This month I ran 84 miles compared to 107.22 last month.  Yes, I did slack on a few runs.  Two weeks of taper and I only ran twice.  I hope that does not affect my performance on Sunday.  I read that the course is flat.  Hmm, the Chicago course is flat.  We’ll see about this one.

No races this month.  My first one is next month and then nonstop races till at least October.  I plan to run in every race I can afford.  I would like to run in at least 20 races and complete 12 half marathons.  Can I pull this off?

I have not completed one marathon but am already planning another one.  Yep, I plan to run the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th.  Registration starts on Wednesday, March 7th.

I will retire my Brooks PureCadence after the marathon.  Next, I will be running in the Brooks Green Silence.  I read a review by Runblogger and on the Brooks site.  Looks like a decent shoe but not sure about doing long runs in them.

I am planning to go to Las Vegas next month.  Yes, I need a vacation before my Spring Break.  I have friends that are going for a meeting so I plan to stay with them.  The plan ticket is EXPENSIVE….over $400.  I want to go!!  I want to play blackjack in a casino and go to the Grand Canyon.  Sigh.  But am I willing to spend $400 on the ticket?  Well, considering that I won’t have to pay for a hotel I guess it is not a bad deal huh?

Run Happy!!

This month I ran 107.22 miles.  Yay!!!  Finally a month over 100 miles.  That is a record for me.  It would have been more but ( excuses, excuses) I only ran 12 on Sunday when I was supposed to do 20 and today I was supposed to do 5 but stayed late at school and by then i was too tired to go to the gym.

No races this month.  Too cold.  Still in training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon on March 4.  So excited but scared too.  I think this is a feeling i will have with every marathon.

I am looking forward to warmer weather so that I can run AND race outside.  I know, I know.  I have might have mentioned that I would rather run in cold weather than in snow but I am still a “chicken” when it comes to running in cold weather.  I cannot handle it.

So far we’ve been really lucky with the weather in Chicago. I hope I did not jinxed it.  I remember last year we had that terrible snowstorm and caused me to miss 3 days of school.  Yes I was happy to be home but I remember being bored and then not happy when I had to make them up at the end of June.  I am hoping this year we do not miss any school days because I am planning to participate in the Ragnar Relay, June 8-9.

I continue to run in my Brooks PureCadence.  I have not experience major pain except in the outer part of my feet.  I don’t know if it’s the shoes, my feet, or increased in mileage.  The pain does go away when I stretch my feet.  Next on my list of shoes to run in are the Brooks Green Silence.  Yay!!!

I bought two running skirts from Zappos:  Brooks PR Mesh Skort II and Skirt Sports Gym Ultra.  I just briefly tried them on but will write about them once I run in them.

Run Happy!!

This month I ran 82.61miles.  No races this month.  I am too much of a chicken to run in the cold.  Oh well, that will change once I get back to Chicago to continue my training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon.  Just a little over 2 months to go.  So far I have been training on the treadmill but feel like I should get out there.

Total miles ran this year is 736.54.  Last year I had set a goal of running 1,000 miles by today.  Yeah, that did not happen.  I’d like to blame it on the slow months of February (20 miles) and July (17 miles).  I remember in February I got hurt and could not run hence the 20 miles.  This summer I went on a 3 week vacation to Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru which left no time for running (17 miles) but A LOT of time for walking.

Besides the marathon I have signed up for the following races:
CARA Lakefront 10 Miler, 4/28
Fleet Feet Sports Soldier Field 10 Miles, 5/26

I’ve done both races in the past and LOVE them!!! I will also sign up for the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K.  Another great race!  However, registration doesn’t start till tomorrow.  🙂

Thanks to Katie at Live Half Full, I found out about the Chi Town Half Marathon & 10K on April 1.  Looks interesting.  I will wait a few months (early registration ends March 4) before I make a definite decision on whether I do it or not.

