Santa run!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

I know it's a little late for that but I have been super busy over the holidays! Did everyone enjoy their time with friends and family?

So are you wondering what I have been up to these days? 

I ran my first winter run! I have never ran a race in the winter because I was afraid of it being too cold. But this year I just decided to go for it and I signed up for the Santa 5k! The cool thing is it actually ended up being the perfect day for a run. It was above freezing and there was absolutely no wind! 

If you ever get the chance to run a race in the winter I highly recommend you do. If you are worried about the weather you can usually sign up on race day or the day before. 

One thing that was unique about this race is instead of getting the traditional free t-shirt for participating in the race we received a free scarf! I dressed up for the first time during a race too. It was much harder to run with all the gear on but it was definitely the most fun race I have ever done! Also, I got 13th in my age group! 

Here are some pictures from my run. 

All ready to run!

We wore super fun Christmas pants too!

Hope you had a good Christmas! 

Until next time!

Janelle 

Turkey Trot

I bet you all are wondering where I have been the past few weeks! Or maybe you haven't, that's okay too! I have really been struggling with sickness. I had bronchitis for nearly two weeks! I am so thankful that I am over it just in time for the holidays! 

My next race is coming up this Sunday and I am so excited. This race means so much to me because it was the first race I ever ran! The race is called the Turkey Trot. It is definitely my favorite race for a lot of different reasons. 

Here are a few reasons I love the turkey trot. 

1. You get a free turkey 

2. It is usually freezing cold out. (The first time I ran the turkey trot it was 18 degrees when we started) 

3. It is the first race I ran (That was 3 years ago and as soon as I ran it I was hooked)

4. See all of the people dressed in silly turkey hats 

5. Feel guilt free eating your thanksgiving dinner

I love thanksgiving! I am so grateful that God has given me the ability to run! What is one thing you are grateful for this thanksgiving? 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Recovery

I ran a marathon! Now what? 

I think recovery is the hardest part for me. It is so different from training because you have to take it day by day. You never know exactly how fast your body will recover from your marathon. 

1. Listen to your body. Don't push yourself too hard. You do not want to risk injury. 

2. Stretch. Stretching is so important to keep your muscles from tightening up. (make sure to do a warm up walk before stretching) 

3. Sleep. I think one of the hardest things for me after my marathon was to sleep. My adrenaline was working overtime for sure! But once I did finally sleep I felt so much better!

4. Eat. Give your body a chance to refuel with healthy food. (Of course giving yourself a cheat day is okay too) You just ran a marathon! 

5. Relax. Enjoy your time off from working out. There is a life outside of running! The first thing I did after my race was crawl into bed and binge watch my favorite tv show. 

This is what recovery looks like. 

I hope these tips were helpful for you if you just ran a marathon or just need to take some time to recover from something else! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Marathon Day!

I've done it. 

I ran my first marathon! 

It was hot

It was fun! 

It was really really difficult. 

I finished with a time of 5.34. 

My goal was to run a marathon and have a great time doing it and I did. I high-fived the little kids and thanked all of the volunteers! 

The experience was incredible! 

My favorite part was in the beginning when my adrenaline was pumping and everyone was cheering us on. One thing that I learned while running my marathon is that it definitely is as hard as I thought! If you are considering running a marathon, here are my pros and cons list that may help you to decide! 

Pros. 

1. Accomplishment

2. Runners High 

3. Physically Fit 

4. Inspiration To Others

Cons. 

1. Blisters

2. Tired 

3. Sore

4. Recovery time 

I might have missed a few things on my pros and cons list but that is all I could think of at the moment. In my opinion, if you are physically capable you should at least run one marathon in your lifetime. It truly is an incredible experience! 

Now here are a few pictures from my marathon adventure!

 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Marathon Week!

My marathon is just one week away. The next time I post on here I will have ran a full marathon! This has been an awesome experience and I have learned so much. Sometimes when I am running so far I feel like I can't run anymore. Here are a few of the things that I use to keep going!

When you feel like you want to stop running... 

1. Think of your favorite day and play every minute of it in your head. Start from when you wake up, to when you go to bed. 

2. Look at the crowd cheering you on. Reading the signs are the best! 

3. Eat a snack! Eating is always a good thing to do while running a marathon and it can distract you from wanting to quit!

4. Pray. Meditate on a passage of encouraging scripture or just talk to God.

5. Imagine yourself crossing the finish line. Picture how happy you will be when you finish and what you just accomplished! 

I have been looking at the weather for my race next week and it has been changing every day. It went from 70 degrees with 20 percent chance of showers to 80 and sunny. Although I know I cannot change the weather, I would much rather have 70 degree weather than 80 degrees any day! Either way the weather goes I will still be at the starting line at 7:30 about to run my first marathon! 

I hope these tips were helpful to anyone running a race soon! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

2 Weeks Out!

My marathon is less than two weeks away! I can't believe it is so close! It feels like I just decided to start training yesterday. I am starting to get anxious and excited. The thought of the unknown is intimidating, but I know I am ready for this! 

Me with my favorite after run snack!

Since I only have two weeks left, my actual running has dropped significantly. I am focusing mainly on diet and stretching daily now. So today I have a few tips for preparing yourself for a race two weeks before. 

1. Relax 

Make sure to not get stressed out. (This has been the hardest thing for me to do) A few pre-race jitters are normal but don't allow yourself to lose sleep over it. Race day should be fun! 

2. Research 

Research where the start/finish line will be so on race day you will have nothing to be nervous about. Decide now when you are going to pick-up your packet. Besides your race, packet pick-up is the most important thing! 

3. Replay

Replay race day in your mind. Picture what you are going to wear, bring, eat. Don't forget to replay yourself crossing the finish line in your mind! 

What about you? Do you have any pre-race tips? 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Marathon - 3 Weeks Away!

My marathon is less than a month away and last week I was blessed with a cold. I was tired, achy, stuffy, and I couldn't move without my head pounding. I took medicine and that helped some but I knew if my training was going to be effective I needed to do more than that. Here are some tips I have for training while sick. 

1. Listen to your body. 

If you have to cut back on your training do it.  

2. Focus on staying hydrated. 

Drink WATER.

3. Eat foods that give you energy.

I never have an appetite when I am sick so I focused on eating a lot of protein and vegetables. 

4. Go to bed early.

I seriously believe that the best thing you can do when you are sick is sleep!

I have a really hard time slacking on my training because I am so competitive. So when I was sick, it was really hard for me to cut back on my runs a little bit. I ended up running two miles less than I was planning on. This was very disappointing to me, but I was glad to get my long run out of the way. Now I know even if I am sick on the day of my marathon I will still be able to run it! 

This is about how I felt this week after training! This photo is courtesy of Pinterest. 

Until next time, 

Janelle