Planes, Trains, and Running Shoes

On January 1, I got an email from Runners' World with the subject line: Guide to a Fitter, Faster You. I read through it and found some great resources and decided to commit to the month-by-month plan in order to make myself a better, faster runner.

I've been documenting my progress in my Believe I Am Journal and really like the plan. I think it's a great resource and I'm looking forward to seeing how my running progresses over the course of the year not only with the plan, but also by journaling about it in much more detail than I would give on DailyMile or here on Planes, Trains and Running Shoes.


The task for January was to plan my race year.

If you read my 2013 Goals post, you know that I have 3 big running goals this year:

1. Run a sub-4 marathon.
2. PR the half.
3. Run a sub-24 minute 5k.

Marathon #1: 4:08
Marathon #2: 4:03
Marathon #3: 4:27
Marathon #4: 4:24
Marathon #5: 4:01:05

My 3rd marathon was one that I wasn't planning on running until I got to Mile 22. My 4th marathon, I totally bonked.

I have run 5 marathons. 3 of them with the goal of going sub-4. It kills me that I still haven't seen a 3 as the first number on the clock. Yet, every time, I've somehow crossed the finish line with a huge smile on my face.

I don't know how many more times I can do that. Yes, every marathon is an accomplishment, but frankly, this shit is getting old.


I started my running career in 2010. In the span of those short 3 years, I've poured over countless spreadsheets checking off workouts, analyzing every workout before, during and after...and for weeks to come. "I didn't missed my target pace on the 2nd mile of my tempo workout last week...what does that mean for Race Day."

This time around, there's no spreadsheet. I'm taking things back to the basics. For starters, I'm running a very small marathon. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love big races and Marine Corps is my favorite marathon, but I think that running a small race will be good for me.

No distractions. Just me and the road. The fact that the course is an out and back means, I'll have plenty of support along the way but the fact that it's capped at 350 runners means I'll have plenty of time to think about race strategy without being distracted by yet another, "Worst Parade Ever" sign.

Right now, I'm glued to the treadmill until it starts getting light earlier and staying light later, but you better believe I'm using the treadmill to it's absolute full advantage and running intervals, hills and sprints. I think I'm getting better workouts on the treadmills than I do on my normal "easy" runs outside.

I think that by not having a training plan, and just focusing on 2-3 key workouts per week (hill repeats, tempo runs, interval training, track work), running longer every week and basing my weekly mileage off of what I did the week before, I'll be in great shape to run a successful training cycle without overanalyzing anything and without risk of overtraining.

I'm still following a 16 week training cycle and this is Week 3, but I'm not following a strict plan. I'm just running.

I'm training smart. I'm actually strength training. I'm actually doing yoga. I'm actually going to stick to these regiments. I'm eating better. I'm getting more sleep. I'm taking vitamins and I'm feeling great. After all, marathon training is about so much more than running. 

Fast friends. Positive friends. I'm living in DC now and planning to fully take advantage of the fact that everyone I know here runs faster than I do. There are a plethora of running groups and it's just a matter of sucking it up and joining them to get more of those weekday workouts outside, rather than inside. I just need to find one that's right for me. Emily is just one of those friends that is both fast AND positive and is not only encouraging me about my goal daily, but helping me figure out my plan of attack.


I hated running in New York. Absolutely despised it. I hated taking the subway to Central Park. I hated running through the city to the East River Path or the West Side Highway. I dreaded almost every single run because it wasn't convenient. There was no such thing as just running. It was always an ordeal to get there. Even when I did get to Central Park, I always had to make the trek back home - cold, sweaty and sore on the subway.

This time around, I can just run. I step out my front door it's a straight shot to one of the most gorgeous running trails I've ever run. I look forward to my weekend runs every week and I can't wait until I can start running that trail every morning. It's going to make a huge difference that I'm not dreading every run.

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The single most important take away of this post - my big plan of attack - is that I really don't have a plan. I'm just.going.to.run. I know with every fiber of my being that this is possible. I don't need to do much to finally make this happen, I just need to trust that it will. 

1. Snow - Holy snowfall Batman! I walked out my apartment this morning and yelled, "Oh sh*t! It's snowing!" I was not expecting that. I blame my boyfriend who likes to sleep with all the curtains closed so that I can't see out my window in the morning.

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2. Wake Up Early, Work Out Early - Remember when I said that my goal for this week was to work out early? Hahahahahaha. That hasn't happened. This morning, I actually woke up really early but stayed in bed because I had the sniffles. I will wake up early and run tomorrow. One does not simply become an early morning runner...I think that my new goal should be to wake up early one day every week and get in my work out. Then, one day can turn into 2 days, 2 into 3, and so and and so forth. Wish me luck tomorrow guys. I'm determined!


