St. Augustine Half Marathon

Following my Marathon training plan, this past week called for a 13 mile run, and I decided I wanted to race it and found the St. Augustine Half Marathon to perfectly fit into my plan! 

My dad (aka biggest running supporter) drove up to Orlando and picked me up Saturday morning for the trip. We got to St. Augustine at lunch time and headed to our favorite little cafe for lunch. The Manatee, recommended for all! Healthy, delicious, and lots of vegan options. We got the hummus and tabbouleh appetizer, a veggie burger and vegan Reuben to split. Carb loading at its best, plus I'm always starving.

The Reuben above, veggie burger below! Dad got a side of quinoa veggie soup and I opted for fruit.

Afterwards, we checked into our hotel, and walked to the expo to pick up my packet for the race the next morning. We walked down the historic area to St. George street amongst the many little shops and got a pumpkin pie Popsicle from my favorite Popsicle place!

Then, we strolled to the fort and made our way back to the hotel where we tested a bit before heading to sushi to carb load for the morning. I got a cucumber roll and an avocado roll, very tasty. 

Before I knew it, I was waking up for race morning! I got dressed, ate my banana and cold brew coffee, and drove to the race. We over compensated how long and busy it would be and were there pretty early. It was a small race of only 1,200 runners which is my favorite kind of race. I ate my honey stinger waffle right before the start and we were off at 7am after a moment of silence for Paris. 

The run began at the Fort and traveled over the famous Bridge of Lions to Anastasia Island. I was feeling amazing, so thankful for my safety, my many blessings, my father who is so supportive in every single thing I do, my body for being strong and allowing me to run, and living in a country that I can freely run in! The race turned over a huge bridge, .25 up, and then an immediate turn around and back over the bridge. Not fun. Then the race continued through the National Park of beachfront Anastasia Island, breathtaking sand dunes and streets covered in mossy trees. My knee began to flare up and send shooting pain at mile 9 but I dug deep and pushed through set on setting a PR.

The last 4 miles flew by, I started out running way too fast almost a minute faster per mile than I wanted, and eventually slowed down towards the end. One more time over the Bridge of Lions, past the fort and finished with a PR of 2:06:27!!! A 7 minute PR for myself, which I am so proud of. After my horrible long run the week prior I really didn't know that was possible. But when you believe in yourself, anything can happen! And I am hungry for that Marathon in January.

A post run breakfast of tofu scramble at The Manatee Cafe, and we were headed home. Shout out to No Meat Athlete for the perfect new race shirt!! You can find it here: store.nomeatathlete.com

Peace and running friends :)

Moss Park Forest Run Recap!

Wow. Just wow. I get it now trail runner friends… and I am officially addicted! A few months ago, I found this race while scouring the Internet for a fun summer race (not an easy task in the heat of Central Florida!) So, on a whim I signed up for the “Distance Dare” trail race, which consists of a 10k run that must be completed in under 75 minutes, and then running the 5k race when it begins. I had planned to find some trails and train there… however that didn’t happen due to pure laziness and time constraints with my morning runs.

So the night before I was very nervous, full of doubt whether or not I was even capable of finishing the 10k in under 75 minutes (I can easily run under an hour on pavement), but for some reason didn’t have much faith in myself. So I ate a good pasta meal, set out my gear, and went to bed early for my 5:00am wake up!

Hopped out of bed, made some coffee, chugged a glass of water, and hit the road! I ate a banana (my chosen pre-race fuel) about an hour before the race as well as had my coffee. I only drink coffee prior to running if I can finish it over an hour before I start so it will not mess up my tummy. It was very very dark arriving to the park, very little lighting. After parking I made my way to register, put my key in my belt and we were off! The loop was 3.1 (5k) miles long, so for the 10k we ran two loops. I had registered for the distance dare and had to complete the 10k in under 75 minutes in order to be finished in time to start the 5k afterwards. The race began on the paved road, and after about half a mile transitioned over to the sand like trail. It was pretty wet and muddy from the rain the night prior, but I thought it was a fun addition :)

