work schedule I usually make it every other week. 

Are you running Kiley's Thanksgiving virtual race? It's free to participate and she has some great prizes up for grabs! Check it out here. 

Also check out the Hope Endures virtual 5K virtual race::::

Run in honor of Courtney's daughter Ashlyn, who was stillborn. Let's show Courtney our support!

Second Annual Secret Santa Sock Swap

It's that time again!

I hosted a holiday sock swap last year and it went over really well. About 30 people participated and it was so great to 'meet' so many new people. Plus it's always fun to get gifts and also see what everyone else got!

What's involved?

• Sign up by Saturday December 8th at midnight. 
• Find out who you're shipping to on December 9th (this may or may not be the same person who is shipping to you).
• Buy a pair of holiday socks and stuff them with gifts ($20-25 limit). Include a card or note introducing yourself!
• Ship them out by Monday December 17th.
• Post a picture of all your goodies to thank your secret Santa!

Want to participate?

• Email me to sign up.(3xacharmrunner@gmail.com). 
• I will need your mailing address and I also need to know if you're willing to ship outside the US. 
• Let me know your website address if you blog (that way your Santa can see what you like). 
• Comments are always appreciated but you are not signed up until you email this information to me. 
• I will only share you address with the person who gets your name.

If you're looking for ideas or more details, see my Holiday Sock Swap Roundup post from last year. It has links to people who posted their gifts!

Marathon Training Week Two::::

my sweet buddy who loves to come lay by the treadmill while i run!

Recommended Runs:  3 miles (T), 3 miles (W), 3 miles (R), 7 miles (S):::: 16 miles total
Actual Runs:  3 miles (T), 3 miles (W), 3 miles (R), 7 miles (S):::: 16 miles total

Another week in the books! I was really surprised at how well my LR went. I got up Saturday morning to get it in before work and it really flew by! Two episodes of Gossip Girl later (don't judge!!) I was set!

What do you do to pass the time while you run?
What's your favorite 'guilty pleasure' show?

RnR Savannah Half Marathon:::: #8 of 12 in 2012

rock n roll savannah half marathon, savannah georgia

half mary # 9

race# 8 of 12 in 2012

time:  2:17:42

division:  557/1266

gender: 2933/7568

expo::::

we arrived in savannah on friday afternoon and after checking into our hotel we headed straight for the expo. i remembered reading nightmares regarding the expo from last year so i wanted to pad our travel time. the expo is at the convention center, which is on an island. your options are driving, taking a shuttle, or taking a ferry. 

i would have preferred to drive since we were already in our car, but the website really encouraged parking and taking the ferry. plus all the nightmares had to do with traffic onto the island. we paid $10 to park (every garage was in 'event' mode) and took the ferry. the ferry was free and only about a 4 minute trip. 

the lines to get your bibs, swag bags, and shirts were well staffed and the lines were super short. 

the expo itself was very large. pretty much every vendor you'd ever want to see. we got some free stuff at the Brooks' setup, and Brad got fitted for shoes while i checked everything out. 

i purchased some zippfizz at Rachelle's recommendation. then in stood in line FOREVER to get a race day parking pass ($10). i SHOULD have bought this online ahead of time, then i could have picked it up a lot more quickly. but oh well, you live, you learn. here's my loot:

i have no shame, i definitely went by the downy booth twice then made brad go! i love those unstoppables!! i also stopped by the ACA booth and made two bibs. i ended up just wearing the one for my aunt sherri. i think my granny would understand why i made that choice. 

race morning::::

race morning was a little more hectic than usual for us because we were packing up and checking out of our hotel room (unplanned, more on this in a separate post). also, due to road closings, we had to be parked in our garage by 530 a.m. traffic was minimal and we had no trouble parking, but then we had more than 2 hours to kill before the race. we sat in the car for awhile and i made my way towards the start line around 7 a.m. 

i had eaten some Ezekiel bread with PB in the car, but i was starving before the race started. luckily RnR had water, bananas and bagels out for us. i had a half a bagel and some water while i waited.  

