Countdown to Rock'n'Roll USA
Hi Everyone!
Well the countdown is on. The Rock'n'Roll USA Half Marathon is just 15 days away. YEAH! It felt like forever ago when I registered. I have a post coming later to detail why this particular race is so important to me. But, in the meantime, I thought I would catch up on my excitement and anxieties for it.
First and foremost, everyone around me is dropping like flies. Seriously, right now I feel like I should be walking around with a mask on or living in a plastic bubble. Ms. Kerri, Ms. Lety, Ms. Tracey, AND Gym Buddy Lisa all got taken down out of nowhere. I can't even talk about Heather...she's been sick forever...and I live with her! I know my adrenaline is pumping with race day looming and there's a good chance that I will get taken down as soon as the race is over and my body relaxes. But, right now I am living in fear. I was a little sick last weekend and I kicked it. No way will I let that happen again. GERMS STAY AWAY!!!!
I'm happy to report that I've had 3 more pledges for my Run for Autism! I am over my goal! I could not be happier. It feels so good to do this that I am definitely signing up to raise money for them again for the Rock'n'Roll Philly Half in September.
So I am itching to see what the weather is going to be. I need to know!!! Last year it was sooooo stinkin warm for the race. I was sweating and I was just a spectator. I know that I will pack accordingly and will pack both shorts and pants. ARGH...make no misake about it though. As soon as we hit the 10 day window, I will be obsessively checking weather.com.
I am really hoping for a nice day not just for the obvious reasons, but for as much of my life has been spent in DC, I have NEVER seen the cherry blossoms. There is a chance that I could see them on this run and I want them in bloom not on the ground from wind and rain. It's still a little early and we haven't exactly had the "warm spring weather" to help them along like we did last year. But, if they are in bloom, you know I want to take pictures of them! I wish I could run with my big camera. I do have to go in on Friday to pick up our race packets, so perhaps I will take the bigger camera and make a detour on my way home.
I don't want to get anyone too excited or jealous, but tomorrow is a trial run in the green tutu. haha. I need to make sure it stays up. If I find that it is falling or I get fidgety I will need to fix it or drop it. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be plenty of photos. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold though so there may also be a jacket.
I'm also in the process of tweaking my playlist. I have a general running playlist that I like, but I have narrowed it down to some really good ones that can play over if need be because they really make me move. I'll be sharing that soon.
So the good news is that I have been devoting Tuesday nights to training nights. Since I can't rely on the weather on the weekends for a long run I need to know that I can get some good long distances at least one day a week. So I have been working through lunch and leaving work early on Tuesdays. My first week was good. This week was fantastic! I'm not about putting my numbers out there because I don't want people who are feeling like they could "never do that" to feel that way. So I won't say what my time was, but I will say that I got in 11 miles. If I kept that pace up for the full 13 I would have knocked off over an hour from my first Half. I won't be keeping this pace for the race. I run differently on Asphault and there are other factors (crowds, weather, hills, water, etc). But, I continue to amaze myself. Now of course walking the past few days has been rather painful for my knees, so I won't be doing this all of the time, but it's nice to know that it can happen.
My only problem with my Tuesday training nights is that, in general, I am hungry during the ride home....well I am STARVING on these rides. The urge to pull over and hit Wendy's for a burger and fries is never stronger than it is on these nights. I need to make sure that I have a meal ready and prepared on Monday night that I just need to heat up when I get home Tuesday because that's what will keep me from stopping.
Okay so Aunt Kathy and I have been motivating each other for running and studying. The other night we were discussing some plans. Well our cheering section is growing. We will now have 3 cousins (possibly more), an aunt, and a mom there! YEAH! That's so exciting. Now the logistics of where everyone will sleep and dealing with getting ready in the morning sinks in.