I felt great, and kept up positive affirmations throughout my run (I don't race with music, etc.) Before I knew it I was done and crossing the finish, in 1:00:23.7 which was a little slower than usual due to the nature of the trail and the mud! I was very pleased with my time and got some water while I waited for the 5k to begin. I ran the 5k purely to add the miles and for fun, so I took my time and enjoyed the beautiful park and scenery. Afterwards, I grabbed some fruit and checked the results... only to see that I had placed 3rd in my age group for the 10k! I was shocked... I walked to my car to get my phone for a picture with tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe that I would be getting a medal for placing in RUNNING, a sport I still don't believe I am even skilled at!

I had a nearby runner take a picture of me, walked around the park and headed out. SUCH an amazing runner's high... and I am officially an addicted trail runner :) I plan to run trails on a regular basis now, and do many more off road races!

Remember friends, if you trust and work hard and most of all BELIEVE anything is possible!

Keep running friends :)

BOSTON & Half-Marathon Recap!

Ahh... what an amazing and inspiring weekend, exactly what I needed. My younger sister lives and goes to college in Boston, so I flew up late Thursday evening after work to meet up with her! Friday morning, my parents flew up to meet us and our adventure begun!

We began by heading out to one of our favorite lunching spots: Life-Alive! I am what I consider a flexitarian, mostly vegan but I do enjoy fish and dairy on occasion. Life Alive is fully vegan, and I had the Explorer Wrap that was insanely delicious. We spent the rest of the day walking around the entire city, I kid you not at least 6 miles of walking. Our packet pickup for the Run to Remember was at the World Trade Center out on the wharf. Immediately after walking in I spotted the Oofos booth and took off my Birkenstock and sunk my feet into them. Ooooohhh is all I can say. I opted for the black pair with a shiny grey-ish strap. These shoes are amazing for post-running, and they help to speed up recovery time. As someone that suffers from shin splints, I will try anything and so far I can tell you these do the trick! We perused the rest of the expo, got our packets, and headed to dinner for oysters, and a nice vegan Italian meal in the North End.

Since we have visited Boston so often, we rented a car and drove up the coast to Beverly, and Gloucester to hike and enjoy the seaside villages. It was a beautiful and chilly day so coming from Florida it was a breath of fresh air. After we got back to the city, we settled in to carb load my favorite way: sushi. I had the Caterpillar roll and it was so darn cute!

Finally, race day. I woke up along with my sister and dad who would be running at 4:45am in order to get in some food and wake my body up in time. My sister ran cross country in High School and College, and is a pretty experienced runner, and my father has ran many marathons and a few half's with me! We had bananas, some cold brew coffee (I need it to function), and walked to the start. We decided we would each run our own races, so when the gun went off we set out at our own paces. The course was beautiful, starting out at the wharf and heading through downtown out to Memorial Drive along the Charles River. I felt amazing, the weather definitely helped and I couldn't even feel my legs! Checking my Garmin I knew I was going faster than I usually even train for, and I knew I could PR. The race even took a little turn down Boylston Street, and I got very very emotional there (as well as countless other occasions.) I dream of one day running the Boston Marathon, so for now it was my own little "Boston." We finished back out on the wharf where I reunited with my dad and sister, took some race pictures and showered and spent the day at the Franklin Zoo and recovering our legs.

Overall, the trip and the race was more than I could have dreamed of. Boston is my favorite city I've ever been to; the culture, the art, the accepting of the people, and the overall city pride is like nothing I have ever experienced. I hope to find myself living there or somewhere very similar in the near future! (I am a dreamer, and have a huge case of wanderlust!)

Also, this post wouldn't be complete with a tribute to all those have served. We got to visit the thousands of flags placed in memory in the Boston Common. Our race was also a memorial to law enforcement and those who have served. Thank you to all those that have fallen for our safety and freedom!

Keep running friends :)