500 Festival Miler Series 10 Miler

In preparation for the Mini Marathon and Carmel Half Marathon that's actually next week, Stephen and I participated in the final race of the Miler Series. After looking back at my half marathon training I have been doing throughout the winter I discovered that I slowly lost my passion in running. All the tempo runs and intervals running made me feel like running was more of a chore for me than something that I used to enjoy. I have been so focused on pace/speed that I have lost the true reason for running. I didn't want to be all wrapped up in getting faster and faster and feeling disappointed when I didn't performed as well. Right before the Saturday race I decided to "take my running back". I am not a professional athlete that has to perform at certain level. I am just a girl that wants to enjoy running because of it's amazing benefits. Who cares if I finish half marathon in under 2 hours. I want to be able to enjoy each run and race to the fullest. That was exactly the attitude that I had when going into the run on Saturday. Stephen decided to run with me and we started pretty slow. I didn't want to put any pressure on myself. There was no goal or certain pace to keep, just keep it fun. We both found this comfortable pace and kept going. The last mile I sped up a little just because that's what I typically do. It always feels good sprinting to the finish line. Stephen wanted to slow down but I told him to keep going strong and we finished great together. The final result was better than ever. Finished 10 miles at 1 hour and 28 minutes! I absolutely loved the fact that I did not have any high expectations for this race and still finished great. But the most important part was that I really enjoyed it and had fun run it with my husband. Keep it fun everyone!

Winter Wonderland

So the winter isn't over yet. Last night we got about 4 inches of snow and the winter that I like is back. The most important thing is that the temperature got a lot better that it's been for the last few days. It's interesting how warm 30 degrees feels after experiencing negative digits.
I couldn't resist and of course had to go outside for a run. I only planned on doing about 3-4 miles cause running through unplowed streets wasn't going to be easy. But since the sun came out shortly after I started running I continue to run and run! This is absolutely my favorite winter weather to run in. Snowy, sunny and not extremely cold day. I couldn't ask for a better way to spend February Saturday. Most importantly being able to finally go outside felt amazing. Last few days on the treadmill were killing me.

Winter Winter Go Away

I am really trying to be positive and not complain about this weather but it's not easy.  Last few weeks has really been bad with low temperatures and wind that makes everything worse. I don't mind running in the winter, it's actually nice when the fresh snow is falling and temps are in the 20s/30s but -8 just doesn't work for me. My treadmill is being used more this winter than ever. I honestly do not enjoy running on the treadmill but I learned to appreciate it a little more this season. Half marathon training has to continue regardless of the weather. Saba is also going a little crazy because she has not ran with me for a few weeks now. I am hoping this is the last stretch of this cold because it can only get better from here, right? One good thing about the treadmill is that I can catch up on my shows, was watching M Jak Miłość yesterday :)