I can get us all spots to sleep. But, mom brought up the shower situation. I need a shower the morning of. I wake up at 4am. I am NOT a morning person. I need that shower to wake me up. But, that's a lot of showers to factor in... and it's a guarantee that someone, if not two or three, will not have hot water. For our sleeping situation we have 3 adults and 2 teenagers. That's 5 ladies and one bathroom...um...my mom suggested that my aunt and I may want to get a room for the night just for the peace of mind of sleep. That's a good thought. I don't want to worry myself with "is everyone ready? WE HAVE TO GO!". But, I will. I know it. I need to be of the mindset: if they aren't ready, they can come later. They don't have to see us off at the start, it's the finish line that matters to me. We'll see how I deal with this. I have considered asking my other Aunt if I could just stay at her house after we have our Carb-Loading meal there since she and my cousin will be coming in too.
My biggest issue right now, is of course, my hair. It's getting long and I want to cut it sooooo bad, but that will be hard to keep it off of my neck if I do that. So I am trying to make it through the next two weeks without chopping it. Right now I'm experimenting with a Pebbles-like poof at the top of my head...it is so not long enough to call it an anything-tail. It's kind of cute though. Not sure it can withstand wind and time though.
So we do have a plan in place for the race itself. It's hard for me to write it out for you because everytime I do I end up changing it. Or I get caught up in the moment and it changes as the race goes on. I will see how my training goes between now and then and how the weather is looking before I actually tell you what it is. Besides, Aunt Kathy and I have different plans and paces so there's no telling how things will go.
Right now, I'm totally excited though. Last weekend was the Rock'n'Roll New Orleans Marathon...the USA is the next one so all of the updates are coming in left and right. I printed my confirmation sheet. Darn it, I am READY! Let's GO!
Have a Blessed Night.
Don't forget my Fundraising for Autism Research:
https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jennifer-henderson-6/RNRUSA13
****Please note****
If you feel like you are alone on your journey and you just need some encouragement I am here for you! Shoot me an email and I will do my best to check in on you or give you the words of support you need several times a week. The journey is so much easier if you have support.
jhendersonfit@gmail.com
Well the countdown is on. The Rock'n'Roll USA Half Marathon is just 15 days away. YEAH! It felt like forever ago when I registered. I have a post coming later to detail why this particular race is so important to me. But, in the meantime, I thought I would catch up on my excitement and anxieties for it.
First and foremost, everyone around me is dropping like flies. Seriously, right now I feel like I should be walking around with a mask on or living in a plastic bubble. Ms. Kerri, Ms. Lety, Ms. Tracey, AND Gym Buddy Lisa all got taken down out of nowhere. I can't even talk about Heather...she's been sick forever...and I live with her! I know my adrenaline is pumping with race day looming and there's a good chance that I will get taken down as soon as the race is over and my body relaxes. But, right now I am living in fear. I was a little sick last weekend and I kicked it. No way will I let that happen again. GERMS STAY AWAY!!!!
I'm happy to report that I've had 3 more pledges for my Run for Autism! I am over my goal! I could not be happier. It feels so good to do this that I am definitely signing up to raise money for them again for the Rock'n'Roll Philly Half in September.
So I am itching to see what the weather is going to be. I need to know!!! Last year it was sooooo stinkin warm for the race. I was sweating and I was just a spectator. I know that I will pack accordingly and will pack both shorts and pants. ARGH...make no misake about it though. As soon as we hit the 10 day window, I will be obsessively checking weather.com.
I am really hoping for a nice day not just for the obvious reasons, but for as much of my life has been spent in DC, I have NEVER seen the cherry blossoms. There is a chance that I could see them on this run and I want them in bloom not on the ground from wind and rain. It's still a little early and we haven't exactly had the "warm spring weather" to help them along like we did last year. But, if they are in bloom, you know I want to take pictures of them! I wish I could run with my big camera. I do have to go in on Friday to pick up our race packets, so perhaps I will take the bigger camera and make a detour on my way home.