3. Living in DC - I think that I've made this a category on every bulleted, numbered list I've posted on my blog since I moved here. I still love it. I'm really loving our apartment and we had friends over for the first time this week. We still need some things (nightstands, a side table, a kitchen table...) but we're getting there and every day, I love it a little bit more.

1. It's Inauguration Day in DC! I am participating by watching on TV in sweat pants while working from home. This weekend, The Pilot and I went out and about exploring all of the Inauguration set up without actually dealing with the crowds. It was fantastic. Love.

Holy sun in my face Batman!

2. I had a pretty awesome week of running last week. The Mount Vernon Trail is probably my new favorite place on Earth.  Welcome back to my life Marathon Training. Love.

3. I finally busted out my KitchenAid mixer this weekend and made homemade cupcakes. Vanilla with a Chocolate Ganache frosting. Yum. Love.


4. This weekend, I saw a commercial for a lawnmower racing competition. I am officially living in the south again and it is fantastic. Love.

5. The apartment is finally starting to come along really nicely! Love.

Don't mind the sleeping puppy on my couch.

6. There is nothing about today that I don't love. Love.

{Inspired by Jess's post}

....looking forward to brunch with Andrea and Leah tomorrow morning.


...envisioning a successful week of early morning workouts next week and kicking off marathon training.

...craving a really well-executed race.

...reading "Five Quarters of an Orange" by Joanne Harris (author of Chocolat). It's moving slowly but I think I like it.


...writing this post!

...thankful for my boyfriend. He's pretty great.

On Running:
- This is the first time in almost 3 years that I've had a 9-5 8:30-5:30 job. In that time, I've started running. I started training for my first Half during my last full-time day job but I wasn't racking up serious miles.
- I have NO idea how all you 9-5ers train for marathons. I've been coming home from work every night and running on the treadmill because it's too dark when I leave in the morning and too dark when I get home at night to run outside...and I will not run when it's dark out.
-I know it's just a matter of time before I get into a routine. The sun is coming out 1 minute earlier every day, so that's helpful. In the mean time, I wrote this reminder in my planner for next week so that I can really start to nail my workouts.

Even if it means hitting the treadmill until the sun starts coming out earlier.

On Racing:
- I decided on a Spring Marathon. After my post last week, wherein I decided that I would not be running a spring marathon because I didn't like any of them, Jessica left me a comment with a list of DC running/racing resources that lead me to sign up for this:

The Potomac River Run Marathon

It's flat. It's fast. It's the self-proclaimed 'easiest marathon in America' and the start line is 20 minutes from my apartment. Done. (Side note: I haven't actually signed up yet, but I will.)

On the New York City Marathon: 
-Are you sick of me talking about this race yet? It's only been 2 years. I had originally planned to opt for the guaranteed entry into the 2014 race (I have no interest in running it this year) but after thinking long and hard about it, I decided to take the refund. Here's why:

• I've already spent nearly $1000 on getting into this race. Sure, it would be nice to have the guaranteed entry and not go through the lottery process again, but that just ups the total amount of money I've already spent to not run this race.
• The price of the 2012 marathon would be guaranteed through 2015 if I had gone with that option, and while I'm sure the marathon will cost well over $300 by the time 2015 rolls around, I can't justify paying over $200 TWICE to only run the marathon ONCE.
• I never fully had my heart into New York and am not in a rush to run it again soon. While 9+1 is no longer available to me (which, I wouldn't do even if it was), I'll take my chances with the lottery if/when I decide to run it.

I wish I could say that this weekend was all about getting out and exploring DC, but the reality is that there were still boxes to unpack, pictures to get hung and furniture to be put together.

I loved being in Texas last weekend, but it meant that we never really got that first weekend in our apartment to put everything together.

The place is finally starting to come together and I'm loving my new apartment just a little bit more every single day. Peyton is starting to adjust nicely and I'm starting to get into a little bit of a routine at work.

On Friday, I left work a little bit early and stopped to pick up some Baked & Wired cupcakes for The Pilot and me. I got home, put on a pair of sweat pants, uncorked a bottle of wine and proceeded to do nothing for the rest of the night. It was glorious.


I haven't worked a 9-5 in almost 3 years and I was exhausted from my first week of work!

Speaking of work, I love my office. It makes me incredibly happy. It's in an old, historic building with exposed brick. It's a communal work space and I love the environment.

