Bad runner, bad bad runner....

Yeah...my running has been about as consistent as my blogging. And I'm not proud of either. Life has not been kind to me lately from a running stand point and my guilt has prevented me from facing the fact that I have been slacking - and looking at my blog would force me to do that.

I did participate in the Chiefs 5K with my family back in May - it was untimed and I forgot to charge my Garmin so I have no idea how I did. But, I ran with my 6 year old while pushing my then 2 year old, so it wasn't about time or a PR - it was about crossing the finish line with my kids. It was a great moment and I can't wait to do it again next year.

I also ran the Color Run with my extended family in late May. Yeah- really no point in timing this race and besides, who would want to. I spent more time picking up colored dust from the ground and throwing it on my niece and my sister - no reason to worry about time when there is much fun to be had. In fact, we didn't even run this race. We walked and talked and had fun - it was worth it.

My 14 in '14 calendar has changed quite a bit - realized I had some conflicts with original dates planned so I'm desperately trying to get it hammered out. I have let myself down with my overall training and health - don't want to do the same with my ultimate 2014 goal.

14 in '14
February 23: Disney Princess Half-Marathon - 3:33:53
March 15: KC Big 12 5K & Fun Run - 38:50
April 12: Rock the Parkway Half-Marathon - 3:05:53
May 10: Kansas City Chiefs 5K (fun run, not chipped)
May 31: Color Run (fun run, not chipped)
August 9: Farmstead Stampede OP5K
September 1: Leawood Labor Day 5K
September 14: Plaza 10K
September 21: Panera Bread Diabetes Dash for Life
October 4: Kansas City Zoo Run (4 mile)
October 18: Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon (running the half)
November 15: Longview Half Marathon

So yeah, I need to find two more races. I should be able to - I may sign up last minute for a 4 mile race on Friday morning - which should go swimmingly since I haven't run in a while. But, I think I may just go ahead and do it. I need a little kick int he butt - I need a major confidence booster too. I've been feeling pretty crummy lately - and it's so weird to think that it might be because I haven't been running in so long. But, I also haven't been able to take time to do something for me in a long time either - I haven't been able to be selfish. So maybe I will make that change this week....

14 in '14 Goal - Update

After the Princess Half Marathon, I decided to set a goal of running 14 races in 2014.  I documented this goal in an earlier post and figured I should do an update to my race schedule. I work for the Kansas City Chiefs on game days so I wasn't able to sign up fill out my calendar completely until they released their 2014 schedule. Well, it came out last week and now I'm ready to finalize my calendar and empty my bank account. :-)

14 in '14
February 23: Disney Princess Half-Marathon - 3:33:53
March 15: KC Big 12 5K & Fun Run - 38:50
April 12: Rock the Parkway Half-Marathon - 3:05:53
May 10: Kansas City Chiefs 5K (fun run, not chipped)
May 31: Color Run (fun run, not chipped)
June 21: Jazz in the Woods 5K
July 12: Rock the Crossroads 5K
August 16: Rivalry Run 5K
September 1: Leawood Labor Day 5K
September 14: Plaza 10K
September 21: Panera Bread Diabetes Dash for Life
October 4: Kansas City Zoo Run (4 mile)
October 18: Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon (running the half)

I have 13 races currently on my calendar. I'm not worried at all about finding number 14. The problem I'm facing right now is that I'm considering making number 14 the Longview Half. It's an inaugural race - but I have a Chiefs game the next day and I'm just not sure how my body is going to feel. It's capped at 2,00 entries so I can't wait too long to make my decision. We'll see....

My goal for 2014 - 14 in '14

I decided to set a goal for myself this year.  One that I may not be able to keep up year after year, but figured I'd give it a go this year.  I've decided to try for 14 in '14 - 14 races this year.  Last year I ran in six races but didn't start until May. I figure hitting 14 this year shouldn't be too hard - especially since I've already signed up for quite a few.

Here's my race schedule so far:

February 23: Disney Princess Half-Marathon - 3:33
March 15: KC Big 12 5K & Fun Run
April 12: Rock the Parkway Half-Marathon
May 10: Kansas City Chiefs 5K (fun run, not chipped)
May 31: Color Run (fun run, not chipped)
September 1: Leawood Labor Day 5K
September 21: Panera Bread Diabetes Dash for Life
October 4: Kansas City Zoo Run
October 18: Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon (running the half)

Nine races so far -that's not too bad. A couple of those above I haven't signed up for yet, but plan to participate as I did them last year and they were great races. I'm not too worried about not meeting my goal - shouldn't be too hard to find five more races to participate in. The problem may be that I find more than five - and I'm not sure my bank account will be happy with me for that. I want to add a couple 10Ks to this list as that has become a distance I enjoy running. I still can't believe I have three half-marathons on my schedule - that's just crazy.

Ready for it to warm up a bit and for Mark to get home so I can get back out and start training for Rock the Parkway. I'm actually looking forward to that race - I don't know what's wrong with me. :-)

Yikes - I'm slacking...

Wow, I knew I had been slacking off with my blogging, but I had no idea it had been this bad. Oh well, guess it's a good thing the blog isn't really picking up traction and I'm the only one reading it. I've tried blogging in the past, but fell into the same trap.

With 111 days to go until my half-marathon, things are slow. Mark is out of town for about 10 days so I'm going to be facing the dreadmill this week for my training. After running my first 10K two weekends ago, I took a week off to let myself rest and recover - plus, we had days of torrential, non-stop rain and Halloween, so I wasn't able to get in the miles. I don't have another 10K until the end of this month, so I'm going to focus on improving my pace and distance running while increasing my mileage by 1-2 miles before the 10K.

I'll recap my 10K later this week - and I need to evaluate my goals for the week too.  Ugh, I'm such a slacker. I need a little inspiration.

I'm a brand ambassador!!!

I never imagined becoming a brand ambassador for any kind of running company. I figured I would have to have 8-9 minute miles or a ton of followers or something like that.

When I learned that Swirlgear was looking for ambassadors, I was curious. I filled out the application, which surprisingly was far more concerned with info about my support system and why I run then how far, how often, etc. I was surprised to receive an e-mail back inviting me to be an ambassador. There had to be a catch, right? Well, there is, sort of. You have to purchase 2 pieces of clothing - at 50% off. That's it. Wear their gear - tell people about their gear - provide a code for free shipping. Now, I'm a cheapskate. Really, I am. I hate to pay more than $10 on any article of clothing. When I saw the prices of their gear I almost choked. Now - their stuff isn't expensive. It's really not more than the Nike or Under Armour gear I see in the stores. But I don't pay those prices and head straight for the clearance racks. So, was the opportunity to be a brand ambassador worth the price - even at half off.

I took a week to think about it and decided to bite the bullet. At the very least, I have a new shirt and a new jacket to wear when I train. Depending on how much I enjoy the gear, I just may buy the yellow shirt they have as the final piece of my Belle costume for the Princess Half Marathon. I'm excited about my purchases and impatiently waiting for my package to arrive.

What has impressed me so far is the enthusiasm and communication from their corporate office. I received 3 welcome to the team e-mails and a plethora of info to help me get acquainted. There was also a private Facebook group for brand ambassadors so we can share pictures and personal accomplishments as well as a place for the corporate office to provide us with new information.

So, with that said, I encourage everyone to check out Swirlgear's gear: http://www.swirlgear.com/  Want free shipping on your order?  Use the code swirlon at checkout.

In the meantime, when I get my gear I'll get some pictures online so you can see my new duds. Happy running!