I don't want to get anyone too excited or jealous, but tomorrow is a trial run in the green tutu. haha. I need to make sure it stays up. If I find that it is falling or I get fidgety I will need to fix it or drop it. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be plenty of photos. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold though so there may also be a jacket.
I'm also in the process of tweaking my playlist. I have a general running playlist that I like, but I have narrowed it down to some really good ones that can play over if need be because they really make me move. I'll be sharing that soon.
So the good news is that I have been devoting Tuesday nights to training nights. Since I can't rely on the weather on the weekends for a long run I need to know that I can get some good long distances at least one day a week. So I have been working through lunch and leaving work early on Tuesdays. My first week was good. This week was fantastic! I'm not about putting my numbers out there because I don't want people who are feeling like they could "never do that" to feel that way. So I won't say what my time was, but I will say that I got in 11 miles. If I kept that pace up for the full 13 I would have knocked off over an hour from my first Half. I won't be keeping this pace for the race. I run differently on Asphault and there are other factors (crowds, weather, hills, water, etc). But, I continue to amaze myself. Now of course walking the past few days has been rather painful for my knees, so I won't be doing this all of the time, but it's nice to know that it can happen.
My only problem with my Tuesday training nights is that, in general, I am hungry during the ride home....well I am STARVING on these rides. The urge to pull over and hit Wendy's for a burger and fries is never stronger than it is on these nights. I need to make sure that I have a meal ready and prepared on Monday night that I just need to heat up when I get home Tuesday because that's what will keep me from stopping.
Okay so Aunt Kathy and I have been motivating each other for running and studying. The other night we were discussing some plans. Well our cheering section is growing. We will now have 3 cousins (possibly more), an aunt, and a mom there! YEAH! That's so exciting. Now the logistics of where everyone will sleep and dealing with getting ready in the morning sinks in.
I can get us all spots to sleep. But, mom brought up the shower situation. I need a shower the morning of. I wake up at 4am. I am NOT a morning person. I need that shower to wake me up. But, that's a lot of showers to factor in... and it's a guarantee that someone, if not two or three, will not have hot water. For our sleeping situation we have 3 adults and 2 teenagers. That's 5 ladies and one bathroom...um...my mom suggested that my aunt and I may want to get a room for the night just for the peace of mind of sleep. That's a good thought. I don't want to worry myself with "is everyone ready? WE HAVE TO GO!". But, I will. I know it. I need to be of the mindset: if they aren't ready, they can come later. They don't have to see us off at the start, it's the finish line that matters to me. We'll see how I deal with this. I have considered asking my other Aunt if I could just stay at her house after we have our Carb-Loading meal there since she and my cousin will be coming in too.
My biggest issue right now, is of course, my hair. It's getting long and I want to cut it sooooo bad, but that will be hard to keep it off of my neck if I do that. So I am trying to make it through the next two weeks without chopping it. Right now I'm experimenting with a Pebbles-like poof at the top of my head...it is so not long enough to call it an anything-tail. It's kind of cute though. Not sure it can withstand wind and time though.
So we do have a plan in place for the race itself. It's hard for me to write it out for you because everytime I do I end up changing it. Or I get caught up in the moment and it changes as the race goes on. I will see how my training goes between now and then and how the weather is looking before I actually tell you what it is. Besides, Aunt Kathy and I have different plans and paces so there's no telling how things will go.
Right now, I'm totally excited though. Last weekend was the Rock'n'Roll New Orleans Marathon...the USA is the next one so all of the updates are coming in left and right. I printed my confirmation sheet. Darn it, I am READY! Let's GO!
Have a Blessed Night.
Don't forget my Fundraising for Autism Research:
https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jennifer-henderson-6/RNRUSA13
****Please note****
If you feel like you are alone on your journey and you just need some encouragement I am here for you! Shoot me an email and I will do my best to check in on you or give you the words of support you need several times a week. The journey is so much easier if you have support.
jhendersonfit@gmail.com
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