On Saturday, The Pilot and I had to get Peyton out of the apartment for a few hours while our bathtub was being reglazed so we took her to the pet store and then made our way to Old Town, Alexandria and walked up and down King Street with her.

Crossing over Peyton Street with Peyton! I got way more excited about than I should have.

We stopped at a bakery for lunch (Bittersweet) and they gave her 'pupcakes' which we didn't think she liked, until I realized that she wanted them hand fed to her. Spoiled.

After trips to Ikea and Trader Joe's, we were too exhausted to go see the movie we had planned to go see so I tried my hand at some cilantro-lime rice (needs work) and called it a night.

Sunday brought on a foggy 9 mile run. It was my longest run since the Richmond Marathon in November (yikes!) and I felt fantastic, I even ran at a pace 30 seconds faster than I usually do my long runs and didn't struggle at all. I came home and proceeded to be lazy for the rest of the day, half assing my way through unpacking and hanging things on the wall (I got the wine rack up so at least I had my priorities straight) and watching the Golden Globes while contemplating this dilemma:

If forced to choose between Eddie Redmayne and Jeremy Jordan, what in heaven's name would I do?

Don't even get me started with Hugh Jackman...or Leonadro DiCaprio.

So that was my weekend. Here's to a productive week of finally getting completely settled in my apartment so that I can start exploring all of the fantastic things DC has to offer...starting with the Inauguration.

Now who wants to loan me $2200 so that I can purchase a ticket to the Inaugural Ball?

This is Peyton (and no, she is NOT named after Peyton Manning).

By the time 2012 had rolled around, I already had my race schedule booked through November. After burn out from completing 9+1 in 2011, I made a resolution to race less in 2012 and was pretty successful at doing that. I only ran 10 races and I ran each of them because I wanted to, not because I felt like I had to.

Fast forward to 2013 and my race calendar is looking, well...bleak.


I had my sights set on running the Eugene Marathon but when I was offered my new job, I was told that I'd have to be traveling that weekend. I spent the next few weeks looking for a replacement marathon and after not finding one, decided against training for a spring marathon.

Wait! What?

It turns out, there really aren't that many great spring marathons. It seems all of the good ones are in the Fall. None of the races I came across are local and I really don't want to travel to run a race in a city that I've never had much interest in visiting, never mind racing in.

I really don't think I would do very well in a marathon that I have no interest in running. Flying Pig sounds great, but I wasn't a big fan of Cincinnati and I don't really think I could get motivated to crush my sub-4 goal in a race that I'm really not that interested in running. Does that make sense?

There are some great summer marathons (Seattle, San Francisco) that I might consider, but I'm still on the fence.

I will be running the DC Rock & Roll Marathon again with Ally in March and I'll be pacing her to a PR so when I say I won't be training for a race, I mean, I won't be gunning for a sub-4 marathon this spring.


I'd like to spend this spring training for a big PR in the Half, but again, I'm finding a serious lack of races. I'm currently training for Cowtown but I had my lowest monthly mileage of the year in December and moving, getting sick, starting a new job and traveling this weekend have gotten in the way of me really being to kick off training so I'm not sure how ready I'll be for the big PR I'm aiming for come February.

Beyond that? I haven't seen any half-marathons that I could train for in March/April.

So what's a girl to do? I've already linked into all of the local DC groups and have found some great local short-distance races that I plan on running but my long-distance prospects are looking grim.

Here's what's on my schedule so far for this year:

Cowtown Half-Marathon - February
DC Rock & Roll Marathon - March
Marine Corps 17.75k - March
Cherry Blossom 10 Mile - April
Cleveland Half-Marathon - May (???)
...

I'm definitely planning on running Marine Corps again. I absolutely loved that race and the course runs right past my new apartment. There are some fall half-marathons that I'll probably do as part of my training but as far as the spring is concerned, I'm at a total loss!

Have you ever found yourself itching to race but with limited options? What did you do? What are some of your favorite spring marathons?

This weekend was fantastic. The Pilot and I were up bright and early Friday morning to catch a flight to Dallas for the weekend for my baby sister's Sweet 16.

It. Was. Awesome.

There was a mechanical bull.


There was dancing.

That would be my dad. With my 87-year-old grandmother...who can still salsa better than any 20-something I know.

And there was so much laughing that by the end of the night, my whole face was sore from smiling so much.

Me and my sisters

It was the perfect way to end the holiday break before heading back to my first 9-5 in 2 years today.

Oh and this happened.


As far as the new job goes, my first day went great. I have a lot to learn but I'm fortunate that the person I'm replacing has left me a lot of information and resources that should make learning the ropes a piece of cake. I absolutely love my colleagues so far and think that this job is going to be fantastic! My office is in a fantastic location in DC and I can't wait to explore the area!