the race started on time, but it was a wave start so i think i started around 820ish. i did have a mini panic attack right before the race started that went something like this:

• i turn my garmin on before the race to allow it time to find satellites. then if it tries to turn itself off i just hit the light button to keep it on. 
• i went to turn on my iPod and it won't play.
• i proceeded to freak out and try to decide whether or not to use my phone for music (did this during the Flying Pig and it was not a good experience, plus i didn't have the playlist loaded).
• while this was going on, apparently my garmin beeped at me but i was too busy freaking out to notice. when i finally get situated (my iPod actually DID end up working) my Garmin had turned off. and it was time for my corral to start. SIGH. 
• i'm proud of myself for not completely losing it. i just hung back and waited for it to locate satellites. 

the race::::

i can't even describe to you how much i loved this course. it was mostly flat and beautiful. they changed the course from last year (after criticism about not really seeing the pretty parts of the city) and i was really happy with it. 

the course support along the way was first class. lots of water stations, GU station, and loads of bands, signs, crowds, and cheerleaders. i also saw a lot of first aid stations. 

this race flew by and i felt really good the whole time. i am also happy to report that aside from walking through water stations (i always do this, i'm not coordinated enough to drink and run at the same time) i ran this whole race!!! FIRST TIME EVER! [it only took me 9 half marathons to get to this point!! ;) ]

i'm not really sure why i thought i needed to put my hands up in every picture. all in all, this was an amazing race! great experience, great city, i'd definitely do it again. this was also my first RnR race. while i do enjoy the smaller race scene, they've definitely got it down and it went off without a hitch. 

what i'm wearing::::

under armour hat (from Suz)

nike sunglasses

lululemon run: swiftly tech long sleeve

nike running tights

mizuno wave riders (14s) with sweat pink laces

road id

iPod shuffle with yurbuds headphones

iFitness double pouch belt

my recommendations for this race::::

• try to drive to expo unless you're staying downtown. if traffic's bad, park downtown and try ferry.
• STAY DOWNTOWN if at all possible! everything's there! 
• if you need a parking pass, reserve it online to avoid the lines at the expo!
• find a bathroom before you get to the start line. 

Marathon Training Week One

It has begun! Last week was my first official week of marathon training and it went really well. I'm using Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Plan. I've never used one of his plans, but I mean, it's the most popular plan for first time marathoners, so why not? The only other time I used a training plan I used a Runner's World Smart Coach Plan.

Recommended Runs:  3 miles (T), 3 miles (W), 3 miles (R), 6 miles (F):::: 15 miles total
Actual Runs:  3 miles (T), 13.1 miles (S):::: 16.1 miles total

I hope it's okay that I did this, but I didn't want to be worn out for my half this weekend. I wasn't planning on trying for a PR or anything, but I just didn't want to be dragging.


Has anyone used the Novice 1 plan and have an opinion about it?

HBBC:::: Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge

I'm not sure if you all know, so I wanted to be sure to share in case you didn't...

Amanda [from Run to the Finish] hosts an amazing holiday challenge every year and you're seriously missing out if you don't participate! Last year was my first year to join up and let me just tell you, it MAJORLY motivated me throughout the holidays. I even ended up winning an amazing prize pack!

You can check out all the details here, but basically, you pick a group to join based on the level of fitness you'll be pursuing throughout the holiday season (mostly yoga/weights, 5k/10k, half marathon, full, etc.). You get points for any activities and you log them on a Google doc that Amanda maintains.You can see what everyone else is up to also so that's major motivation! I also found a lot of new blogs to read that way! The biggest change from last year is that you have to pay to sign up. I can't tell you enough though, IT IS SO WORTH IT. Plus the prizes are even bigger and better!

If you want to sign up head on over here! It starts November 19th and runs through January 5th!
***Edited to add: If you select Jill at Fitness, Health & Happiness as your referral, you will get $5 off registration! I'm passing this along with Jill's approval!***

*If you want to see any of my blog posts about HBBC 2011, just click on the label HBBC on the right!