President's Day and Q&A

Happy President's Day!

I am very excited about President's Day because I have off from work :) I started my day off with Fitness Pilates. I love this class because it makes me feel like a dancer and I used to dance a lot as a kid. After class, I went for a run with my dad. My parents were in Florida last week so I had no workout partners :( and I am happy they are back. We did an easy 5k and plan to do some speed tomorrow. It is so much easier to get speed work done when you have someone to run with/against.

My favorite preppy blogger asked me some running questions and I thought they would make for a great post. Thanks, Elle!

What is the distance of your first race this season?

I am running my first race of the year on March 13 (aka Dan and my 4-year anniversary). It is a 5k (3.1 miles) and there is a huge hill in the middle of the race. It is a St. Patrick's Day run and is followed by a big parade and some drinks :) I am running it with my dad (obviously) and 2 friends from work (both male). Every year we have a bet and the loser(s) have to buy the winner a drink after the race. So far I am undefeated and hope to continue that tradition this year :) Last year, I ran this course in 21:06 (6:47 pace) and took 1st in my age group, and I hope to beat that time this year.



Is there a particular race that you are really looking forward to or focusing on?

Last year, my big race was the marathon. So far this year, I don't have one big race that I focus all my training toward...yet. I applied for the NYC Marathon for the 3rd time this year. If you get rejected 3 years in a row, you are automatically in the 4th year (which would be next year). You can also qualify to be accepted into the race. My qualifying time is 1:37 for a half marathon. There is a 59 second window, meaning you can run a 1:37:59 and still qualify. My 1/2 marathon PR? 138:10...yes I missed it last year by 11 seconds. If I do get into New York this year, that will be my focus. I don't find out until June so until then, I want to focus on getting my 1/2 marathon time under 1:38.

Another favorite race of mine is the President's Cup 5K. It is the first race I've ever done and the race I do most frequently. It is a super fast course and also the course where I ran my 5k PR (19:35). It is the first race that I won money for running ($25 haha) AND even better was the race was free (paid for by my running club, The Sneaker Factory). As if this race couldn't get any better...it is sponsored by Sam Adams and they serve an unlimited amount of free beer following (during for spectators!) the race. This race isn't until June, and doesn't require much preparation as I run 5k races frequently.


I know it doesn't get as hot up there in the summer as it does down here, (Austin) so do you continue to race even into the peak of July?

The summer is tough for racing, even in NJ, mostly because of the humidity. Last year, I ran 2 races in July, and they were both nighttime 5ks. There are less races available in the peak of the summer and the ones they do have are usually shorter in distance. My dad and I usually take August off of racing completely. We continue to run, either in the morning, or later in the evening but it can still be tough. The morning is cooler, but the humidity is higher, and it is difficult for me to run too late at night. When we run in the summer, no matter what the distance, we always wear fuel belts with Gatorade to stay hydrated.

Thanks for the questions :) Feel free to ask anything!
Did you all have off today? Do anything fun?