Happy New Year!

I've spent the first 48 hours of 2013 bedridden with a violent stomach bug that has made me feel, at many points, like I was on my death bed.

There was no glorious run along the Mount Vernon Trail to kick off the New Year. I didn't hang up my art work in my apartment or finish unpacking. I didn't post my 2013 goals on my blog.

I stayed in bed and The Pilot took care of me as best as he could.

Definitely not how I anticipated starting the New Year, but hey, it happens.

Today, I'm finally starting to feel much, much better. Unbelievably dehydrated, but much better.

So there's my fabulous start to the New Year.

At least, I was able to ring in the New Year in proper DC fashion. My stomach bug didn't hit until approximately 1am which left me ample time to party all over the District.


With all of that being said, it's time to talk goals. I don't make resolutions, I make a list of goals I want to accomplish. You can check out how I did with my 2012 goals here. So here's what I have planned for this year:

1. Run a Sub-4 Marathon: I have got to get this monkey off my back. I ran a 4:01:05 at Richmond it was my 3rd attempt at a sub-4 marathon. I still haven't decided on a spring marathon (or if I even will run one yet) but I have a fall race in mind and would like at least two shots at making this happen.

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2. PR the Half-Marathon Distance: I have a lofty time goal on here that I'm not planning on disclosing just yet. Right now, I'm training for the Cowtown Half, which is the first Half I've trained for since New York City in 2012. If I don't end up running a spring marathon, I'm going to use the spring to just really amp up my Half performance and then segway into Fall Marathon training. Current PR - 1:54:14.

3. Run a Sub-25 minute 5k: There's a Friday night 5k series in Crystal City during the month of April and I plan on running each of them and finally getting my 5k time below 25 minutes. Current PR - 25:09.

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4. Complete a 30 Day Yoga Challenge: Whether it's at home or in a studio, I want to do it. I saw my running improve dramatically with regular yoga this past year and I want to keep that up. I'd love to do it in-studio but I know that can be tough, especially with my travel goals for the year (see below), but this is one goal that I don't want to neglect.

5. Fly at least once per month: The only month I didn't fly in 2012 was January! Considering I wasn't trying to fly that much, I'll call that a success! So far, the only months this year which I don't have travel plans are July and September-December. I'm sure that's bound to change though given my propensity for spontaneous travel!

This view alone is enough of an impetus to get me in the air. via

6. Explore AS MUCH of DC as possible: I love DC. I think that has been evidenced by the amount of times I've been there since I've started this blog. Now that I'm finally living here, I want to see and do as much as I possibly can while I'm here! I have no plans of leaving any time soon (shocker!) but I still want to see it all and The Pilot is right there with me. From the super touristy things like the museums and the Cherry Blossoms to the super fun things like cooking classes and Friday night 5k series, I want to do it all. I was like that when I lived in London and Boston, to an extent. New York? Not so much.

7. Study for the Foreign Service Test: The Foreign Service Test is a challenging one and takes quite a bit of time to study for. Passing the test lands you on a Register which doesn't guarantee you a post in the Foreign Service, but leaves your name out there for posts that do open up. One is typically placed on the Register for 18 months during which time you may or may not be called up. I'd like to take the test some time towards the end of the year/beginning of next year.

8. Save 1/3 of my Salary: This is the big, lofty ambitious goal on my list. I know it won't be easy but it's a big goal and I'd like to work towards it. If I don't make it to 1/3 but am able to put away some 20% of my salary, I'll consider this a success. I'm not saving for anything in particular, but I'd like to start setting a good chunk of money aside so that one day, if I decide to buy a house, I can. If I decide to take a wild 3 week trip to Fiji, I can. What this will require is bringing lunch to work every day (except maybe once or twice per month), having date nights because we want to go out, not because there isn't any food in the house, and just being a bit more frugal. I'm excited to see how this one goes.

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9. Finish my College Scrapbook: This was a big, giant fail in 2012 as well as on my 25 Before 25 list. This May, I'll have been out of college for 4 years. I need to finish my scrapbook before that time rolls around so I can start doing things with all of my other photos.

10. Continue on my Ballpark Journey: I'm at 18 with 12 more to go. With a new job, I might not be able to see them all this year, but if I can get to 3 more, I'll be happy!

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So there you have it, my 2013 goals! Some are big, lofty and ambitious, others are fun. That's just how I roll.  I'm so unbelievably excited for this year, it's not even funny. New city. New job. New goals. What's not to love?