This year I ran a total of 15 races.
Marathon-1
Half Marathon-3
10 Miles-3
10K-2
8K-1
3.14-1
5K-4

My goal for next year is to run at least 20 races.  That is only 5 more than this year.  For sure I can do it.

What is the most races you’ve done in a year?

Happy New Year and Run Happy!!!

This month I ran 84.3 miles.  Much better this month.  Below are the races I completed this month.

• Chicago’s Perfect 10 Mile, November 12
• Run 3.14 Pie, November 24

Both races were new this year.  I had a great time at both of them so I plan to race them again next year.

Total miles ran this year is 657.93.  Definitely no chance of hitting 1,000 miles before December 31.  That is OK because my new goal is to run 1,000 miles before November 19, 2012 which is the day before I turn 40.  Yep, you read correctly.  I will turn 40 next year.  Do I feel almost 40?  Nope.

1. Skydiving   
2. Rollerskate 
3. Blackhawsks game 
4. Scubadiving 
5. Whale watching 
6. Taste 40 different beers/tequilas 
7. Bikram yoga 
8. Ballroom/pole dancing 
9. Relay race 
10. Slumber party 
11. Drive-in movie 
12. Pottery class
    
13. Visit a country/continent that I have not been to
14. Go to the Grand Canyon 
15. Hike at Yosemite Mountains 
16. Do ultramarathon (50K) 
17. See U2 in concert  
18. Hot air balloon ride  
19. Take a CPR class  
20. Learn sign language  
21. Participate in the Chicago Polar Plunge 
22. Go on a helicopter ride 
23. Travel first class 
24. Visit the four corners (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado) 
25. Learn to play poker and go to a casino  
26. Learn to play pool 
27. Watch every movie that has won an Academy Award Winners for Best Picture 
28. High Tea at the Plaza Hotel in New York 
29. Get palms read/See a psychic/Get a tarot card reading 
30. Run a marathon in another state 
31. Participate in the Women’s Half Marathon 
32. Run 1,000 miles 
33. Rock climbing 
34. View the top 100 paintings and pick top 10 favorites 
35. Highlights on hair 
36. Go to a bar alone 
37. Horse carriage ride 
38. Speed date/blind date 
39. Graceland 
40. Mt. Rushmore

No upcoming races until the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in New Orleans.  I am registered, got my hotel, and now looking for a cheap ticket to New Orleans.

Finally got my Brooks PureProject Cadence.  To date I’ve ran 33.16 miles and they feel GREAT!!  I love them!  They’re expensive ($120) but totally worth it.  My next pair will be a Ravenna.  I know that in a previous post I wrote that I was a fan of Asics.  Well, I have converted to a Brooks fan.

Glad it is December.  That means only less than 3 weeks of work and then off for vacation.  I will be visiting my sister and nephew in San Antonio.  Yay!!  I am so ready for it.

This month I ran 52.7 miles.  Yeah, SLOW month.  Below are the races I completed this month:

• ING Hartford Marathon, October 15
• Carrera de los Muertos/Day of the Dead 5K, October 29

Total miles ran this year is 569.63.  I was really hoping to run a total of at least 1,000 miles this year but a semi-injury in February (ran 29 miles that month) and my 3 week vacation in the summer to Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru (49.5 in June and 17 in July) slowed me down.  I did A LOT of walking during those 3 weeks that I was so exhausted when I came back and the last thing I wanted to do was run.

Upcoming races this month include:

• Hot Chocolate, 15K, November 5
• Chicago’s Perfect 10 at Navy Pier, November 12
• Run 3.14 Pie 5K, November 24

I am really excited about the races this month.  I ran the Hot Chocolate last year and was very disappointed with the course.  This year there is a new course so yes I am happy.  The Perfect 10 race is new this year and is a 10K or a 10 mile race.  Since I am training for another marathon I chose the 10 mile race.  The 3.14 race is new for me.  The name caught my attention.  Plus, the first couple hundred that registered gets to take a pie home.  How cool is that?

I am definitely looking forward to 2012!!